P&O Troon to Ireland

The SeaCat ferry service between Troon and Belfast was cancelled in February 2005. P&O from March 2005, will be the main operator out of Troon with conventional ferries and new superfast catamarans. The P&O vessels travel between Troon and Larne with Larne being about 20 miles north of Belfast. The P&O website offers day trips (ferry/coach) throughout Ireland from Larne or Scottish trips from Troon. The website is www.poirishsea.compassenger/Larne_Troon.
Regular coach and train services run between Larne and Belfast. Trains from Troon run every 15 minutes, 10 minutes south to Ayr, or, 40 minutes north to Glasgow Central.

Belfast Castle is situated high on a hillside north of the city centre in Cave Hill Country Park. This castle was built for the 3rd Marquis of Donegall in the1870s. The recently restored Belfast Castle has been open to the public free of charge since November 11th 1988. The Cave Hill Visitor Centre is situated on the second floor of Belfast Castle. Opening hours are 09.00 - 20.00 Monday - Saturday and 09.00 - 18.00 Sundays. Belfast Zoo is also situated in Cave Hill Country Park. Visit the website for the castle at www.belfastcastle.co.uk

Belfast City Hall was completed in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria giving Belfast the status of a city. This fine building situated in Donegall Square is one of many in the city worth viewing.

The Grand Opera House on Great Victoria Street gives performances Monday - Saturday. These acts vary from theatre - musical, opera, ballet, comedy, concerts and pantomime.

The Botanic Gardens in Belfast are situated south of the city centre off Strawmills Road. Work on the gardens began in 1827 and the glass Palm House was completed in 1852.

The Ulster Museum is situated next to the Botanic Gardens. The museum is open to the public free of charge Monday to Friday 10.00-17.00, Saturday’s 13.00-17.00 and Sunday’s 14.00-17.00. Exhibits are dinosaurs, Egyptian artifacts, treasure recovered from Spanish Armada ships sunk along the Irish coast and 20th Century engineering including information on the liner Titanic that was built at the Belfast shipbuilders Harland & Wolff.

St Anne's Cathedral is built on the site of St Anne’s Church (Belfast’s first Church of Ireland).  The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid by the Countess of Shaftesbury in 1899. The West Front as seen in the photo was not completed until 1927, serving as a memorial to those who fought and died in World War One. The final section of the cathedral comprising the North Transept was completed in 1981.

Belfast University on University Road was designed by Charles Lanyon and completed in 1849. This is another fine building worth viewing.

Stormont Castle and Stormont Parliament buildings are situated 6 miles east of Belfast centre. The castle bottom right in this view was built in the 1850s for John Cleland (Rector of Newtownwards/County Down). The parliament buildings top left were built after the castle and estate were vacated in 1921. Both buildings at Stormont are used for government duties and not open to the public. However, the surrounding park with kids play areas is open to the public.

Late Rooms is an excellent website for booking many of the hotels in Belfast. Simply click on the banner below and view rates for hotels over the next few days. To view dates up to three months in advance, Click on the Hotels Details then use the Search Engine to view the dates you require. Rooms can then be booked using the secure online booking system.