Antrim Coast Road
Northern Ireland has a whole load of excellent routes to choose from – but the Antrim Coast Road is one of our favourites (even in the winter).
There are a couple of ways to get to Larne from Belfast, but it doesn’t really matter too much which way you choose, as it’s from Larne onwards that the interesting bit of the route starts. As soon as you leave Larne, the Antrim Coast Road opens up. It follows the coast as close to the water as it possibly can, providing wonderful views of the Irish Sea. There are gentle corners that seem to be hanging over the sea, little tunnels through the cliffs, and a sense of freedom you only get this close to the seaside. Riding is not fast here. The best thing to do is to just take it easy and enjoy the views.
You are tempted to stop and take photos at almost every bend and every village, but I managed to push on until Carnlough before jumping off the bike and sniffing the air for a brew. The next stop was at Cushendun, a village with Cornish-style houses designed by Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis. Not quite what you’d expect to see in Northern Ireland…
The ride took a little diversion from the Antrim Coast Road to incorporate a bit of the Torr Head Route to get to Murlough Bay, a beautiful and wonderfully quiet little spot at the end of a singletrack road. It’s a detour from the main road, no doubt about that, but it’s one definitely worth taking. From Murlough Bay I headed to Ballycastle. The stretch from Ballycastle to the end of the route is absolutely peppered with things to see, and if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, a day will not be enough.
The first stop after Ballycastle was Ballintoy Harbour. It’s just a little skip off the route, and well worth taking. The coastline looks rugged and unforgiving, and on a cold winter’s day you wonder how badly people must have wanted to get out to the sea to build a harbour here.
The main attraction around this part of the country is in no doubt. The Giant’s Causeway draws the crowds from near and far. Most will pay £10 to park at the visitor centre and walk or take a shuttle bus to the stone formations. Nothing wrong with that, but just as easily you can park next door at the Causeway Hotel. It costs the same £10 for cars to park there, but you can fit a couple of bikes in one parking place and split the cost – and if you go and have drinks or food at the hotel, you get the parking off your bill. So, you park, have a sandwich, and then wander down to the stones.
The Giant’s Causeway is made of about 40,000 interlocking stone columns. Whether they were stacked there by an ancient volcanic eruption or quarreling giants is up for debate, but either way it is an impressive sight. After the causeway, the next obvious place to stop is the old Bushmills distillery, just down the road. Possibly the oldest distillery in the world, it has a great shop and pre-booked tours if you are into your whiskey.
The original plan had been to carry on to Portrush and Portstewart before turning back towards Belfast, but it was getting late, and there was still somewhere I wanted to see before heading home. So, I abandoned the coast and headed south to Ballymoney and Joey’s Bar, a place that used to be owned by none other than Joey Dunlop. Filled with racing history, the bar is nicely located if you want to explore the NW200 route.
From Ballymoney I opted for the quick route to Belfast, because even when the riding is good, there’s no shame in calling it a day. Either way, there’s no doubt the Antrim Coast Road is one of the finest routes to ride at any time of the year. But just because it is so good, riding it in winter means that there are a lot fewer people on the roads and crowding the attractions at the roadside. All you need to do is to dig out your heated jacket and gloves, book a crossing, and off you go. And if you do, send us a postcard!