Simple Care Tips for the Bathroom Sink

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At the end of a long day, all we want to do is relax in our comfort zone. However, a home with a dingy bathroom isn’t exactly what we have in mind when we think of comfort, right? Have a pristine, hotel-like bathroom by practicing these tips:

Photo by Dan Watson on Unsplash

Keep your sink from getting scratched
Avoid abrasive cleaners, which can scratch your sink. Those scratches become magnets for grease, soap scum and dirt. Scrubbing the sink with a solution of 1 tablespoon ammonia to 1 gallon of water will dissolve them and bring back your sink’s shine. A solution of 1 teaspoon of trisodium phosphate to a gallon of water effectively removes grease and soap scum build up as well. Also known as TSP, trisodium phosphate, a degreasing agent, can be found at most hardware stores in white powder form. Source: HomeGuides.SFGate

Maintain a clean sink
Regularly wash your sink with soap and water. You can prevent dirt and stains from building up in the first place by gently washing your sink after every use. Use a little dish soap and a soft, non-abrasive sponge, and rinse thoroughly with clean water.  Source: WikiHow

Remove stains right away
De-stain surfaces with lemon juice. We’ve got a sure remedy for stained sinks: Erase those spots with a paste made of one-half cup of powdered borax and the juice of one-half lemon. Dab a sponge in the mixture, rub, and rinse with running water—it’ll work like a charm whether your sink is made of porcelain enamel, stainless steel, or any other material.

Get rid of mineral deposits
Use vinegar on your lime. The white spots that you have so much trouble cleaning off the faucets are lime deposits from mineral-rich hard water. They’re very easy to remove with a secret ingredient that’s already in your pantry: vinegar. Soak a paper towel in vinegar, and wrap the towel around the spotted area. Wait 10 minutes and then buff with a dry paper towel. This works well on all fixtures except brass or colored fixtures; using vinegar on these surfaces may discolor them. Source: RD

Our selection of trendy ceramic sinks will surely fit your budget and needs. Take a look and call us if you need any assistance.

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Cleaning Tips for Stubborn Toilet Stains

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Are you finding it difficult to remove ring stains in your toilet? With the following ingredients, you’ll have plenty of effective solutions to choose from.

Image Source: Flickr

Coca-Cola
Get rid of stubborn toilet bowl stains with a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. Pour the full can around the rim of your toilet so it coats the toilet bowl and let the soda sit for an hour. The acid in the Coca-Cola will break down the stains. After an hour, scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush. Source: BrightNest

Vinegar
Most people reach for bleach to obliterate toilet germs and stains. However, Green living expert Mark Lallanilla says that plain old white vinegar is not only an effective cleaner, but also safer than chlorine bleach. To eliminate hard water stains, soak toilet paper in vinegar and place directly on top of the stain. Let the vinegar-soaked paper sit overnight. The next morning, flush to rinse and the stains should be gone.

Lallanilla says that full-strength vinegar also works great on grout and caulk. Use a spray bottle to saturate the area and let it soak in for at least an hour before rinsing. Source: TheSpruce

Water softener
Often times stubborn toilet bowl rings are directly the result of hard water deposits. While you can always take some time to clean the ring after it appears, it is usually better to stop the problem from ever forming in the first place. If you can afford to do it, install a water softener in your home and have it maintained properly. This should reduce a large number of water related problems not just in the bathroom, but throughout the rest of the house as well. Source: Cleaning.Tips

Borax powder
Borax powder is a very powerful cleaning agent that’s not found in a supermarket, but in a hardware store. Shut the water supply to the toilet tank and empty the bowl by flushing it once. Sprinkle the powder directly on the stains and rub them with a toilet brush. After scrubbing, let the powder sit for thirty minutes. Then reconnect the water supply to the tank and flush the toilet. Source: Home.HowStuffWork

Why not replace your toilet with top-of-the-line quality and design that still fits your budget? Choose from the ones we have on our website or call us for assistance!

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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How to Help Someone Who is Suicidal

We have been conditioned to look upon the tender topic of suicide with horror. Perhaps because it represents a failure of our varied systems of control. Perhaps because we are, collectively, far from being at peace with the complexities of death as a part of the human experience. Perhaps because we have to pretend that we have never personally felt anything like suicidality in order to maintain the illusion that the experience of suicidality is pathological.

Suicidality is not one thing. It is not a symptom of genetic illness. It is not rare. And it is not simply a desire to end one’s life.

In college at MIT, I worked a volunteer suicide hotline called Nightline, and spent many nights on the phone with people on the brink.

I learned that suicidal thoughts can be a desire to disappear. To not be instead of being. They can be a crisis of faith and a perception that everything is terminally wrong. They can be a deep grappling with whether the universe is fundamentally a benevolent or a hostile place. They can be the stuck belief that things will always be exactly as they are now.

