Causeway Coast Way
| County | Distance | OS Map |
| Antrim | 33 miles | Sheets 4 and 5 |
| Nearest Town | Route Shape | RouteType |
| Portstewart | Linear | Beach, Coastal, Hill |
| Terrain | Grid Reference (Start) | Grid Reference (Finish) |
| Varied tracks, beach, rock, road | C812367 | D114406 |
This route, from Portstewart to Ballycastle, passes through the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a World Heritage Site and several Areas of Special Scientific Interest. It includes views of wide bays, sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs and off-shore rocks.
| Point of Interest | The Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-rede (National T |
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | Causeway Coast |
| Route Description | This walk is divided into 7 shorter sections as follows - Section 1 - Begin at St Patrick's Well at the head of Portstewart Strand. Follow the coastline via the cliff path as it continues along the promenade and the harbour. It is then waymarked across grass and golf courses, leading to Mill Strand in Portrush. From the harbour, continue up and around Ramore Head and onto a formal pathway passing Portandubh Harbour and Portrush Countryside Centre and Nature Reserve. Section 2&3 - Continue along the beach and then pass through a gap in the dunes leading to the White Rocks car park. Follow the route uphill to join the A2 and continue along this road until just past the B145 junction. Here a waymarked track, the “Port Hedge”, crosses fields to Portballintrae Village. At the car park the route diverges into two- Option One: Follow the boardwalk and path along the riverside. Continue along a grassy track which merges with the cycle/footpath alongside the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway. This leads to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre. Option Two: Cross the footbridge and follow the beach towards Runkerry Point. There is an option to follow the coastline past Runkerry House, or follow the lane uphill, cross a footbridge and take the grass track that leads to the Visitor Centre. (Note that care may be needed if crossing the beach during high tides and stormy weather.) Section 4 - From the Visitor Centre, the walk can continue along the cliff path, or if visiting the Causeway, the “Shepherd’s Steps” can be taken to rejoin the path. The path becomes grassy and fenced along the inside edge. Do not cross the fence unless in cases of emergency. The path follows the headland and passes Hamilton’s Seat, the highest point at 100m, which offers superb views. It eventually reaches Dunseverick Castle. (Note that this section contains several stiles and steps. It is also steep in places and care should be taken in wet weather. In extreme weather conditions, this path may be closed.) From Dunseverick lay-by, cross the stile onto a grassy track leading around the cliff tops. After crossing the footbridge, the track winds through a cove and joins the minor road leading to Dunseverick Harbour. Please note - Part of the path at Dooninish, a 5 minute walk west of Dunseverick Harbour is undermined. A picture of this is available in the image section. An alternative route to avoid this section is as follows- Just before reaching Dunseverick Harbour, where a stile takes you on to a minor road - turn right and follow this minor road for 0.25 miles, until it reaches the B146 road. At this junction turn left for 0.5 miles until you reach the junction with the main A2 coast road. Here turn left following signs for Ballycastle, after 0.5 miles turn left following the sign for Portbraddan. A further 0.5 miles of roadway will take you to Portbraddan, where the walker will re-join the official Causeway Coast Way & temporary diversion ends. If you do chose to walk this section it leads through a series of bays and a natural rock arch before reaching Portbradden Harbour. Please note that a land slip has occurred under the arch, there may be rocks on the path. A photo of this is available in the image section of walkni.com. Section 5 & 6 - From here, a stile leads to a series of rocky bays. Pass through an arch at Gid Point from where the route crosses uneven rocks at Portbraddan. Beyond Portbraddan is White Park Bay and the shortest route to the beach is by scrambling across chalk boulders at the base of the cliffs. Please note that during high tides the beach can only be reached by taking the winding road up to the main coast road and descending onto the beach further east via the track beside the Youth Hostel. Then turn left at Ballintoy village and turn right at the white church to get back onto the Causeway Coast Way. If tidal conditions are favourable, the beach offers easy walking for thirty minutes along its length. At its eastern end cross a stile and follow a rough path for another twenty minutes to the harbour at Ballintoy. From the harbour follow the road uphill. At the corner