Last year, when I broke my leg and was stuck in bed for three months, the one thing that got me through was watching HBO's Game of Thrones (Got). The show's legions of fans knew something my doctors didn't: an epic fantasy world of warring noble houses has surprising healing powers. When i was finally vertical again - and in anticipation of the Season 5 premiere - my newly perambulating feet headed to Northern Ireland. My quest to: explore the world of favourite make-believe show and a coastline that would inspire any traveller to fight dragons.
The much sought-after lron Throne-the seat of GoT power and the subject of the battle on which the show centres-is right in the heart of Belfast. The sprawling Titanic Studios is home to most of the series' in-house filming, but unfortunately, you basically have to be royalty to get in. Although it's not generally open to visitors, Queen Elizabeth II was granted a rare tour a few weeks before I visited, meeting Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark. When asked what the visit was like, Williams responded that it was "awfully strange" to have a real-life monarch on set.