I believe suicidality to be a nearly requisite expression of urgency for change that must be met with the promise of such change being possible. These feelings express the need for deep transformation that feels like a rebirth, replete with the labor pains, and expressions of anguish and overwhelm. They are a scream that says, “this way of being, of living, cannot go on one second longer!!!”

Suicidality as a symptom of awakening

I know that you have helped a lot of people, but I just can’t do it. I’m done. I have nothing, my life has been struggle and suffering and I need this to be over.

And she meant it. Sonia was 6 months past her last dose of Effexor – a medication she had been on since she was 15. She is now 42.

At any given time, about 30% of my practice is actively suicidal. They know that I am comfortable with this. They know that I never have called 911. Never put them on an patronizing suicide watch. Never have drawn up some promissory note type contract. I have never implied for one second that they don’t have what it takes to move through this.

They know that I am not scared of them or their feelings.

Rather, I perceive that something in them needs to die in order for them to be reborn and that this is their raising of the white flag. This surrender is the end of the end and the beginning of the beginning if only we let the pain come up, out, and leave. And it does. It moves. It changes. And often, what comes in its wake is exactly the kind of shift that could never have been prescribed, taught, or suggested. It’s deep spiritual growth.

In my taper process with patients, I aim for a strong, resilient physical foundation, first through a one month commitment to self-care. I tell them that I am here to help support their body’s stress resilience and to offer them a taper process as free as possible from rashes, hair loss, menstrual abnormalities, electric shocks, body pain, and the myriad bodily signs of psychotropic withdrawal. But I am not here to make it easy or even tolerable on a psychoemotional level. This is because I know that transformation is a necessary part of the alchemy of a successful taper. The part of them that believed in medication needs to be shed. But that part rarely goes quietly.

Transformation requires the death of an old self. Of old beliefs. Of old forms of security and identity. Transformation is disorienting and even terrifying.

Psych med-induced suicidality

The transformation process reflects a conscious grappling with suicidal feelings. These patients interact with the most existential of questions – to be or not to be. But psychotropics can also induce impulsive violence against self. Anytime I hear of a completed suicide in the media, my first thought is, what were they on. Like Kim Witzack’s husband, Woody, who never felt suicidal a day in his life and was found hanging in their garage five weeks after initiating Zoloft, psychiatric medications have a poorly understood capacity to induce a dissociation from the soul. In fact, many of those who commit suicide in the setting of akathisia-induced impulsivity describe a sense of disconnection from their body and go on to hang themselves.

It is my belief that psychotropics can marry impulsivity and agitation, with a mysterious rupture in consciousness, such that these acts of self-extermination make sense and are often completed.

In their description of psychiatric drugs as substances of chemical influence, Moncrieff and Cohen state “…psychiatric drugs are, first and foremost, psychoactive drugs. They induce complex, varied, often unpredictable physical and mental states that patients typically experience as global, rather than distinct therapeutic effects and side effects.”¹

How to help in the moment of crisis

If you have the opportunity to help someone who is reaching out to you from the dark hole of suicidality, here are some pointers:

1. Show What’s Possible

As Biggie would say, “If you don’t know, now you know.” It is particularly important to represent the possibility of medication free recovery to those who are on meds and suicidal (or recently initiated on them). Share these videos of radical healing, many of which depict histories of suicidality. Make sure that they know that suicidality can be an integral part of the experience of self-healing. Moving through the portal of change can lead to something so grand and so much more incredible than their scared mind can show them in this moment.

2. Have no Fear

Check your own baggage at the door, please. Worry and concern are my least favorite words, you know why? Because when you worry about someone, you are dumping your unmetabolized fear into their already full lap. When we are in crisis, we need to be held in the light of possibility. We need to be reflected two things, “It’s going to be ok” and “You’ve got this”, not “I’m worried about you” and “I’m gonna call the police”. Fear-based escalation of this delicate situation is not going to help your loved one. Neither are more medications, the inevitable outcome of professional intervention.

3. Listen

Do you know how healing it can be to feel seen and heard? Many who are suicidal struggle with a sense of existential invisibility at best and deep shame at worst. They feel wrong inside, perhaps permanently. They feel like exceptions, aliens, freaks of the human experience who simply can’t hack it. An unexpected antidote to that feeling is having their reality received. Quietly and completely. This is empowering because, through you, they can have a lived experience of the possibility that their ugliest truth is not too much. It’s not grotesque, and that you can handle it, receive it, and reflect back to them that you’ve really listened and heard them. Leave room for pauses, reach out a hand if that feels right, and if they are open to an “exercise”, set a timer for three minutes and just try to hold each other’s locked eye gaze. It sounds strange, but it’s the fastest way I know to drop into the heart and out of the mind. Within even one minute, they are likely to have an emotional release of some kind from this simple experience.

