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County Antrim

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

Gardens

Benvarden - Garden Ballymoney County Antrim Northern Ireland
Benvarden
Ballymoney, Co. Antrim
Two of the more colourful associations with Benvarden concern a previous owner known as ‘Half Hanged McNaughton’ and the lions roaring from the far side of the River Bush. None of this disturbs the serenity of the two acre walled ...

Golf

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Royal Portrush Golf Club
Portrush, Co. Antrim
Course Type: Links
Royal Portrush Golf Club was formed in 1888 and in terms of tradition, it is hard not to be impressed with the famous Co Antrim links. The fact is that most of the world's great players, men and women, have savoured the delights of this superb t ...

Self Catering

Selfcatering
Ballealy Cottage
Ballealy Cottage is a 19th Century deerkeeper's cottage on the Shane's Castle estate, beside Lough Neagh, Co. Antrim. Set in a woodland by a stream, Ballealy presents a fairytale appearance of irregular gables and half-hipped roofs, edged with or ...

What's On

There is no featured What's On in this county

Tourist Attractions

Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge - Ballintoy County Antrim Northern Ireland
Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge
Ballintoy, Co. Antrim
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge that links the mainland cliffs of north County Antrim to the tiny Carrick Island. It was traditionally erected by Salmon fisherman each year to allow them to access rich waters, spanning 20 m ...

Wedding Venues

Wedding
Ten Square Hotel
Belfast, Co. Antrim
This luxurious boutique hotel directly overlooking the historical City Hall is Belfast’s coolest place to stay and makes an ultra romantic location for wedding venues - especially if you hire their Phantom Rolls Royce for the day (£1, ...
  • THE BUSHMILLS INN

    Embrace the Splendour of the Season with the Taste of Bushmills offer...
9th March 2013
Joseph McHugh
Are there any Castles in Ireland that are owned by a McHugh?

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