Confirmed · Antrim coast and glens · Landscape
The Dark Hedges
The Kingsroad in Game of Thrones. Open to visitors; allow 30–45 minutes.
- On screen as
- The Kingsroad
- Series and episodes
- Game of Thrones Season 2 · Game of Thrones Season 2, Episode 1
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Where
- Bregagh Road, Stranocum, County Antrim
On screen
How The Dark Hedges appears
In The North Remembers, the opening episode of season two, Arya Stark escapes King's Landing disguised as a boy and travels north with Yoren and the Night's Watch recruits along the Kingsroad. The short sequence of the cart rolling beneath the arching beeches made the Dark Hedges one of the most photographed places in Northern Ireland. In the story the Kingsroad runs the length of Westeros from King's Landing to the Wall. The real avenue is a quiet country road between two villages in County Antrim, and on screen it appears only briefly, so the trees themselves are the attraction.
The real place
What you can visit
The Dark Hedges is an avenue of beech trees planted in the 18th century by the Stuart family along the approach to their house. The branches meet overhead to form a tunnel. Bregagh Road is now closed to traffic along the avenue, so you walk it on foot. The trees are old and storms have brought several down in recent years, so the avenue is shorter and gappier than it looks on screen. Early morning and evening are quietest. The Hedges Hotel nearby has the visitor car park and displays one of the carved Doors of Thrones.
Respect the road closure and the neighbours: no parking on Bregagh Road, no climbing the trees, and keep to the tarmac so roots are not damaged.
Discover Northern Ireland: Game of Thrones ↗The avenue is between Stranocum and Gracehill, about 15 minutes' drive inland from Ballintoy, postcode BT53 8PX. Park at the designated car park by The Hedges Hotel and walk to the trees; do not park on the verges or block field gates. The road surface is level tarmac, so the avenue suits wheelchairs and buggies with care.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Can you visit the Dark Hedges?
Yes. The avenue on Bregagh Road is a public place you can walk at any time. Park at the designated car park by The Hedges Hotel and follow local signs; the road along the trees is closed to traffic.
Which episode shows the Dark Hedges?
Season two, episode one, The North Remembers, in the scene where Arya travels the Kingsroad in disguise with the Night's Watch recruits.
Can you drive through the Dark Hedges?
No. Bregagh Road is closed to traffic along the avenue to protect the trees, so you walk it from the car park. Several trees have been lost to storms, so expect gaps.
When is the best time to visit the Dark Hedges?
Early morning or evening, outside summer weekends, when coaches and crowds are fewer. Low sun through the branches gives the best photographs.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
Ballintoy Harbour and Larrybane Quarry on the coast, 15 to 20 minutes north.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
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