4. Normalize and contextualize the experience

So far, you may have noticed that I haven’t recommended a lot of talking, advice, or guidance. In fact, when someone is in this kind of a fear state, their childself wounds are likely hemorrhaging all over the place. They don’t have access to their “rational” prefrontal cortex, the managerial capacity of the brain, because they are in their reptilian limbic system. Use simple phrases, the way you would speak to and soothe a child (without being patronizing). It can also be helpful to speak in visuals. Symbols are powerful, so normalize this inflection point in their lives with the invocation of a metamorphosis image…refer to the way a caterpillar must feel, all gooey and disoriented in the dark before it has to squeeze out of the tight hole in a chrysalis to be reborn.

I tell my tapering patients, this is what it’s supposed to feel like. Change is confusing, overwhelming, and often terrifying. Your ego hates change and it is likely freaking out because it knows that a part of it may be about to slough off. It almost has to feel this way in order to lay down new tracks for a radically expanded experience.

5. Find Meaning

If you know this person well, you might invoke the power of meaning-making. I have observed that suffering ends where meaning begins. And that beyond normalizing the archetypal nature of self-initiation and transformation that feelings of suicidality can attend, the meaning of this particular juncture in their life can bring great organization and solace to the emotional chaos. What do you know about them that they need to let go of? What’s not working? Can you reflect that they can handle this and that they are ready to move through the tight part of the birth canal? What programs, beliefs and voices are criticizing them? Can you encourage them to turn towards the pain and personify it as their childself? Or even just a small same-gendered child that is terrified and confused?

Often the suicidal “part” of them is the internalized critic/parental voice admonishing them with shame-inducing epithets. When we individuate from our parents (energetically), when we try to reclaim our power and look at old programs that no longer serve, often this punishing voice rages…simply because it knows it may be silenced for good.

6. Remind Them That They are Simply Feeling

As a nation, we have very little experience with feeling. In fact, it terrifies us to encounter the raw power of unbridled emotions like anger, grief, and shame. The lengths we go to in order to avoid feeling subtend and define our modern day addictive lifestyles. But what if someone who is feeling that they can’t go on another day is simply a sentinel of a new kind of humanity? What if they are leading us all into a new way of courageously relating to the shadow, to our dark parts and holding that in witness consciousness and love? It’s possible that the pain they feel is all of our pain…and the rest of us are simply numbed out.

Remind them though, that they are simply feeling a feeling, probably an ancient feeling that they were told wasn’t safe to feel, early on in their lives. Feelings are energy and they, by definition, transform and change.

Encourage them to reflect on the last time they felt crushing soul-pain…did it transform? Of course it did. And once it does, we have that lived experience to draw on the next time life brings us to our knees, so it will never quite feel this blinding again. It’s the experience that a naturally birthing woman has – almost every naturally birthing woman – that she wants to give up the moment the baby’s head is crowning and about to emerge. And then the baby is born.

Part of really feeling is acknowledging that we are not in control. To truly feel a feeling, we must surrender to it. The moment we do, it releases. But if you lock horns with it, the limbo state of resistance can generate a kind of ongoing misery that would naturally lead someone to want to opt out. So encourage this person to say “Yes, ok” to the feeling as a starting point.

7. Service

This may not appeal to all types, but it certainly has helped me in my darker moments. When I’ve been at the brink, I’ve taken great solace in the fact that the simple experiencing of my own pain will help me to help others in the future. This is because there is no shortcut to empathy. You can’t take a class on it, you can’t watch someone else experience it. You have to get in the muck and see what being that dirty actually feels like. And then, as a lasting gift, you are forever deeply connected to others who visit that place you were in. You become the wounded healer.

It can’t be a coincidence or an accident that so many of those who fully recover from psychiatry go on to serve others as healers. I had to create a peer support arm of Vital Mind Reset simply because these individuals wanted to pay it forward, and recognized the diamonds they had collected from their own coal mines. Those who can transform suicidality into service are some of the most powerful sources of healing on this planet.

8. Offer Gentle Support

Language is powerful. That’s why we have been so careful with it up until this point. If you succeed in offering this person a glimpse of ok-ness, you might want to give them something to take them through the following hours. A simple mantra like “I can do this” or “I’m ok” or “It’s going to feel different soon”, repeated hundreds of times an hour can help to create the conditions for a shift in perspective. Similarly, encourage them to visualize themselves free of this pain, whole, healed, strong, to invoke the power of this seeing it into being potential. A tapping exercise for suicidal thoughts, a meditation for crisis, and/or flower remedies for the dark night can also be a secondary line of support after you have established a connection.

Let’s evolve the conversation on suicide

Even if you don’t have someone near you struggling with this, open yourself to a new perspective on suicidal feelings. We must, as a collective, reorient around the crisis of self if we are ever to mature beyond our dysfunctional habits of unconsciousness. Together, we can hold individuals who are plumbing the depths of their pain and help them to transform it. We can show them that there is another, med-free way to accept themselves, and that there is precedent for what it looks like to break free from Psychiatry, its labels, and consciousness-warping chemicals. We need to turn towards this elephant in our sociocultural room and make room for dark feelings to be felt without reflexively freaking out, maligning, or pathologizing. When feelings are truly felt and accepted, they lose the capacity to translate into violence.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi

References:

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Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

It’s THAT    TIME   OF   YEAR   AGAIN….

