Northern Ireland

An exploding food scene, hip cities and the stunning Causeway Coast: there's plenty to pull visitors to the North. When you cross from the Republic into Northern Ireland you'll notice a couple of changes: the road signs are in miles and the prices are in pounds sterling – you're in the UK. At the time of research, there was no border checkpoint and not even a sign to mark the crossing point.

Brexit may change all that, as border towns brace themselves for the possible return of a 'hard border' with passport and custom controls. It's a bitter pill to swallow for a province that voted to remain in the EU. The issue brings renewed uncertainty but nobody wants to see a return to the violence of the Troubles that ended with the Good Friday Agreement two decades ago. An atmosphere of determined optimism remains.