Six Days of Guided Walking Along the Causeway Coast and on Rathlin Island
This walking tour is designed for those who want to take life easy, relax, and savour the beauty of Northern Ireland’s iconic Causeway Coast.
No walking tour of Northern Ireland would be complete without visiting Rathlin Island, where you will experience a world that moves at a different pace from the modern-day world. On this self-guided walking tour of Antrim, You can let your mind wander and discover a tranquillity and beauty that is unique to Rathlin Island.
Walking the Causeway Coast, you will encounter quiet country villages and towns. Dunluce Castle, the Giant’s Causeway, rocky shores, and golden sandy beaches are waiting to be discovered.
Prices / Dates
Price: €739 per person sharing
Single Supplement: +€370
Solo Traveller Supplement: +€45
Tour Dates: 1 April to 15 October
Tour Grade: Easy
Accommodation: Guesthouse or B&B
Included / Excluded
- 5 nights bed & breakfast
- All accommodation is pre-booked in approved and carefully selected family-run guesthouses with all rooms en-suite.
- Maps and all route notes
- GPX Track Files
- Details on restaurants and places of interest to visit along the way.
- Luggage transfers daily while you walk with a small day pack.
- All information on trains or buses needed to get to your first accommodation in Ballycastle and back at the end from Portstewart.
- 24-7 Emergency Telephone support
- Public transport to the beginning of the tour and back at the end
- Packed Lunches
- Evening Meals
- Drinks & Snacks
- Personal Equipment
We will supply you with all the travel details required to get from your point of entry into Ireland to your first accommodation in Ballycastle. Ballycastle is the northern gateway to the Glens of Antrim and dates back to around 1565 when a son of Sorley Boy McDonnell, the first Earl of Antrim, built a castle in the centre of the heart of the old town. Unfortunately, nothing of this castle remains today, but this picturesque environment makes for pleasant walk before you leave for Ballintoy. We stay overnight in Ballycastle.
This island is a rare place of wild and natural beauty, extraordinary environmental significance, and authentic local culture. You will take the morning ferry from Ballycastle to the island departing at 10 am. The crossing time is approximately 45 minutes.
Shaped like a boot, the island is 10 km/6 miles long and almost 1.6 km/1 miles wide. Three lighthouses stand as monuments to its wild coastline (over 40 recorded shipwrecks lie in the depths of its underwater cliffs). The island is covered with fascinating flora, which includes Puffins in the spring and summer. Guillemots and Kittiwakes nest in their thousands along its steep on-shore cliffs. The walk you decide to take while you are on the island will determine the distance and ascent, but their are routes for all fitness levels.
Pathways will be marked clearly in your tour pack so you can decide on the day the distance you would like to travel.
Distance: 11/14 km / 7/9 miles
Ascent Approximately: 200 m / 600 ft, Approximate walking time: 4-5 hours.
Afternoon ferry back to Ballycastle.
Overnight Ballycastle
After leaving the town of Ballycastle, you will follow a country road to Clare Woods. After enjoying a short forest trail, you will take a peaceful country road leading through the farming communities of Craignagolman and Ballaghcravey, until you reach the world-famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. This is an amazing place! Cross the rope bridge that spans an 80ft chasm and experience something truly invigorating (if you’re okay with heights!). Those set on braving the bridge crossing will need to purchase a ticket from the National Trust, while those who’d rather not can explore the surrounding countryside. Our overnight stay is in Ballintoy. Distance: 14.16 km / 8.9 miles Ascent: 270 m / 810 ft, Approximate walking time: 4-5 hours. Overnight Ballintoy
Like we said in our introduction, this is probably one of the best coastal walks in Europe, if not in the world! The day offers you a unique and awe-inspiring array of scenery, flora and fauna. The trail from Ballintoy passes along the golden sandy beach of White Park Bay, past the ruins of Dunseverick Castle, and along a cliff-top path that takes you around Benbane Head to the World Heritage Site and Nature Reserve of the Giant’s Causeway.
Distance: 17.6 km / 11 miles, Ascent: 977 m / 2931 ft, Approximate walking time: 5-6 hours.
Overnight Giant's Causeway
Your final day’s walking tour of Antrim takes you along the coastal road to Portrush. This scenic route overlooks Binbane Cove, Dunluce Castle, The Burnfoot, and The White Rocks, before descending to Curran Strand. From here you have some very nice views over a series of small islands that lie a short distance north of the strand. The most prominent islands are the Big Skerries and Little Skerries. Then it’s into the town of Portrush for the chance to do a little exploring and shopping before starting the final leg of your journey into Portstewart. This is a beautiful section of the trail and a perfect finish to what hopefully will have been a memorable week of hiking in the Antrim Glens and Coastal Path. Our overnight stay is in Portstewart. Distance: 19 km / 12 miles, Ascent: 778 m / 2334 ft, Approximate walking time: 5 / 6 hrs Overnight Portstewart
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so after breakfast, you will commence your homeward journey.
We will supply you with all the travel details that you will require to get to your onward destination.