….iiiiit’s POPSICLE WEEEEK!

I’ve been in Portland for the past week and thought I hadn’t transferred my image files from my external hard drive to my laptop. So for a while there I thought I was gonna have to miss out on my popsicle week post. BUT it turns out I DID have the files so all was ok.

So, as I’m on my holibobs (now in New Mexico visiting my aunt & uncle), I’m just going to leave this post short and sweet.

All you need to know is: coffee ice cream (I made my own but if you buy it in, that’s cool too), freeze it into moulds, dip in crushed caramelised hazelnuts (a.k.a. praline, if we’re bein fancy) and a hefty layer of bittersweet chocolate. Doesn’t get better than that!

Enjoy

Coffee & Praline Ice Cream Pops

For the coffee ice cream:

• 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream (double cream)
• 2 cups (500ml) milk
• 1/3 cup (80g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cornflour (corn starch)

To make the pops:

• 8 small silicone ice cream moulds (see notes)
• 1 batch hazelnut praline (see recipe below)
• 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Heat the cream, milk, sugar and instant coffee in a medium pot over a medium heat. Stir until the coffee has all dissolved and the mixture is gently steaming (try to not let it come to a boil).

2. In a medium bowl, mix the egg yolks and cornflour together. Once the cream mixture is steaming, very gradually pour this into the bowl of egg yolk mixture whilst whisking it in. Pour this back into the pot and place back on the heat on low. Keep stirring until the mixture has thickened slightly.

3. Refrigerate the mixture to cool it down – it is best if you leave the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours once cooled (this is called ‘ageing’) as it helps form a more stable ice cream later on. 

4. Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

5. Place the silicone moulds onto a baking sheet or two. Once churned, take the soft ice cream and use it to fill the silicone ice cream moulds, smoothing the backs with an offset palette knife. Poke the ice cream sticks into the moulds and transfer to the freezer to set – about 2-4 hours.

6. Mix the melted dark chocolate and vegetable oil together in a medium bowl.

7. Let the moulds sit out for a few minutes before de-moulding the ice cream pops. Pour the praline onto a plate or shallow bowl. Firmly dip and press the ice cream pops into the praline before transferring to a lined baking tray. 

8. Freeze again for a few minutes to solidify before dipping into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to help you coat the whole pop. Leave to set on a lined baking tray in the freezer. Keep in the freezer until you’re ready to eat! 

• for the silicone moulds I use these ones by silikomart which you can buy online by doing a quick google search! (they also come with popsicle sticks included)

Hazelnut Praline

• 1/2 cup (70g) hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180^oC (350^oF). Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking tray and into the oven to toast for 8-10 minutes until they start to smell nutty. 

2. Remove from the oven, tip into a clean kitchen towel and rub between the towel to remove the majority of the outer skin. Pick out the hazelnuts and transfer to a small bowl. 

3. Line the baking tray you were using with a non-stick baking mat (e.g. a silpat mat) or a piece of baking paper.

4. Heat the sugar in a silver saucepan (you want a silver one so you can see the colour of the sugar change) over a medium-low heat. Once it starts to melt, DON’T stir, just tilt and swirl the pan over the heat until it turns a light golden colour. Once this happens leave it for a little while longer to darken slightly more then stir in the nuts and quickly pour out onto the lined tray. 

5. Leave to cool completely before breaking up into rough chunks – you can either pulse it in a food processor or just chop by hand until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. 

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Vital Mind Stories: Trudy’s Journey From Suicidal to Joyful

Trudy knew, deep inside, that medications couldn’t bring her where she needed to go.

But what she didn’t know was that she had options.

From the age of 19, she was medicated with multiple classes of psychotropics, hospitalized repeatedly, including on locked wards, and diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Because of limited benefit from medication, she ultimately went on disability, gained 130lbs, and bordered on a Diabetes diagnosis. She said she felt like her medications were aging her body from the inside. Ultimately, she was treated with 31 sessions of electroconvulsive behavior (ECT) which provided some relief, but left her with permanent memory loss.

Pulled by a sense that there had to be more to life, she began with our workshop videos and felt better from her first breakfast change. Daunted by giving up gluten, by her own self-doubt around motivation, and an ability to commit to self-care, she skeptically but earnestly committed to Vital Mind Reset.

In one month’s time, she describes improvements in:

• Sleep
• Energy
• Resiliency
• Mood stability
• Engagement in life
• Joy
• Hope

She states, “VMR has given me back my life…I want to enjoy my life and be engaged with it and thriving in it and I finally feel that dream is a reality.”

Listen to her inspirational story!

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Hiking the Causeway Coast Way

The Causeway Coast Way is a 52 km long trail which is so beautiful, that instead of hiking quicker and aiming for a fast speed, I only slowed down. To take in the gorgeous landscape. Hear the waves break and roll up the sandy beach. Feel the wind on my face. And to relax and feel happy.

