Game of Thrones - Braavos Canal Arya Stark

The canal where Arya Stark learned to fight blind isn't exactly a secret, but it's brilliantly ordinary - which is precisely why it works. This stretch of water near Ballymena became Braavos in the HBO series, and if you're expecting some grand filming location, you'll need to recalibrate your expectations. It's a proper working waterway, modest and unremarkable in the way that makes the magic of television editing suddenly clear.

What you're actually looking at is a functional piece of Northern Ireland's industrial heritage transformed temporarily into the Free Cities of Essos. The appeal depends entirely on whether you want to stand where those scenes were shot and imagine the magic back into the landscape, or whether you need something more tangible. For hardcore Game of Thrones fans, it's worth a detour from Ballymena - twenty minutes or so to see where one of the series' most iconic character arcs took shape. For everyone else, it's a bit thin on its own.

The real magic here is combining it with the broader Game of Thrones trail across Northern Ireland. You're in solid countryside between Ballymena and the coast, so base yourself at Ocean View Pods nearby and make a day of visiting multiple filming locations rather than treating this one spot as a destination. That way you're using your time efficiently and you'll get more from the experience. Go early morning or late afternoon when light hits the water properly - the water itself becomes almost cinematic then.