Exploring Northern Ireland Coast

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Paying just 9 Pounds for a Rambler ticket gets you unlimited hop-on, hop-off service on all Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro services along the North coast in Northern Ireland. The bus stop is right outside our door here so with just a few overnight things in our daypacks we were off to tour the north coast.

It was a beautiful scenic tour along the North Channel as we passed through Glenariff, Cushendall, Cushendun, Maghercashel, Ballyvoy, Ballycastle and got let off at the entrance to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge next to the town of Ballintoy.

For 5.90 Pounds each, you get access to the pathway and steep stairway along the cliffside down to the rope bridge across to Carrick Island. It's a very popular tourist attraction and the views along the path and then on Carrick Island were really amazing! This is an attraction that must not be missed if you travel to this area.

There are bathrooms and a small restaurant by the parking lot with good food at reasonable prices. The #402 Rambler comes right into the parking lot every hour so we were able to jump on board (at no extra cost) with our Rambler ticket and head off to our next stop. We passed through Ballintoy then a short ride took us to the Giant's Causeway .

There is a HUGE visitor centre here with displays and information about the history and legends around this famous UNESCO World Heritage site. 7.00 Pounds gets you through the gate but it's a LONG walk down to the site so we opted for a 2 Pound return bus ticket. We visited Giant's Causeway two years ago but it was pouring rain and I was anxious to return. It's an absolutely amazing phenomenon that cannot be described other than in photos. The rock formations are so strange that it is hard to believe it is not man-made, hence the many legends. The entry fee includes an audio guide but the info was short on facts and heavy on fantasy. I spent my time climbing around and taking photos. Although the weather was much better this time, the place was thick with tourists so it was still difficult to get the shots I wanted. Maybe I'll have to come back again.

So it was back onto the Rambler and onward through Bushmills and past the famous distillery of that same name. We toured Bushmills Distillery two years ago so did not stop again this time. We also drove past Dunluce Castle which was another really good site we visited two years ago. So about 25 minutes after leaving the Giant's Causeway we arrived at Portrush .

Two years ago we stayed at a friend's condo in Portrush for a few nights and the town left quite an impression on me. It's a very lovely and friendly tourist sea-side town with the most incredible beaches I've seen anywhere. We booked one night at the Ashlea House B&B. The location is great with fantastic views and a huge room. The prices are extremely reasonable (we paid only 52 Pounds) and include a good choice for breakfasts. I would highly recommend this place.

We wandered around the town and shoreline and ended up at the dog-friendly Harbour Bar and Bistro. The proprietor is Willie Gregg, a hard-working, fun-loving kind of a guy who likes to take photos of all of his patrons and add them to his facebook page. If you follow the link you can look through the photos and find us posted there. He prides himself on never forgetting a face and this proved to be true as he remembered my face from our visit two years ago. We stuck a pin in his world map for where we are currently living, had a bottle of wine and then dinner in the attached Bistro. The food was great, very reasonably priced and I will definitely go back. In fact, I promised Willie that I would see him again in another two years. I hope I can keep that promise.

We slept well that night and enjoyed our Ashlea House breakfast the next morning before hopping onto the #252 Rambler and buying a new 9.00 ticket to head back to Ballycastle. Strangely, a Rambler ticket only costs 6.50 Pounds when you buy it on the #402 but it is still honoured on the #252. We got off at the marina in Ballycastle and made the short walk to the Rathlin Island Ferry Terminal.

A return ticket was 12 Pounds each and we boarded the small ferry with about 80 seats. It was full and EVERYBODY sat down which surprised me until we got out of Ballycastle Bay into the rough waters and across the Sea of Moyle. Anybody that knows me would understand that I was doped up on Gravol to make this short 30 minute journey and thank God I was as it was a foggy day and we soon lost sight of any land for me to focus on. Luckily the Gravol did it's job and I felt healthy still as we arrived at Rathlin Island.

As we got off the boat most people, including us, got straight onto the Puffin Bus. This is a small, OLD, little bus that takes you, for 5 Pounds each round-trip, to the far end of the island (about 4 miles) along a TINY and NARROW mostly paved roadway up and down and twisting around until it reaches the Seabird Centre. Then there is a very steep, long stairway down to the viewing platform which is still hundreds of feet above the sea. The day was foggy as I mentioned and the views were nearly invisible as we started our descent. But within minutes of arriving at the platform, the sun broke through and it turned into a beautiful, clear day. The noise and stench of the millions of birds was incredible! There are two sea stacks FILLED with birds and then they are thick across the land leading up to the cliffs and they are nesting here and there and everywhere all the way up the cliffs. Although many of them were close to us, most were far enough away that I was for the first time missing my huge telephoto lens. Unfortunately the weight was just too much for my arthritic shoulder to pack along on this trip but I got some great shots anyway with the smaller camera, my new Canon G16. What I really wanted shots of were the Puffins and there were plenty of them there but all quite a distance away. There were many more Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars and Kittiwakes than Puffins but it was all quite spectacular.

We took the bus back to the harbour then went for lunch at McCuaig's Bar . The food was good and the service a little mixed up but friendly and good enough, and the French Fries were the absolute best we've ever had anywhere! After lunch we decided to go on a hike. There are many trails available on the island of various lengths. As we had limited time, we decided on the short hike up and over the center of the island to the East Lighthouse. Robert the Bruce, King of Scots 1306-1329, took refuge there, hiding in caves in the rocks below the lighthouse in 1306-1307 after losing a war to the British. It was a beautiful hike with incredible views that everyone should do if you come to this area.

We hiked back to the harbour after, had an ice cream from the little vendor by the docks and caught the ferry back to Ballycastle. It wasn't too long a wait until Bus #252 came along and picked us up to take us home again, dropping us right at our door. This was our last adventure in Northern Ireland as we leave in a couple of days to spend some time in Hamburg before ending up in Dublin for a few days before returning to Canada.

I have lots of extra photos here if you scroll further down. And if you click on a photo, you will then be able to scroll through the album of photos with larger images.

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Photos

Birds on Rathlin Island
The Puffins are the ones with orange feet

Fields along the coast road
Between Garron Point and Ballycastle

Chris on Carrick Island
Sheep Island in the background

Roger on Carrick Island
Sheep Island in the background

Giant's Causeway
Weir's Snout