Disclosure: This trip was supported by Tourism Ireland and Discover Northern Ireland, additionally I also received a fee for my work. This does not influence the article as I maintain full editorial control of the content published on this site. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on affiliate links & blogger transparency.

The last time in Ireland I was Sea Stack Climbing in Donegal and hiking the International Appalachian Trail. It was a great adventure and I loved the country - the North of Ireland is still wild, beautiful and offers so much possibilities to outdoor enthusiasts. This time I picked out the Causeway Coast Way, which is also one of Lonely Planet’s top destinations in 2018. But rest assured - besides two places the trail is calm and you mostly hike on your own! Lets start things off with the video I made - tapping of the foot with the music is definitely allowed!

Doesn’t that look awesome? Yes, I was unbelievably lucky with the weather (and I placed so much good faith in the weather forecast that I didn’t even take a hardshell 🤣), three days of hiking in the sun and 20+ degrees with just the last morning being a bit of mist and drizzle (though it was atmospheric, as you saw in the video and the images underneath). So lets dive in into the detailed Guide!

Getting there

I flew to Dublin, hopped on an Aircoach Bus, got a coffee and Sandwich in Belfast and switched to the Translink train to Coleraine, from where I hopped on the Bus to Portstewart. From Dublin to Portstewart is a enjoyable 4,5 hours journey with Public Transportation, and trains and Busses were running on time, staff was friendly and helpful, and I enjoyed looking out of the window. In Portstewart I strolled a short walk to my B&B, where I dropped that part of my gear which I didn’t need and then went for a walk to Portstewart Strand, the start of the Causeway Coast Way. Now the Causeway Coast Way is the hiking route between Portstewart and Ballycastle, but there’s also a Causeway Coastal Route which is for people who prefer to drive a car. I think you miss out on some of the best bits if you drive a car around, many of the images here were taken at spots far from a road and hence I’d encourage everyone reading this to hike the Coastway Coast Way, don’t drive it. Yes, the Giant’s Causeway is amazing and the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge is thrilling, but there’s over 50 km more of amazing scenery! Add in that the Coastway Coast Way is easy, has great paths, you can hike it in three or more days, and there’s the Rambler Bus which can take you to the next stop if you can’t walk anymore, and you realize this is a beautiful hike for any age and for hiking novices and experts alike. Alright, enough preaching 🤣 Lets go hiking!

Portstewart - The Giant’s Causeway

The Cul Erg B&B in Portstewart is a stone throw away from the Causeway Coast Way, about three kilometres from the start at Portstewart Strand. After a long day of travelling I really needed to get moving, so after checking in I walked through Portstewart to the Beach and the start of the hike. Portstewart Strand is a beautiful, 3 km long golden beach and behind it are some of the biggest Sand Dunes in Northern Ireland. I made a stop at Harry’s Shack, which is a beautifully located Restaurant at the start of the beach. I walked in and enquired about the possibility of a Dinner. After a bit of banter with Donal, the owner, I was granted my wish (the kitchen was almost closed!) and sat down outside. That beach was just beautiful, and the laughter and screams of kids enjoying the water echoed over the sand till the terrace where I was drinking my cold, local beer. After a fabulous Dinner I thanked Donal and the staff at the Shack for their hospitality, and headed back towards the beach - the sun was setting, and I’m always up for watching the sun set into the ocean. Where there’s a sun, there’s often also a moon, and as I turned around the almost full moon was rising behind the dunes. Perfection.

During the gorgeous Dusk light I hiked back to the B&B, making too many photo stops along the way.

The next morning started with a delicious breakfast. The Cul Erg B&B is known for it outstanding offerings in the morning, and the praise I read online was spot on. Hikers will enjoy the many different options, this breakfast had me powered for the whole day - I didn’t eat another bite till Dinner at 19 o’clock that evening!

Time to hike. Out the door, left and then along the coast towards the Golf grounds. The Causeway Coast Way is very well way-marked here, and you hike all the time on the left of the Golf course, next to the sea, towards the next town. After 1,5 hours I reached Portrush, a popular little town. Coming from the West I didn’t get why it was popular, but once I passed the harbour and walked up to Ramore Head I could see why.

Ramore Head is a land tongue which gives great views out the the West and County Donegal as well the East and pretty much the complete trail which lay before me. It was nearing noon, the sun was shining down on me with 26°C and I was in need of more water - and a coffee. The Arcadia Beach Café is situated next to the trail, and has a super-good Kale Smoothie and Cappuccino. They also refilled my water bottle without a problem, and it was nice to sit inside in the shade for a while.

