After driving to Buncrana for an entertaining evening with food, drink, music and friends, we drove to Londonderry for another walk on the city walls and historical immersion inside the Museum of Free Derry where we met another American friend. We drove out of Derry up the coast towards Bushmills. A tour of the facility seemed redundant after the Achill Island Distillery but we did purchase a few local bottles to bring home. Since we had driven the coastal route in 2022, we avoided the Giant's Causeway, taking the direct Ballycastle road and settling into our tiny B&B room on the outskirts of town. Dinner and the harbor required a 3 mile walk back and forth through the rather unimpressive town but we were focused on the next day and a boat trip to Rathlin Island.
Ballycastle Harbor ferry landing
Leaving Ballycastle harbor we crossed the smooth channel and began walking west along the bluffs towards the Seabird Center and the unusual lighthouse, whose light is actually below the level of the higher cliffs. Although seabirds covered the rocks, we did not get close enough to hear or smell the puffins.
Since we had time after we returned to the port, we continued walking east towards the other end of Rathlin. Our road gave us fine views across to Fair Head and Tor Head on the Antrim Coast. Abandoned crofters' cottages dotted the island. Sheep are still numerous but retirees and tourists seem to be the major inhabitants nowadays.
Tor Head on the left and Fair Head on the right
Abandoned, many houses are falling back into the land they were built from
A long road back to the port returned us to the harbor to catch the final boat back to Ballycastle. We had a long but sunny 14 miles of walking.
Our little island ferry made an impressively composed entry into Rathlin harbor and opened a comfortably wide mouth to disgorge its passengers and take on returners.
We found an acceptable meal on returning but had to wander back and forth through much of Ballycastle because the most popular places were closed and there seemed few dining options in such a tourist-oriented town.
Full photo album for the North Coast of Northern Ireland 2026
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