Causeway Coast Way

Getting to The Start

By Car

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.

By Public Transport

Portstewart is well serviced by public transport. Ulsterbus Service 140 serves Portstewart from Coleraine which in turn is well serviced by both bus a train.

For timetable information please consult Translink website http://www.translink.co.uk/present/IndexOpSvc.asp#ULB

For

How to Walk the Route (Following a Clockwise Direction)

Please note that the Ulster Way waymarking is not complete along this section of the route. It is hoped that the signage will be completed as soon as possible.

The route is signed between Dunseverick Castle (C987445) to Dunseverick Harbour (D000445) and the remaining off road sections are waymarked for the Causeway Coast Waymarked Way which follows the same route.

Begin at St Patrick's Well at the head of Portstewart Strand. Follow the cliff path into Portstewart and along the promenade. Continue past the harbour, onto the cliff path and follow way marker posts along the Port Path to reach Mill Strand in Portrush about an hour after leaving Portstewart.

Walk around the beach and past Portrush harbour. Now continue up and around Ramore Head and onto a formal pathway passing Portandubh Harbour, the Coastal Zone and Portrush Nature Reserve, after twenty or thirty minutes.

The pathway leads onto Curran Strand, which is followed for almost its entire length, a walk of approximately thirty minutes. At a small gap in the dunes, leave the beach, just before reaching the white cliffs,and walk uphill past the White Rocks car park to join the A2. Continue along this road past the ruins of Dunluce Castle to a junction with the B145. Just past this junction a waymarked track, the “Port Hedge Path”, crosses fields to Portballintrae Village about an hour from White Rocks. Walk past the harbour towards the car park and beach.
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.


From the Visitor Centre, the walk continues along the cliff path, or if visiting the Causeway, the “Shepherd’s Steps” can be taken to rejoin the cliff path. The path becomes grassy and fenced along the inland edge.

(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.)

One and a half hours from the Visitor Centre the cliff path eventually reaches Dunseverick Castle and, from a lay-by, crosses a stile to reach a grassy track leading around the cliff tops. After crossing a footbridge, the track winds through a cove and joins the minor road leading to Dunseverick Harbour.

Please note - Part of the path at Dooninish, east of Dunseverick Harbour on the Causeway Coast Way is undermined.

An alternative route to avoid this section is as follows, it is indicated as a red dotted line on the downloadable map -

When walking eastwards, just before reaching Dunseverick Harbour, 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 and continue for 0.5 miles until you reach the junction with the main A2 coast road. Here turn left following signs for Ballycastle and 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 diversion will re-join the official Causeway Coast Way section of the Ulster Way and temporary diversion ends.

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. However during high tides the beach can only be reached by taking the winding road up to the main coast road turning left at Ballintoy village; then turn righy 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 lime kiln to rejoin the B15 coast road.

Currently the route continues along the road until it reaches Ballycastle, a walk of one and a half to two hours. At Cregganboy, a minor road leads to the ruins of Kinbane Castle and returns to the B15, a thirty minute detour. At Ballycastle, continue past the seafront and harbour, turning right at the Marine Hotel. The Causeway Coast Way Walking Route finishes at the Diamond, where the Moyle Way begins.

Facilities Along the Route

There is an abundnace and wide variety of accommodation in the various towns and villages along the route with plenty of places to stop for refreshments.

Linking to the Next Section

The next section is Quality Section - Moyle Way which starts in Ballycastle so it could not be easier to get started on the next Quality Section.

The Moyle Way can be quite soft underfoot during or following a period of rainfall so an alternative Link Section - Ballycastle to Glenarm offers a poor weather alternative.

Check out this section for public transport information or walking directions.