I hiked close to the water along the Portrush East Strand, which felt like it never did want to end. I also felt like I should drop my pack, shed my clothes and take a swim - but then I made the crucial mistake of going so ultralight that I didn’t pack a swim shorts. Big mistake! As I reached White Rocks at the End of the East Strand I needed some shade, and happily one of the large, white limestone pillars offered me a place to cool down. The white cliffs were beautiful, and you could also hike and swim at the base of them, but I had to much electronics with me, which don’t like water so much. Happily there is an equally outstanding Cliff path which takes one along the top of the cliffs and onwards towards Dunluce Castle and Portballintrae. I thus opted for the Cliff path after exploring the cliffs a wee bit from underneath, and was not disappointed by hiking on top - those views!

The sandy Cliff path was framed by wild flowers on both sides, and a fresh breeze helped to keep me cool. I reached the sidewalk along the A2 and took a look back over the White Rocks and Portrush East Strand, and felt happy. Traffic on this Tuesday afternoon wasn’t bad, and the views down towards the sea and the white limestone cliffs were beautiful indeed. After a while I reached Dunluce Castle, which I decided to skip, and hiked on towards Portballintrae.

By now the heat was almost unbearable. I had drunk my 1 l of water already since leaving the Café in Portrush, and it was still a while till the next town. There was also no shade - something that I really felt on my feet (I was wearing my ❤️ Luna Sandals OSO Flaco) so as I arrived in Portballintrae I decided to hop on the Bus to the Bushmills Distillery. Hiding in the shade I waited for my ride, and sitting a bit later in the cool bus I was happy about my decision: The 3 km walk to Bushmills would have been fully in the hot afternoon sun. I walked into the Bushmills Distillery and took part in a Tour of the distillery. If you’re into Irish Whiskey and have never been to a distillery the tour is well worth a visit, and if you’re a seasoned Whiskey Connoisseur then you’ll appreciate the dram or two for tasting at the end of the tour!

I really liked the visit & the whiskey, but still needed to go to the Giant’s Causeway. A look on the map suggested walking along the small road (getting back on the trail would have involved a detour) so I opted again for the Bus. However, with 30 minutes time till it went I decided to explore the little town of Bushmills - which was a good idea! There’s an old mill and weir next to the beautiful old stone bridge, which is where I took the next image.

Then I hopped on the bus and five minutes later got out at the Causeway Hotel. I first I went in to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre and inquired if I could get to the Giant’s Causeway later in the evening, for sunset. To my surprise the visit to the Giant’s Causeway is completely free and yes, you can visit it at any time of the day or night. With that knowledge I checked in and was happy to have a long, cold shower to get rid of the grime which had collected on my sandal-clad feet. With clean feet and clean clothes I headed for an early Dinner, as I didn’t want to miss the sunset.

Dinner was fantastic, and despite being already 12 hours awake and having walked a fair bit I was so happy to go see the Giant’s Causeway. This is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the images I have seen of it looked like this one:

I hiked down the street (during the day there’s a small bus which brings you down and up if you want) and was a bit surprised that I wasn’t alone with my idea of watching the sun set at the Giant’s Causeway. There were probably at least another hundred people, with a handful of photographers, who wanted to see the sunset. Well, what can I say: The Giant’s Causeway is magnificent. I spent three hours there and was the last one to hike back up to the Hotel, and the next morning I’d spend another two hours here, and still I feel I could have spend more time there. The hexagonal basalt columns are just so inspiring and so photogenic that I had serious problems leaving this place behind. Here’s some impressions from the evening:

The Giant’s Causeway - White Park Bay

I went to bed late, and still was considering getting up at 4 o’clock to go photograph the sunrise. I didn’t. I did get up early-ish, though, had a breakfast of pancakes (because Pancakes ❤️) and then went to visit the Giant’s Causeway Visitor centre. Hikers pay £10 entry (that’s with a discount) and you get a lot of background info on the Giant’s Causeway, from how it got to be, how FinnMcCool built it, and much more. You can loan an Audio Guide (included in the price) when you walk down to the Giant’s Causeway, which gives you more info on it (I didn’t as I couldn’t return it). By 10 o’clock I put my pack back on my shoulders and strolled down, took another photo, and continued on the Cliff path towards Dunseverick Castle.

The yellow Cliff Trail takes you along on the top of the Cliff, and from here you get some of the finest views along the whole Causeway Coast Way. I could see back towards Portstewart, the beginning, and towards Rathlin Island, Ballycastle and even further away in the distance was Scotland. Add in that after the hundreds of people at the Giant’s Causeway (it gets about 1 million visitors a year, with the most during the summer season - the day I was there there were 5.000 people visiting!) up here on the cliff path I met about a dozen of people. On the whole 8 km stretch, I met around 12 people. Given the absolutely AMAZING views this riddles me a bit, but I guess it also shows that if you leave the honey pot behind you will find peace & tranquility.

The cliff trail is wide and hiking towards Ballycastle you’ll have the Sea on your left, while green fields, sometimes with sheep, will be on your right. Here and there are benches for you to take a rest and enjoy the view. I also spotted the Port Moon Bothy, which is a hut for sea kayakers (there’s no path down to it) and which looked great from up on top. I imagine exploring the coast via kayak and spending the night in the Bothy is also very memorable - maybe the next time!

