I visited the ghostly harbour town near Belfast where Netflix’s new thriller was filmed

Frothy waves crashed over the car as we drove along Northern Ireland’s famed Causeway Coast – made gloomy under the dark and stormy sky.

It was a fitting, if not chilling, start to our two-day stay in Carnlough. At first glance, an unassuming harbour village nestled on the edge of County Antrim.

At a closer look, however, it’s home to an eerie and rich history; vast and winding Glens, and the backdrop to the biggest shows in the world – not least Game of Thrones.

Now, it has added another notch to its belt with its local Harbourview Hotel (formerly the Londonderry Arms) doubling as the rundown motel that kicks off the murder mystery road trip adventure in Lisa McGee’s new Netflix show, How To Get To Heaven From Belfast (HTGTHFB).

The highly anticipated dark comedy thriller comes off the back of her hugely successful Channel 4 hit, Derry Girls, set in the titular town, where we watch the antics of a group of teens trying to navigate life amid the backdrop of the Troubles.

Much like Derry Girls, Lisa’s new venture follows a group of former school friends who find themselves caught up in chaotic situations. But that is, perhaps, as far as the parallels run.

Set in contemporary Northern Ireland, we meet longtime pals Dara, Saoirse and Robyn who are mysteriously lured to Donegal to attend the wake of their estranged school friend Greta, with whom they shared a dark secret they wish to keep buried.

Upon their arrival, however, they realise the funeral is a hoax, and Greta might not have actually fallen down the stairs to her untimely death. Thus, they are plunged into a kooky ghost hunt to track her down and uncover disturbing past truths along the way.

You’ll understand then, the chill that crept up my spine as we rolled into Carnlough, only to find ourselves stuck behind a wake procession making its way to the Harbourview Hotel. 

It was the first of a few strange coincidences.

Later that night, a woman sat by us at dinner who told us the tale of her first husband, who fell down the stairs. The next morning, we were greeted by an accidental ghoul drawn on top of a coffee just as we were exchanging ghost stories at the breakfast table.

The hotel itself has a winding history, founded by the Marchioness of Londonderry, for a time owned by Winston Churchill himself, before finally handing over the keys to the new owners just as filming for HTGTHFB began.

Although the iconic reception desk manned by Ardal O’Hanlon, as seen on the show, remains instantly recognisable, much of the venue has been totally transformed, proudly becoming Ireland’s first whiskey hotel. 

And the owner, Adrien, was insistent that there were no ghosts lurking in the corridors… even if I was left questioning the mysterious clicking noise in my room at 5am. 

Still, the area itself maintains a gothic feel, with the Ballygally hotel down the road being a well-known, locally haunted joint. 

The story goes that a historic resident of the castle, Lady Isobel, was locked in a turret by her husband after she was unable to produce a male heir and eventually leapt to her death, her spirit still lingering and cries echoing through the years.

The ethereal nature of this land, bolstered by folklore and local legend, is found in the spooky aesthetic of the show and is something Lisa wanted to highlight. 

‘There’s something about Irish storytelling where the gap between this world and the next – there’s a healthy respect for the stuff we don’t know about – the afterlife and magic and all the fairy tree myths – which I think is kind of unique. 

‘I think we are a very superstitious place, even though we pretend we aren’t anymore. I think that kind of belief that ghosts aren’t real…but they might be,’ she told Metro. 

Meanwhile, the Film Locations scout Richard Glenholmes shared that there was a very specific vision for the brooding feel, inspired by some of the most iconic shows and films of the past century.

‘[Lisa] said: “Think of Twin Peaks, Fargo, Psycho”,’ adding that the team ‘did a great job of making [the hotel] look rundown.’

‘We were always joking the Irish tourism board should be forking out some money for the job we’ve done for them, because it just looks stunning.’ – Sinéad Keenan

Of course, the show also exhibits the sheer beauty of this rugged and diverse landscape where you can travel from city to stunning vistas ‘in 15 minutes’.

I saw it first hand when we ventured into the Glens and found myself lost within the diverging paths, surrounded by the rolling mountains, bracing against the stiff February breeze and constant pitter-patter of rain. If anything, the relentlessly poor weather enhanced its beauty.

Hopefully, the series can offer a new perspective for both locals and those unfamiliar with Ireland.

As Robyn actor Sinéad Keenan shared about her experience filming: ‘When you come from an area or country, I feel like one never fully appreciates it. 

‘It’s only when you move out of it and come back, you go “gosh, this is actually quite good”.

‘My god, the locations and some of the scenery was extraordinary. Michael and the whole team made it look amazing as well. We were always joking the Irish tourism board should be forking out some money for the job we’ve done for them, because it just looks stunning.’

One thing is for sure: with the Troubles only a passing mention in this new show, Richard makes clear that HTGTHFB marks a new era for the acclaimed showrunner. 

‘Lisa is relying on us to show how Belfast feels now. You don’t see any police tape, army jeeps, whereas in Derry Girls, you see them all the time. We’re trying to move on from it.

All this to say: ‘People saying it’s like Derry Girls, she wants to put that to one side and say: “They’re different women now.”

‘It could be three girls who came from Derry, but not the ones who were in the show. She wanted to do something different,’ teasing that he wouldn’t be surprised if we see her go even ‘darker’ in future projects.

For now, however, the Netflix series joins a growing legacy for the Irish film and TV industry. Anywhere you go, you’re greeted with a piece of onscreen history.

Down the road from the hotel – while walking an 83-kilo Irish Wolfhound called Paddy – we casually stumbled across the stairs where Maisie Williams filmed her famed season six scene in which Arya Stark is fleeing from the Waif.

Another day, as the relentless lashings of rain hailed down, we visited Glenarm Castle, whose expansive backyard was used as the village set up for HBO’s A Knight of Seven Kingdoms.

As I’m driving back to the airport – the taxi driver relating grizzly tales of car crashes that have happened along this coastal route – I’m met with a final moment of serendipity.

‘Ask any of the folk around here, and they’ll know someone who worked on Game of Thrones,’ the driver told me. ‘My ex-aunt was on the show you see.’

‘What was her role?’ I ask.

‘Oh, she played Queen Cersei.’

A smile played on my lips. Only in Carnlough, I thought, as we rolled into the car park, would Lena Headey’s former nephew be dropping me off at the departures gate.

How to Get To Heaven From Belfast is available to stream on Netflix now.

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