DESTINATIONS UK & IRELAND | IRELAND
RUGGED ROAD TRIP The surf lesson came near the end of a road trip that took me from Belfast to Strandhill on Ireland’s northwest coast, joining up the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland with the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. These routes take in some of
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Giant’s Causeway, Country Antrim; Causeway Coastal Route; Glencar Waterfall, County Leitrim; The Rusty Mackerel in Carrick, County Donegal PICTURES: Diana Jarvis; Richard Watson/Tourism Ireland; Shutterstock/Giacomo Fatigati
the whole island’s top sights, from Game of Thrones’ Dark Hedges and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge to Fanad Lighthouse and Ireland’s
exper expert ASK THE
Judith Cassidy, acting head of Great Britain, Tourism Ireland
“While visitors often pick either the Wild Atlantic Way or Causeway Coastal Route to explore, a new focus on the region is encouraging road-trippers to extend their stays and experience both iconic routes in one trip, taking in spectacular coastal landscapes and famous sites like the Giant’s Causeway and Malin Head. This year Tourism Ireland has launched a Coast to Coast: The Scenic Route campaign to promote the Causeway Coastal Route and Wild Atlantic Way combined as one great holiday.”
most northerly point at Malin Head. Now, as part of a collaboration between Tourism Ireland, Failte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland, greater links are being made between the two routes, with investment in local tourism businesses and improved signage. I’d combined stops at big-hitting
attractions such as the Giant’s Causeway, with its otherworldly hexagonal basalt columns, with smaller, less-visited towns such as Whitehead, 16 miles north of Belfast at the start of the Causeway Coastal Route. Here, clients can stroll along cliff path walk The Gobbins, look around a railway museum with steam train rides on Saturdays and snap pictures of the colourful Balamory-esque houses on Marine Parade. The Gobbins is also earmarked for investment via the Belfast Region City Deal to add a new walkway.
WILD WATERS
Another highlight was a boat trip around Rathlin Island with Kintra Boat Tours, departing from Ballycastle Harbour in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim. Knowledgeable crew member Francis Close pointed out landmarks including Scotland’s Mull of Kintyre – which is only about 12 miles away from Northern Ireland at its closest point – and soaring cliffs that are “like a motorway of birds”, with dozens of gannets, guillemots and even the odd puffin swooping around. We passed three lighthouses on the shore, while inquisitive seals popped up to watch
38 17 JULY 2025
travelweekly.co.uk
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