The Antrim Coast may be timeless in its beauty, but today its picturesque ports are enjoying the fruits of restoration and development at places as various as Ballycastle, Glenarm and Carrickfergus.
With its boundaries naturally defined by the sea, the River Bann, the extensive lake of Lough Neagh, and the River Lagan, County Antrim has always had a strong sense of its own clearcut geographical identity. This is further emphasised by the extensive uplands of the Antrim Plateau, wonderful for the sense of space with the moorland rising to heights such as Trostan (551m) and the distinctive Slemish (438m), famed for its association with St Patrick.
The plateau eases down to fertile valleys and bustling inland towns such as Ballymena, Antrim and Ballymoney, while the coastal towns ring the changes between the traditional resort of Portrush in the far north, the ferryport of Larne in the east, and historic Carrickfergus in the south.
In the spectacularly beautiful northeast of the county, the most rugged heights of the Plateau are softened by the nine Glens of Antrim, havens of beauty descending gently from the moorland down through small farms to hospitable villages clustered at the shoreline, and connected by the renowned Antrim Coast Road.
Between these sheltered bays at the foot of the Glens, the sea cliffs of the headlands soar with remarkable rock formations which, on the North Coast, provide the setting for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway. From the charming town of Ballycastle, Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island of Rathlin is within easy reach by ferry, a mecca for ornithologists and perfect for days away from the pressures of mainstream life.
Local Attractions and Information
Antrim town Lough Neagh cruises +44 (0)28 94 481312
Antrim town Shanes Castle +44 (0)28 94 428216
Antrim town Tourism Information +44 (0)28 94 428331
Ballycastle Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge +44 (0)28 20 731582
Ballymena Tourism Information +44 (0)28 25 660300
Ballymoney (Dervock) Benvarden Garden +44 (0)28 20 741331
Ballymoney Leslie Hill Open Farm +44 (0)28 27 666803
Bushmills Antrim Coast and Glens +44 (0)28 20 731582
Bushmills Irish Whiskey-World's Oldest Distillery +44 (0)28 20 731521
Carnlough AlwaysIreland Activity Holidays +44 (0)28 28 885995
Carrickfergus Castle +44 (0)28 93 351273
Carrickfergus Waterfront +44 (0)28 93 366455
Carrickfergus Andrew Jackson Centre +44 (0)28 93 366455
Dunluce Castle Visitor Centre +44 (0)28 20 731938
Giants Causeway +44 (0)28 20 731855
Giants Causeway & Bushmills Railway +44 (0)28 20 741157
Glenariff Forest Park +44 (0)28 21 758232
Larne Carnfunnock Country Park +44 (0)28 28 270451
Larne Ferryport +44 (0)28 28 872100
Larne Tourism Information +44 (0)28 28 260088
Lisburn Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum +44 (0)28 92 663377
Lisburn Tourism Information +44 (0)28 92 660038
Portrush Tourism Information +44 (0)28 70 823333
Rathlin Island Ferries +44 (0)28 20 769299
Rathlin Island Visitor Centre +44 (0)28 20 763951
Templepatrick Patterson's Spade Mill +44 (0)28 94 433619
Joseph McHugh
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