Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [585]
Whitepark Bay Hostel ( 2073 1745; www.hini.org.uk; 157 White Park Rd, Ballintoy; dm/tw £17/40; Apr-Oct; ) This modern, purpose-built hostel, near the west end of White Park Bay, has mostly four-bed dorms, plus twin rooms with TV, all with private bathroom. There is a common room positioned to soak up the view, and the beach is just a few minutes’ walk through the dunes.
Whitepark House B&B ( 2073 1482; www.whiteparkhouse.com; 150 Whitepark Rd, Ballintoy; s/d £75/100; ) A beautifully restored 18th-century house overlooking White Park Bay, this B&B has traditional features such as antique furniture and a peat fire complemented by Asian artefacts gathered during the welcoming owners’ oriental travels. There are three rooms – ask for one with a sea view.
Roark’s Kitchen ( 2076 3632; Ballintoy Harbour; mains £3-6; 11am-7pm Jun-Aug, Sat & Sun only May & Sep) This cute little chalk-built tearoom on the quayside at Ballintoy serves teas, coffees, ice cream, home-baked apple tart and lunch dishes such as Irish stew or chicken and ham pie.
Getting There & Away
Bus 172 between Ballycastle, Bushmills and Coleraine (eight daily Monday to Friday, two on Saturday, three Sunday) is the main, year-round service along this coast, stopping at the Giant’s Causeway, Ballintoy and Carrick-a-Rede. Also see Getting There & Around, Click here.
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BALLYCASTLE
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The harbour town and holiday resort of Ballycastle (Baile an Chaisil) marks the eastern end of the Causeway Coast. It’s a pretty town with a good bucket-and-spade beach, but apart from that, there’s not a lot to see. It’s also the port for ferries to Rathlin Island.
The tourist information office ( 2076 2024; tourism@moyle-council.org; 7 Mary St; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & 2-6pm Sun Jul & Aug, 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-Jun) is in the district council building at the east end of town. There are a couple of banks with ATMs on Ann St, near the Diamond.
Sights & Activities
The town has a family-friendly promenade, with a giant sandpit for kids overlooking the marina. A footbridge leads east across the mouth of the River Glenshesk to a good sandy beach.
The tiny Ballycastle Museum ( 2076 2942; 61A Castle St; admission free; noon-6pm Jul & Aug), in the town’s 18th-century courthouse, has a collection of Irish arts and crafts works.
In the harbour car park is the Marconi Memorial, a plaque at the foot of a rock pinnacle. Guglielmo Marconi’s assistants contacted Rathlin Island by radio from Ballycastle in 1898 to prove to Lloyds of London that wireless communication was a viable proposition. The idea was to send notice to London or Liverpool of ships arriving safely after a transatlantic crossing – most vessels on this route would have to pass through the channel north of Rathlin.
Just east of town are the ruins of Bonamargy Friary, founded in 1485. It’s an attractive site to explore, but sadly the vault – which contains the tombs of MacDonnell chieftains, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell of Dunluce Castle – is not open to the public.
Aquasports ( 7082 3563, 07962 309670; www.aquasports.biz) offers a range of high-speed boat trips out of Ballycastle harbour, including wildlife tours, cruises along the coast to the Giant’s Causeway and tours around Rathlin Island from £25 per person.
You can go sea-angling with Ballycastle Charters ( 2076 2074); three-hour trips depart at 7pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday in summer, and cost £15/10 per adult/child including tackle, bait and lessons.
Festivals
Ballycastle’s Ould Lammas Fair, held on the last Monday