Road Trip Tuesday: The Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland

Ireland's Antrim Coast

Length: 75 mi / 120km (from Portrush to Belfast)

Time to Allow: 2-3 Hours minimum, but two days would be better so as to enjoy as much here as possible.

In lieu of St. Patrick's Day, I thought a the introduction of a small road trip around Ireland would be appropriate, specifically the Antrim Coast. Often described as the best drive in Ireland, the trek along Ireland's northern coast outdoes the rest of the isle for what it offers in its variety and stunning scenery. Along the way, you'll find a few coastal towns like Portrush and Ballycastle, the village of Bushmills, famous for its whiskey distillery, and spectacular landmarks such as the Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and the Glens of Antrim. I've never made this drive, but this is one that I would absolutely love to take. Since I'm not familiar with everything it has to offer, I'm borrowing some knowledge from a few other travel sites that describe this trip in detail.

From Portrush, you'll want to drive east along the A2 into Bushmills, immediately diving into the magnificent scenery straight from the get go. While visiting Bushmills, give yourself a bit of time to vist the Old Bushmills Distillery, widely-known as the first legal whiskey distillery in the world.

Upon leaving Bushmills, you'll want to continue east, following the signs for the Giant's Causeway, where you'll want to plan on spending as much time as you can allow. The Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking hexagonal, basalt columns along the coast, a mysterious result of an ancient volcanic reaction. It was named in 2005 as the fourth greatest natural wonder of the United Kingdom, as the tops of the columns form giant stepping-like stones that lead off of the foot of the cliffs and disappear under the sea.

From the Causeway, keep heading east until you merge up again with the A2 towards Ballycastle. However, before you get to Ballycastle, take the B15 road which forks left into Ballintoy, where you'll continue through the town towards the tiny island of Carrick-a-Rede, which is joined to the mainland by a swaying rope bridge. As you continue over the island, the B15 joins back up with the A2 at Ballycastle, a quaint little harbor town to take a break for lunch, or possibly find an inn to bed down for the night. If you time your trip right, and you make it into Ballycastle on the last Monday and Tuesday of August, you'll be able to experience the "Oul' Lammas Fair," an annual celebration held by the townsfolk that celebrates ancient Pagan mythology and attracts people by the thousands from all over the world.

When you leave Ballycastle, continue to follow the A2 all the way along the east coast and into the Ferry Port of Larne, from where you can either go on into Belfast or return to Portrush, taking the more direct inland route by means of Ballymena. Along this stretch, however, is where you'll have a chance to explore the Glens of Antrim. You can divert inland to enjoy as many as time allows, but if you only have time for one, you'll want to find the Glenariff, otherwise known as Queen of the Glens. This U-shaped glen is much larger than the other eight, and boasts steep gorges and plenty of waterfalls, some of which wouldn't be accessible if it weren't for special pathways and bridges. To get there, just head south on the A43 at Waterfoot, just after passing through Cushendall. The drive is only six miles or so, but you'll witness some impressive scenery along the way before having a full chance to explore the Glen.

As you head the southeast along the remainder of the drive into Belfast, be sure to stop at a few of the other glens if you have time, and call ahead to request a place to stay in the city well in advance, as rooms and hostels can fill up quickly.

I have dreams of making this drive in the near future, hopefully in the next year or two. Personally, I also plan on making it over to the west coast of Ireland, and into the county of Mayo, where I'm still told I have family into the country out there. They're poor farm-folk, located literally in the middle of nowhere, but they're still family and I would love to meet them. Someday... Until then, Happy St. Patrick's Day, and be sure to wear your green with pride.

If you're interested in learning more about this trip, visit the following websites for maps and tripguides to help you along:

Suite101.com

Northern Ireland Discovered

Ireland - Wikipedia

Photo credits go to Mark Gordon and www.sxc.hu