The Cliff Trail goes along the Dunseverick Castle, which really is just a wee ruin - see it in the video. Here I met a French backpacker who was taking in the view, and we chatted a bit - he was exploring Ireland on foot, hitch hiking and taking the Bus, which sounded like a great way to explore Ireland. I wished him well & continued on the trail, which weaved along the shore, through fields, a cave, a pebble beach and then I arrived at White Park Bay - my destination for the day. White Park Bay is a long beach which only has three entries - and none of them are easy. Which explains that despite the gorgeous weather there were only few people on the beach - later, as I would hike it back during dusk, it would be completely deserted.

I hiked up to the Whitepark House B&B, and was surprised about the time - it was past 17 o’clock. I was just a 15 km walk, but with all my photo and video breaks it took me five hours to get here from the Giant’s Causeway. I didn’t mind, though - I had a fabulous day! Bob welcomed me with tea and we had a we chat, before I jumped under the shower and got a lift to Ballintoy from him. I had Dinner at the Fullerton Arms and then strolled down towards Ballintoy Harbour. Now if you know me, you probably are aware that my wife and me are huge Game of Thrones fans, and so I of course could not not go visit Ballintoy Harbour - the Causeway Coast Way also goes past it, so you really can’t miss it! Some scenes where shot here, and again I had amazing luck and a very pretty sunset to photograph! I hiked back towards White Park Bay (including a scramble up the cliff and down as the normal path along the water was under water) and arrived again very late at the B&B. Somehow I didn’t manage to go to sleep early on this trip - I am blaming the fabulous sunsets!

White Park Bay - Ballycastle

The next morning rain drops were covering the window, and the clouds which were moving in the last evening now covered the whole sky and didn’t let me see far. No problem! A tasty Irish breakfast at one long table with the other guests - a couple from the USA and a lady from Australia - made for a pleasant start into the day. I really like these long tables where you have to sit together with the other guests, it brings people from different walks of life together and always has been a good experience and makes for great conversations. After breakfast I went out to explore the garden of the B&B, which is absolutely lovely. I wanted to become a Gardener or Landscape Architect when I was younger, and visiting a Garden like the one at Whitepark House make me long for that.

Then the options were:
A. Hike along the street, in the rain, to Carrick-A-Rede
B. Hike along the beach, in the rain, to Carrick-A-Rede
C. Get a ride, out of the rain, to Carrick-A-Rede

I opted for C.

Carrick-A-Rede is the 2nd honey pot along the Causeway Coast Way, mainly because of the Rope Bridge and Larrybane, which also has been a location in Game of Thrones. I opted to go see the Rope Bridge. If I would see it, as the cliffs were shrouded in mist.

The trail is wide, with some steps here and there, sheep on the right side, the white cliffs on the left (if you can see them) and then you’re standing at the wee gate where they control the flow of people across the bridge. I showed my ticket and waited till the people from the island crossed the bridge, which hangs 30 m high above the sea, connecting the Carrick-A-Rede island to the mainland. The old Fishermen Cottage is still there (but you can’t go in) and then there’s lots of slippery grass slopes which allow you to see out to sea and observe the nesting birds. If you can see them =)

I explored the island, observed the birds and the mist, and then got in line to get back over the rope bridge. As I was hiking back to Ballintoy more and more people were on the path to the rope bridge, despite the not so good weather. As I hiked up towards the street I was pondering my options: Hike on the busy street, in the rain, to Ballycastle, or hop on the Rambler Bus to Ballycastle. Just as I reached the street the Bus came up the road, and like a reflex my arm went up. I purchased a Rambler Ticket to get to Ballycastle and then to Coleraine. As I was sitting in front of the bus I congratulated me on this reflex move - the narrow street would have been no fun to hike. 10 minutes later I got off the bus at the harbour of Ballycastle, and strolled down to the beach. The official end of the Causeway Coast Way hike is up in the village, but for me, I decided, this hike ends here, at the beach in Ballycastle, 50-something kilometres away from the start in Portstewart Strand. It felt odd to be finished - it was early in the day, I hadn’t hiked a whole lot yet, and really wanted to keep on moving.

I took out the Drone, captured some stunning footage of the mist rolling in over the town, and then walked back to the bus stop. A raven, sitting on the rocks of the quayside, looked at me, and seemed to agree that it’s a shame I had to finish here. The ferry to Rathlin Island left the harbour and I wished I would have had another day to explore this little island, see the Puffins, and breath in more of this beautiful atmosphere up here in Northern Ireland. The next time!

Practicalities: Getting around, Where to stay & What to eat

I flew into Dublin and both Finnair and SAS have daily connections into the capital of Ireland, as well to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Every major airline flies to Ireland, so it should be easy to find a flight to the green island. As the Aircoach Bus from Dublin Airport to Belfast Central is only £14 and takes two relaxed hours I suggest flying into Dublin, it usually is also cheaper. From Belfast I took the train to Coleraine and from there the Bus to Portstewart. It’s all super easy and I used Translink to plan my journey and check timetables. They run very regularly, even on holidays and Sundays, so getting around is not difficult at all and hence no car is needed.

