I saw a photo of the Dark Hedges years ago in one of those emails that circulates with some of the most amazing photos you’ve ever seen of über-remote places on our planet. I mentally swore I would go there one day. Today I did.

The Dark Hedges is rated as one of top five tree tunnels in the world. Tree tunnels—I didn’t even know it was a thing. And who rates them anyway?

The tunnel would have been magnificent, except for all the tourists—GoT tourists, for the most part, some dressed in costume. Yes, the Dark Hedges was used in the wildly popular Game of Thrones as the King’s Road which Arya Stark traveled to escape King’s Landing in Season 2. And I got to visit the King’s Road today with Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. 

The road—one of those ordinarily gorgeous, backcountry Irish roads—was closed to vehicular traffic a couple of years ago because of the tourists. The Woodland Trust is concerned that high vehicular traffic could damage the already fragile shallow-root system of the beech trees. Five trees have been lost to storms in the past few years. 

Today there were two full-size tour buses, both with the Game of Thrones logo emblazoned on the back window, and a dozen or more cars parked just off the closed road—on another ordinarily gorgeous, backcountry Irish road. The locals in this peaceful wee community must be beside themselves.

We were there, so we took photos—full of tourists—and moved on. I feel bad for having contributed to the hullabaloo. Poor timing on my part. I wish I had traveled this road before Arya did.