These spectacular views are of the Bregagh Road, between Stranocum and Armoy in County Antrim. The ‘Dark Hedges‘, as it’s affectionately known around those parts, is a long avenue of beech trees running down the gentle undulations of this minor road. The trees were planted over 200 years ago to frame the approach to a local manor house, and are now a well-loved and increasingly well-known natural feature of Northern Ireland.
My mum had heard about this place – traditionally popular with local couples posing for photographs on their wedding day – from a friend who spoke vividly about being taken there in the moonlight as a child. Neither of us had been here before, and at the time there wasn't a great deal of information online to help with the location (something which has now been addressed. After driving about the area for a while we eventually found it with some help from Google Maps on my phone and a bit of good luck.The long lines of trees are incredibly visually striking; at this time of the year the leafy boughs arch across the road almost as far as the eye can see, creating the impression of a vaulted verdant canopy. The trees have become much more well-known in the last few years, their fame spreading as a result of their obvious attraction to photographers. Although it’s a fairly quiet road I had to abort several attempts at these panoramas due to cars driving slowly along the arched avenue… other folk were out enjoying the view too.Since I shot these panoramas in 2010, the location has become much better known internationally, not least as it’s one of the many beautiful parts of Northern Ireland which have been featured in the blockbuster TV show ‘Game of Thrones‘ as 'The King's Road'.
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