Game of Thrones locations in Ulster

According to George RR Martin, the author behind the fantasy series, Hadrian’s eponymous construction in Scotland was the inspiration for The Wall, which separates temperate Westeros from the frozen lands beyond (which presumably means Scots were the inspiration for the wildings and white walkers…)

But HBO found its vision of northern Westeros across the Irish Sea, with the rolling hills and rugged coastlines of Northern Ireland.

Among the most notable filming locations are Downhill Strand, a seven-mile beach overlooked by Mussenden Temple, which is visited by Stannis Baratheon and his frequently disrobed companion Melisandre (“for the night is dark and full of terrors”), the oft-photographed Dark Hedges, a spectacular collection of beech trees that line a road near Stranocum, County Antrim, and the little seaside village of Ballintoy, which becomes Pyke, capital of The Iron Islands, in Game of Thrones.

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