Causeway Coast Walking Holiday 6 Days

Settle in. The Glens welcome you quietly.

Your tour begins in Cushendall — the capital of the Glens, a compact village where four of the nine Glens of Antrim converge at the sea. Arrive in the afternoon, collect your route notes and maps from your B&B host, and take your time getting orientated.

If you arrive early, a short loop walk along the coast or up into the surrounding hills gives you a first feel for the terrain ahead. The village has excellent restaurants and a handful of pubs where traditional music sessions appear without warning. This is Antrim before the tourist trail begins — genuine, unhurried, and exactly right.

We transfer you to the Altarichard Road start point, where the Moyle Way opens onto the high moorland of North Antrim. From the moment you leave the road, the landscape changes completely: heather and bog cotton underfoot, the plateau stretching in every direction, and a silence that feels earned.

The route climbs steadily through open moorland before reaching the ridgeline. On a clear day, the view east takes in the full sweep of the Antrim coast — Fair Head's dramatic basalt cliffs, Rathlin Island in the middle distance, and the coast of Scotland, closer than you'd expect, on the horizon. This is one of the finest panoramas in Ireland, and almost nobody knows it.

The descent into Ballycastle is gradual and satisfying – the town appearing below you as the moorland gives way to farmland and hedgerow. Ballycastle is a proper seaside town with good accommodation, excellent restaurants, and the best fish and chips in north Antrim. Your luggage is already waiting.

The Causeway Coast path begins here, and it begins well. Leave Ballycastle along quiet lanes and field paths, the coastline appearing and disappearing to your right as the route winds westward.

The approach to Carrick-a-Rede builds gradually — you see the island before you see the bridge, a low, dark mass detached from the cliff face by a narrow gorge. Then the bridge itself: a rope and plank crossing 30 metres above the sea, moving under your feet with the pleasant instability of something genuinely suspended in mid-air. Cross it. The view from Carrick Island, back along the Antrim coast, is one of the best on the entire route.

Continue west along clifftop paths to Ballintoy—a whitewashed fishing village tucked into a narrow harbour that looks painted on the landscape. Game of Thrones fans will recognise the harbour; walkers will simply be glad to arrive here. Your B&B is within easy reach of the village's small pub.

Note: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge requires a separate ticket, that can be booked in advance at the National Trust website. Crossing is optional but strongly recommended.

This is the walk that earned the Causeway Coast its reputation. Consistently described as the finest coastal walk in Ireland, the section from Ballintoy to the Giant's Causeway delivers something remarkable at every turn.

It begins with White Park Bay—a two-kilometer arc of white sand beneath towering limestone cliffs, reached by a steep path from the road. Walk the length of the beach, past the solitary cottage that has sat here for a hundred years, and climb back to the cliff path on the far side.

Next comes Portbraddan, home to what may be Ireland's smallest church, and then the atmospheric ruins of Dunseverick Castle, perched on a promontory above the sea. The castle is 5th-century in origin — one of the oldest in Ireland — and the views from the headland are extraordinary.

Then the cliff path rises and the Causeway headland comes into view. The descent to the columns themselves is gradual. When you step onto the Giant's Causeway – away from the visitor centre, on the lower platforms where the sea reaches the stone – the scale of what you're standing on becomes real. Sixty million years of geology, right under your boots.

Your overnight stay is in or around Bushmills, which may require a short transfer or walk from the Causeway. The world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery is here, should you wish to visit — a fitting end to the finest walking day on the tour.

Note: Sections of this route are tide-dependent. Your route notes include current tide times and alternative cliff-top paths for each tidal section.

Your final full day ties together everything the North Antrim coast does best: cliff paths, castle ruins, long sand beaches, and a finish line that feels genuinely earned.

Leave Bushmills and return briefly to the coast before the path opens up onto Whiterocks Beach – a long sweep of pale sand backed by limestone cliffs carved by the sea into caves, arches and columns. Walk the beach at low tide or take the cliff path above; either way, the light here in the late afternoon is extraordinary.

Dunluce Castle appears mid-route, sitting on its sea stack with the improbable composure of something that should have fallen into the ocean centuries ago. A 13th-century stronghold, home to the MacDonnell clan, and still standing – just. The walk past the castle is one of the great moments of the entire tour.

Continue past Portrush — a lively seaside resort with a Victorian promenade and a view across to the Causeway headlands you walked yesterday — and on to Portstewart. The town sits on a headland above a long strand, and the walk in along the coastal path is a satisfying conclusion to five days of extraordinary landscape. Your accommodation is ready. Dinner tonight is a celebration.

Onwards — with legs that have earned their rest.

A leisurely final morning. Portstewart Strand — one of the finest beaches in Ireland — is a ten-minute walk from the town centre and a fine way to begin the last day.

Buses from Portstewart connect to Coleraine, where regular trains run to Belfast (one hour) and Dublin (two and a half hours via Belfast). Your pre-departure information pack includes full transport options from Portstewart onwards.

Most walkers leave planning their next one before they reach the station. The 8-day version of this tour adds Glenariff Forest Park's waterfall walks and a day on Rathlin Island — if you want the full picture, it's waiting for you.