BACK in the 60s, before the Nanny State banned TV cigarette advertising, Ulster Television regularly ran a black and white commercial showing a couple crossing our world-famous ropebridge, then rewarding themselves with a locally-made ciggie.

The catchy rhyming  jingle ran something like this:

”Carrick-a-Rede has a ropebridge / You’ll cross it and quake in your shoes / But when your crossing is over / You’ll light up your Gallaher’s Blues.”
Well, one of the trewly great highlights of our summer family holiday was to cross the bridge and get a certificate to prove it (the modest £1 fee for the certificate goes to our National Trust’s Giant Cause Fund, which I urge everyone to support).
Our grandson Simon (10), whom we had on loan for a memorable week on the North Coast and another week in Scotland, just ran across the terrifying chasm; I almost chickened out at the last minute, having spent a wearying half-hour trudging a whole kilometre to get to the bloody bridge in the blazing sun (yes, we did it on our only sweltering summer’s day.)
Best thing about the whole experience was the fact that we shared it with literally scores of happy-looking people from all over the world. If Northern Ireland develops more unique experiences like the ropebridge, we’re told in the latest report that our tourism industry could bring in a billion pounds per annum. Maybe I should have charged the family from Chile (yes, Chile!) to have my photo taken with them after I told the mum in Spanish that I was a 116 year-old leprechaun!
A visit to the ropebridge and the visitor centre/café at Larrybane is a great day out for less than 14 quid for a family admission. It’s open throughout autumn – until Dec 31, in fact – though I would not recommend you to cross it with a post-Christmas hangover…

Roe Park Resort lives up to reputation

DURING our super sojourn on the Atlantic Coast, we had a midweek break in the highly-recommended  Radisson Blu Roe Park Resort just outside Limavady.
Excellent! We opted for a Special Deal -- a good-value summer rate of £139pp for three nights’ B&B plus one dinner; Simon shared the triple room for £15 B&Bpn. We should have taken the inclusive dinner in Greens, the swankier of the two restaurants; the menu looked really imaginative and ‘cheffy’. We had chosen the cheap ‘n cheerful Coach House Brasserie because it offered a Kids’ Menu which we heard – too late – was also available in the fine dining ambiance of Greens Restaurant. Take note for autumn.
We will definitely be back to the Radisson. The service was the ideal combination of friendliness and efficiency – apart, that is, from one particular receptionist who tried to downgrade me, presumably  because she thought that the sweaty tramp in front of her (it had been a hot, eventful journey) could not possibly be worthy of the Executive Room Upgrade that I had negotiated on the phone  with the charming Kelly and Gillian  in Reservations.
The Resort’s superb golf facilities are adjacent to Roe Valley Country Park, one of the finest outdoor amenities in the region, complete with a  wildlife centre, an impressive linen industry museum and a wee restaurant that deserves more customers.

It is also just a few minute’s drive from Benone Strand where we flew the kite I always keep in the boot of the car for opportunities like this. We also had a dip in the Atlantic rollers and just wished that we had a body board to make the whole experience even more memorable. 
So that’s how we ended up in the world-renowned Troggs Surf Shop in Portrush and purchased the cheapest (a tenner) boogie board in stock. There was a cheaper one (£7) in the White House department store across the road, but it was inappropriately emblazoned with the torsos of unknown USA wrestlers, so we passed on that bargain. However, we spent a small fortune in Flying Tackle, the nearby angling superstore founded by the late, legendary Joe Mullan – a friend to all young fishermen, as I recall from my earliest days catching mackerel in Portrush Harbour.

Awe-inspiring Western Highlands & Lochs

ACCORDING to the Finn McCool legend, the Western Highlands of Scotland are only a few Giant Steps away from the Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland.
However, we went the scenic route — via Belfast-Edinburgh-Glasgow-Loch Lomond-Inverary -- to reach our second family holiday destination of this year’s so-called ‘summer’, a two-storey chalet in the tiny village of Portsonachan, perched on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Awe.

Why Loch Awe? It’s famous for game fishing, and has yielded the biggest-ever Brown Trout, weighing 31lb 10oz… about the same as a chubby toddler!  Simon’s father Henry is a keen fly-fisherman; he enjoys a few casts in the evening while the rest of the family get on with less strenuous holiday activities, such as catching up with old episodes of The Simpsons on the satellite TV which is now obligatory in all self-catering units, even in wilderness destinations such as the Argyll Lochs and Mountains. He also brought the two-seater canoe along, as well as lots of other watersports equipment.
Alas, unpredictable winds made water activities unpleasant, not to say dangerous. However, that meant that we spent most of the week exploring a spectacularly beautiful  region that was entirely new to me. Loch Awe is indeed Awesome.

Unusual attractions

AS WELL as the predictable wildlife and local craft attractions, the Loch offers one of the most unusual tourist attractions I have ever experienced in  my 32 years as a travel journalist – an underground bus trip to the core  of Ben Cruchan, the  Hollow Mountain. Cruachan Power Station is buried one kilometre below the ground.
At its centre lies a mighty cavern, high enough to house Belfast’s City Hall. Here, enormous turbines convert the power of water falling from a well-hidden reservoir above Loch Awe, into electricity, available to Scottish Power customers at peak times. Fourteen men – many of them daredevil navvies from North Donegal – gave their lives to achieve this triumphant post-war engineering/ecological masterpiece.
My favourite excursion was to the utterly charming old-world resort of Oban, where I confirmed that it deserves its self-proclaimed title: Seafood Capital of Scotland by having a giant portion of crispy haddock with mushy peas in the best of its many traditional chippers.
Oban Fish & Chip Shop (Rick Stein’s all-time favourite, as I later found out) was recommended to us by the volunteer staff of the must-see War and Peace Museum in the old Oban Times building on the seafront.
This museum is a fascinating place to learn about the town’s vital role in conquering Hitler’s U-Boat fleet  during WWII. The huge model of a Short Sunderland hanging from the ceiling was a reminder of my East Belfast upbringing near the Aircraft Factory where many flying boats were built. By coincidence, through the window we witnessed the daily Loch Lomond Seaplane service from Glasgow landing – a present-day reminder of the days when Oban Bay was filled with Catalinas and Sunderlands.Brilliant!
I must also commend the wee town of Inverary as an excursion destination. Although it is only the size of Groomsport, it has some of Argyll’s greatest visitor attractions – the Castle and Gardens; a brilliant Jail, complete with living (and rude) women prisoners; and a floating Maritime Museum which displays the Clyde tug which Clyde tug which featured in the popular  TV series, 'Para Handy'.
However, the main visitor attractions to the Western Highlands will always be the spectacular lochs and mountains abounding in wildlife. Unfortunately, among the wildlife are its infamous midges and other irritating insects. I was bitten on the ankle by something like a deer tick and have had to undergo weeks of treatment with antibiotics. So, enjoy the scenery -- but always tuck your trousers into thick socks when walking through rough grass!