Moyle Way

Getting to The Start

By Car

Ballycastle is situated along the A2 coast road. There are two car parks situated along the route in Ballycastle.

By Public Transport

The north coast is very well serviced with public transport.

Northern Ireland Rail Service 4 links Coleraine to Belfast. Ballycastle can then be reached by Ulsterbus Service 171 from Coleraine.

The Antrim Coaster Rambler Service 252 runs between Belfast and Coleraine (stopping in Ballycastle) along the coast road.

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

How to Walk the Route (Following a Clockwise Direction)

From the Diamond in the centre of Ballycastle, follow Fairhill Street for approximately 300m. At a layby, turn right onto the line of the old railway and pass under an old stone bridge. Follow this unsurfaced lane to a left turn, where you climb over a metal stile into Ballycastle Forest. Continue along a forest track for 200m to a sharp left turn, where the track begins to climb steeply towards Ballyveely. Take the second left, and at the next T-junction, follow the waymarkers and turn right. Continue for roughly 300m to another junction. Turn left here and walk downhill to exit the forest onto the Drumavoley Road, an hour and forty-five minutes from Ballycastle. Now turn right and follow this quiet country road for an hour and a half along the scenic Glenshesk valley.

On reaching the main A44, cross over the road at Breen Bridge and enter Breen Forest and Wood. Follow a forest track steeply uphill for an hour or more through Breen Oakwood National Nature Reserve, passing close to the summit of Bohilbreaga. Stay on the track as it begins to head downhill, looking out for a waymarker pointing left down a break in the trees. Veer left along this grassy track, which is often boggy in places. From here the route is well signed with yellow arrows in a blue circle. Follow these waymarkers along the forest boundary, heading downhill through the trees to the Glenshesk River. Cross a large bridge and turn right along a vehicle track. Please note - you are now in an area that is actively managed for game birds. Shooting takes place on a regular basis from August to January. Please keep dogs on a lead at all times.

Continue along the wide stone track for forty-five minutes, passing close to the site of MacQuillan’s Grave. At a junction where the main track heads left, take the track leading downhill to the right and cross the Altahullin Burn via a concrete bridge. The route then takes a steep turn up Altahullin Gorge. Follow the waymarkers uphill to a fence marking the forest boundary, then head left along the boundary until a stile allows access into the forest. Follow a large grassy clearing in the trees until it begins to narrow, then look out for a waymarker on the opposite bank of the stream. Cross the watercourse and head up the bank, veering left at the top to reach a wide forest track. Follow the waymarkers along the track to the Altarichard Road, forty-five minutes after crossing Altahullin Burn.

Turn left and walk along the road for about twenty minutes. Now turn right onto a forest road that climbs steeply for an hour to reach the summit of Slieveanorra. From the summit, which is topped by a transmitter station, follow the forest road downhill for approximately 100m and look out for a waymarker pointing off the road to the left. Continue downhill along a narrow path, which soon becomes a wide turf extraction track. This section crosses open country and can be wet and boggy underfoot. After walking for thirty minutes, and having crossed two wooden bridges, you reach Slieveanorra Forest. Turn left onto a forest track, then head right through the forest for fifteen minutes to join the Glendun Road.

Turn right onto the Glendun Road and continue for ten or fifteen minutes. Now turn left onto open countryside, cross a footbridge and begin to climb across the moorland towards Trostan mountain. Again, there is no formal path across this section and the ground can be boggy and uneven. Follow the waymarkers carefully as you climb up the hill for roughly forty-five minutes. The route does not visit the summit of the mountain, but skirts around the side. Continue to a fence line and cross at a suitable place, following the signs downhill towards Glenariff Forest.

Enter the forest at a firebreak, keeping to the left-hand side of a small stream. This section only has occasional signs so it is important to keep to the small path. This path leads through the rough Essathothan Glen, winding through the trees and crossing back and forth over the stream. When you reach a forest road, cross over and head downhill past several impressive waterfalls.

The route reaches the B14 at Essathothan Bridge, forty-five minutes after entering the forest. Cross the road and continue into the trees again, following a track to the A43 Glenariff Road. Cross this road and follow waymarkers through Glenariff Forest Park for thirty minutes, passing a succession of powerful waterfalls before arriving at Larragh Lodge. From here a minor road leads northeast through Glenariff Glen for fifty minutes. Now turn left onto a path running along the Altmore Burn to join the Glenariff River and continue for forty-five minutes to the finish in Waterfoot village.

Facilities Along the Route

Refreshments are available at the start and finish of the route in Ballycastle and Waterfoot. However this is a long route with no refreshment stops along the way – walkers should carry provisions accordingly.

There is a wide range of accommodation available at the start in Ballycastle but only a campsite near the finish in Glenariff Forest Park.

There is no accommodation along this section of the route so walkers should arrange collection for accommodation off-route in Cushendall and Cushendun.

Linking to the Next Section

The next section is the latter part of the Link Section Ballycastle - Glenarm.

This Link Section offers connections onwards to the start of the Quality Section – Glenarm – Ballynure incorporating Antrim Hills Way. This section follows parts of the busy A2 Coast Road and quieter rural roads.

The route is not signposted on the ground.

For information on public transport and walking directions check out Link Section Ballycastle to Glenarm.