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Gfox228 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsGuide · Northern Ireland
The best coastal walks in Northern Ireland
Nine walks on the finest coast in Ireland, from the Causeway cliffs to the dunes under the Mournes.
By the TRXO team · · 4 min read
- walks
- 9
- long
- 1.6–9 km
- biggest climb
- 850 m
- by public transport
- 5
- dog-friendly
- 9
Northern Ireland has one of the great coastlines of Europe and most people only see it from a tour bus. The north coast, from Castlerock round to Ballycastle, is basalt cliffs, white beaches and headlands with a castle on every second one. The County Down coast is softer: dunes, loughs and the Mournes coming down to the sea at Newcastle.
These nine walks cover both. Most are short, because the coast path here is broken up by headlands and you can do a lot in a few miles. Two are longer days. All of them are the kind of walk where you keep stopping to look at the sea.
Where they are
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Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway to Dunseverick
- 6.8 km distance
- 430 m ascent
- 2.5–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe best stretch of the Causeway Coast Way: from the Giant's Causeway itself east along the clifftops past the Amphitheatre and the Chimney Stacks to the ruin of Dunseverick Castle. You look down on the columns from above, which is better than standing on them, and the crowds thin out within half a mile. Buses run back along the coast road.
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Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway clifftop loop
- 3.8 km distance
- 100 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXIf you've only got a couple of hours, this is the Causeway loop to do: down to the stones, round the bay beneath the cliffs, up the 162 Shepherd's Steps and back along the top. You get the columns, the geology and the view, and it's free to walk even though the visitor centre isn't.
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Ballintoy
Carrick-a-Rede to Ballintoy Harbour
- 2.8 km distance
- 170 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe rope bridge to a fishing island, 30 m above the sea, is the most photographed thing on the coast and worth the queue once. The walk from Ballintoy harbour, where Game of Thrones filmed the Iron Islands, along the cliffs to the bridge is the way to do it, rather than the car park. Book the bridge in advance in summer.
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Ballycastle
Fair Head
- 3.3 km distance
- 220 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe biggest cliff in Ireland: 200 m of sheer dolerite with Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre across the water. The walk from Coolanlough farm crosses the headland past a lough with a crannog in it to the cliff edge. There's no fence and the drop is total, so this isn't one for small children or loose dogs. On a clear day you can see Scotland.
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Castlerock
Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple
- 3 km distance
- 90 m ascent
- 1 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXA little round temple perched on the very edge of a cliff above a seven-mile beach, built by an eccentric bishop as a library in 1785. The walk from Castlerock station takes in the ruined palace behind it, the temple, and the cliff path with Donegal across the bay. Trains from Coleraine and Derry make it an easy car-free afternoon.
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Limavady
Binevenagh
- 1.6 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 0.5 h time
- Easy grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXShort and spectacular. Binevenagh is the basalt escarpment that ends the Antrim plateau in the west, and from the forest car park on top it's a few minutes' walk to the cliff edge with Lough Foyle, Magilligan Point and the hills of Donegal below. The one for a day when you want the view without the walk.
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Bangor
Bangor coastal path to Groomsport
- 5.1 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe North Down Coastal Path runs for 16 miles from Holywood to Orlock, and the stretch from Bangor marina to the old fishing village of Groomsport is the pick: rocky shore, little bays, seals and eider ducks, and a pub at the end. Flat, buggy-friendly, and 25 minutes from Belfast by train.
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Dundrum
Murlough dunes and beach
- 4.4 km distance
- 30 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXIreland's first nature reserve, a six-thousand-year-old dune system between Dundrum Bay and the open sea, with the Mournes rising straight behind it. The boardwalk trails through the dunes lead to a beach that goes on for miles. Seals haul out at the mouth of the bay. Go in the evening when the light is on the mountains.
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Newcastle, Co. Down
Slieve Donard by the Glen River
- 9 km distance
- 850 m ascent
- 4–5 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXNot a coastal walk by most definitions, but Slieve Donard starts at sea level in Newcastle and finishes on the highest summit in Northern Ireland with the whole coast below, so we're counting it. Up the Glen River through the forest, over the Mourne Wall at the saddle and up the final slope. A proper mountain day; boots and waterproofs.
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Before you go
- The Causeway Rambler bus links the north coast walks in summer; trains reach Castlerock, Bangor and Newcastle (by bus from the station at Newcastle, County Down).
- Fair Head and Binevenagh have unfenced cliff edges. Keep dogs on leads and children by the hand.
- Carrick-a-Rede needs a timed ticket from the National Trust in summer; the walk to it from Ballintoy is free.
- Wind on the north coast is a factor on any day. Check the forecast on each walk page and don't go on the cliff paths in a gale.
Questions people ask
What is the best walk on the Causeway Coast?
The Giant's Causeway to Dunseverick along the clifftops. You see the Causeway from above, the crowds disappear, and the coast keeps getting better all the way to the castle.
Can you walk the Giant's Causeway for free?
Yes. The paths and the stones are open to everyone; the charge is for the visitor centre and its car park. Park in Bushmills and take the park-and-ride, or come by bus.
Which Northern Ireland coastal walks are good for families?
Murlough dunes, the Bangor to Groomsport path and the Causeway clifftop loop are all short, mostly flat and safe. Carrick-a-Rede is fine for children who don't mind heights.
Is Fair Head dangerous?
The path is easy; the edge isn't. It's a 200 m vertical drop with no barrier. Stay well back, especially in wind, and keep dogs on a lead.
Read next
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GuideScotland's best beach walksTen walks to white sand, singing sand and dunes the size of hills, from Ardnamurchan to the Moray coast. -
GuideWalks near Glasgow you can do by trainTen walks from Glasgow with a station at the start, from an afternoon in a country park to a Munro from a bus stop. - Trail NotesAll postsEvery guide, article and blog post by the TRXO team.