My birthday began the Belfast way: a sunny morning with just enough chill to remind you you’re not on holiday in Spain. We wandered out around 8:30 and made a beeline for the ironically named Black Sheep Coffee, where a flat white served as essential fuel for what was shaping up to be a very long — and very celebratory — day.

Black Sheep Coffee Flat white to start the day Morning coffee stop Fuelled up for the day ahead Heading out for the day

Then came our grand entrance onto the hop‑on/hop‑off bus, pre‑booked like responsible adults who absolutely weren’t planning to spend the evening stumbling between pubs. First stop: the Titanic Museum — and honestly, it blew me away. You could spend hours in there without even noticing time passing. For once, a £25 ticket didn’t feel like daylight robbery. The moment that hit hardest was seeing the original deckchairs recovered from the wreck. Proper goosebumps stuff. A rare museum that actually earns the hype.

Boarding the hop-on/hop-off bus Titanic Museum, Belfast Inside the Titanic Museum Titanic Museum exhibits Exploring the Titanic story Titanic Museum displays More of the exhibition Titanic Museum, Belfast The original deckchairs recovered from the wreck A moment that hit hard Titanic Museum interior Still taking it all in Wrapping up at the Titanic Museum Leaving the Titanic Museum

After all that emotional depth, we needed food… or something vaguely resembling it. Enter Robins Hobby Café, a quirky little spot that seemed geared toward people with special needs — and frankly, given the state of us, we fit right in. The food was basic enough to make you nostalgic for school dinners, but it filled a hole.

By 14:45 we were back on the bus and off to St George’s Market, where Mel inhaled a chocolate crepe and we wandered around pretending we weren’t already thinking about our next drink. A half pint later, we were back on the bus again — at this point we were practically part of the tour commentary.

Back on the bus

Around 5pm we hopped off at Monico Bars for a pint of Beamish, then drifted into Kelly’s Cellars, where we settled in for a couple of hours of live music, chat, and the kind of atmosphere that convinces you you’re having “just one more.”

From there it was a quick pit stop at Maddens, and then the grand finale: The Dirty Onion, where we threw ourselves around the dancefloor until well past 22:30. By the time we staggered home around 11pm, we were exhausted, slightly wobbly, and extremely proud of ourselves for surviving a birthday in Belfast with only minor structural damage.