opposite the church a stile leads to a fenced path. This path crosses fields to reach Larrybane Head and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, just under an hour's walk from Ballintoy harbour. Retrace your steps from the rope bridge to Larrybane car park and continue past the disused limekiln to rejoin the B15 coast road. There are spectacular views to Rathlin and the Scottish Islands. The path goes past the famous Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, before leading to Larrybane car park. Section 7 - Pass the disused lime kiln and rejoin the B15 coast road. Currently, the route continues along the road until it reaches Ballycastle. Please note that this section of the walk is on a busy road with no footpath present. Extra care should be taken when walking this section. At Creggaboy, a minor road leads to the ruins of Kinbane Castle and returns to the B15. At Ballycastle, continue past the seafront and harbour, turning right at the Maine Hotel. The Causeway Coast Way Walking Route finishes at the Diamond, where the Moyle Way begins. |
| Getting to the Start | From Coleraine, take the A2 to Portstewart. At the junction by the sea front, turn left. There are two car parks between here and the start of the walk at Tubber Patrick. There are numerous bus routes operating along the route. The Causeway Rambler Service No. 376 operates during the winter months. |
| Facilities | Car parks along the walk. Refreshments available at most towns and villages along the route and at several of the tourist attractions. |
| Accessible Toilet Facilities | Yes |
| Accessible Terrain | Varied tracks, beach, rock & road |
| Accessible Signage | No |
| Publication | Causeway Coast Waymarked Way |
| Publication Availability | Coleraine Tourist Information Centre 028 7034 4723 and Countryside Access and Activities Network 028 9030 3930 |
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5 feedback comments have been left by readers about Causeway Coast Way:
An absolutely amazing walk!!! But I would really recommend to CHECK THE TIDE CONDITIONS!!! As it says in section 5 and 6 the easiest route is through White Park Bay but low tide is key. I went at high tide and had to bypass a few areas by taking a adventurous route!
Done this walk in early June 2009 and it was nothing short of amazing. Weather was ideal for walking and the scenery from Portstewart all the way to Carrick a Rede takes some beating, no matter where you have been before. Although WalkNI's information does mention the road which makes up the last 7 miles of the walk to Ballycastle, it does, because of the traffic and no path, take the edge of what was othewise a fantastic two days of walking. There are plenty of B&Bs in Portstewart before the start of the walk (I used Wandrin' Heights and the landlady homemakes the best wheaten bread I've ever tasted!), good accommodation in Bushmills or the hostel in Ballintoy. The first thing to put in your backpack should be Compeed blister plasters, cos they're brilliant.
I did this walk on 16-18 March (2 days really) staying overnight at Portrush and Ballintoy. Weather was fair to good. The best bit is from the Giant's Causeway to the rope bridge (after which it is mainly road). The waymarking was weak in many places (compared to walks in England)and more direction on the parts where scrambling over rocks is necessary would have helped. That said I did not get lost! One feature that struck me was the amount of litter from bins and just dumped in bags by the path / roads.
Overall a good walk - not strenuous and with great views of the Atlantic rollers - and great beaches. As it was off season, refreshments were few and far between.
Last week, we walked the Causeway Coast Way in Antrim. We really enjoyed the walk and were camping alongside it.
The views were spectacular and the walking paths were very easy.
The maps on the website were very helpful, we just printed them out and used them.
Unfortunately, there are very few campsites along the way. We could use public toilet facilities at several locations, but we weren't allowed to pitch our tent there.
We asked several tourist information offices along the way about campsites, and they told us that most campsites allowed tents. However, most campsites don't. Even in Ballycastle, where there are 3 campsites, none of them would take us in.
Luckily, we just met a friendly family from Belfast who stayed in their caravan at fairhead camping in Ballycastle, and they spoke to the manager who let us in.
In conclusion; the walk is wonderful and your website has been a great help. However, camping can be pretty difficult. It would be a great help for future walkers if you would mention this on your website.
Superb scenery and views but the walk needs to finish at the rope bridge. The last part was by a very busy road, without a pathway, VERY dangerous for walkers.
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