A remote road in Northern Ireland, lined with spooky trees and inaccessible by car, was made famous by a popular TV series and now welcomes crowds of tourists everyday
In the Northern Irish countryside sits a road with spookily shaped trees that has found fame thanks to a popular TV series.
The Dark Hedges is an avenue of beech trees which were planted by the Stuart family back in the 18th Century. They were first dug into the ground to act as a compelling feature of the landscape, in the hope of impressing visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House.
However, two centuries later the trees remain standing and now welcome crowds of tourists who wish to take a photograph of the spooky natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.
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The iconic beech trees line each side of the avenue, and twist and bend in spooky ways. More recently, the avenue was used as a filming location in HBO’s series Game of Thrones. The road represented Kingsroad, in Season Two, Episode One — The North Remembers.
In the scene, Arya Stark is on King’s Road, having escaped from King’s Landing disguised as a boy. Arya hops onto the back of a wagon, and as the camera pans out, you see other people walking along the avenue with a grass field to one side, and a hay field to the other.
The picturesque but slight spooky site is instantly recognisable in the series and can feature as a short stop on a visit to the Northern Irish countryside or even a trip exploring the many Game of Thrones filming locations in near proximity. It is worth noting that Bregagh Road, the Dark Hedges, is pedestrian access only. Parking is available nearby at the Dark Hedges Estate or The Hedges Hotel.
One tourist from Bromley, UK, said on TripAdvisor: “My husband is a big Game of Thrones fan so jumped at the chance to make a stop before Carrick a rede rope bridge. We got a bit lost as couldn’t find the signposted car park so we parked on the verge near the no access road and walked a few minutes up. The trees were there in all their glory.
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“There were people in the distance but we were able to get a perfect photo by standing in front of them so it looked like we were the only ones there! I’ve read the car park was £5 charge so I’m happy we decided to park where we did. Really no need to stay more than 5 minutes to get a few photos. Did enjoy it and glad we made the effort to find it.”
Other Game of Thrones filming locations are nearby including Ballintoy Harbour, where Theon Greyjoy sailed in on his return to Pyke Harbour and the village of Cushendun, where fans will find the caves that Melisandre gave birth to the Shadow Assassin in.
When in Cushendun, make sure to head to Mary McBride’s pub, where the eighth door from the series can be found. The pub also serves delicious grub, including homemade deserts.