I stayed in Bed & Breakfasts and a Hotel, and ate out every evening. In Portstewart I stayed at the fantastic Cul Erg B&B. Marie and JJ were wonderful hosts and the breakfast was outstanding! I had a single room with a shower and a comfy bed, and it is close to the trail so makes for a logical stop. If you arrive like me late in the afternoon after a day of travelling it is a nice to stretch the legs and head to Portstewart Strand, which is a 3 km stroll from the B&B.

The next night I stayed at the Causeway Hotel, and the name already lets you guess why I stayed here: It’s the closest accommodation to the Giant’s Causeway! The Hotel is run by the National Trust and is very nice - it has this old-time charm and both staff and rooms were excellent. If you stay at the Hotel you also get free entry to the Causeway Visitors Centre. I ate dinner here too, which was very tasty, and they too had a local beer for me to sample!

My last night on the trail I spent at the beautiful Whitepark House where Bob was my amazing host. He not only makes an exquisite Irish breakfast, also the house and garden are fantastic and I loved exploring it. Extra points for giving me a ride into town so I could have Dinner and walk back via Ballintoy Harbour and the beach!

In my experience the wild camping laws in Ireland are “complicated” and it is easier to stay at a B&B and eat at a Pub or Restaurant than carry the camping gear & food. If you prefer sleeping outdoors - I have seen people camp in little bays and on beaches, so if you practice a Leave No Trace principle, pitch late and leave early I imagine you’re fine. There certainly are a lot of nice spots to camp - the only problem will be fresh water, which you probably need to get along the towns in a Café or Shop.

In Portstewart I ate at Harry’s Shack and had a local beer from a small local Portstewart brewery. It was outstanding - Service, food, beer. If you start your hike at Portstewart Strand, you definitely should have lunch or dinner here!

In Ballintoy I dined on Fish & Chips at the Fullerton Arms, which was good and plenty. I also tried their Mussels, which were very tasty, and it all washed down nicely with a beer from Dublin (not Guiness!). According to Bob the Fullerton is the best place to eat in Ballintoy, so I can not comment on the other establishments in town =)

As I ended my thru-hike in Ballycastle I took the Rambler Bus back to Coleraine, from where I took the train back to Belfast and Dublin. The Rambler drives once every hour and pretty much covers the whole hike like I walked it, which was nice to see the places again from the street. There’s also a Bus to Ballymena from where you can get faster to Belfast. Use the Translink App to get the best options, it’s really a well made app (and is free). If you’re less in a hurry to get home than me, spend another night in Ballycastle. There’s Kinbane Castle close by (and along the trail, so worth a detour) and from Ballycastle you can take the ferry to Rathlin Island, where you can see Puffins!

The hike is beautiful from start to finish (expect maybe the bit to Ballycastle where you hike on the road, but you can take the Bus!) and there’s not a lot of hikers on it - day hikers, yes, but few people who hike it from Portstewart to Ballycastle or the other way around. The trails are very well marked and you can’t get lost, there’s also free map printouts on the Walk NI page if you feel you need them (I saved them in an open tab on the phone and a had a look at it once in a while, but you’re pretty much always hike next to the sea - if you can’t see the sea anymore, you likely took a wrong turn or are sitting in an Irish Pub). You could hike the Causeway Coast Way in anything from one very long day where you miss out on all the good views, to four or five days. I think six days including travelling is ideal, that’d allow you to also explore Rathlin Island, Belfast or Dublin a bit.

Also, there’s more photos on Flickr.

The Gear

I already made a PHGT Video, probably easiest to watch that if you want to know what I was wearing and carrying:

Just some key pieces which I’d like to point out [Disclaimer! I’m a Houdini Friend and Helsport Ambassador]: The Houdini Activist Tee is pretty much the only T-Shirt I own, I got rid of all others. These shirts are simply super comfortable, don’t smell sweaty even after several days of hiking, and are easy to wash in a sink. Equally great is the Houdini MTM Motion Lite Pants, these are very thin softshell pants which keep insects, the sun and wind from my legs, and allow me to scramble and climb. I love my Luna Sandals OSO Flaco and wear them whenever I can. There’s no better pair of shoes for me during the warm time of the year, if you have not yet tried Luna Sandals you really are missing out! I had a Houdini Wisp Jacket and a Houdini Come Along Jacket to keep me warm and out of the wind/ rain, I wore these only the last day and during the evenings. I also only brought one pack for everything, that was the Helsport Snota Xtreme 40. It carried very comfortable the whole time, I only should make the hipbelt straps shorter as they are waaaaaay to long. I really like the Zipper on this pack, it allows me to easily access the inside and get e.g. my Tripod out.

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