Last Updated on August 7, 2024
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
By Jim Ferri
For some, the Northern Ireland Coast Road – the A2 highway that connects Belfast on the east coast with Londonderry / Derry in the northwest – is considered one of the best drives on the island of Ireland.
I guess that most people start their drive along the Coast Road in Belfast. Then they usually take it only as far as the Giant’s Causeway on the north coast. But I was coming from Donegal on the west coast of Ireland, in a totally different direction.
My planning for this road trip in beautiful Northern Ireland was to begin near Londonderry in the northwest. Then I would continue eastward on the Northern Ireland Coast Road before turning south towards Belfast.
In County Derry, No Coast on the Northern Ireland Coast Road
At first it was an interesting and pretty drive on the A2 in County Derry. But an hour into it I realized that on this end of the Northern Ireland Coast Road one really doesn’t see much of the coast at all.
The road had taken me mainly inland. It was an enjoyable drive through the towns and across the farmland where rock walls lined streets canopied by trees. But it was not what I had expected.
All along the way I saw handsome well kept-homes with beautiful gardens. They all were more English-looking than those I had left in Donegal in Ireland. But one has to remember after all, that this is part of Great Britain, not Ireland.
When I neared the small village of Bellarena, it all gave way quite dramatically. There I encountered the Binevenagh Forest where lofty mountain-like cliffs thrust up from the farmland. It was almost like a child’s picture, all covered with grass with a waterfall cascading down its side.
On to Bushmills
Not long afterwards the road turned northward and began to hug the coast I sought as I neared County Antrim. Antrim, I quickly found, owns a good amount of the beautiful Northern Irish coastline.
But my local target wasn’t the sea but the town of Bushmills, home of the famous Old Bushmills Irish Whiskey distillery, and the nearby Giant’s Causeway.
Bushmills was a pretty little town and there were plenty of tour buses at the distillery, of course. But the tourists they bring don’t walk into the town that is just a few minute’s walk away.
I imagine that’s why when I went into town I was saddened to see that the town was dying. Some of the empty stores had been boarded up with faux façades. On them were painted scenes with people to make them appear “alive” inside. Still, though, I did find a number of other shops open and had a nice stroll along Main Street.
The Giant’s Causeway, Star of the Northern Ireland Coast
I left Bushmills and continued for about three miles on the coast road to Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s sole UNESCO World Heritage Site. It attracts about two-million visitors a year.
The Causeway is famous for its polygonal columns of basalt, formed by a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. It’s estimated that there are about 40,000 of the columns locked together.
Looking at them, you get the impression of a road running down into the sea. I’d always wanted to see it and was excited to be there despite the intermittent rain. If nothing else, the rain helped keep a good many of those two million visitors away that day.
Unfortunately, once you leave the Causeway’s Visitors Center, it’s a long, long walk down to the causeway itself. You can take a shuttle bus for £1 each way. But not knowing the distance I decided to take the walk along with others just as uninformed as me.
When I got to the Causeway I had to climb up some columns to walk out to the far end. I wanted to be at the point where it jutted into crashing surf. Unfortunately, I was half way out when it started to rain again. It made things quite slippery so I decided to turn back.
But slippery or not, if you’re anywhere in Northern Ireland it’s well worth seeing. It is one of the great natural marvels of the world.
The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Beyond the Causeway is another Northern Ireland Coast tourist attract: the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.
The small bridge swings across a 90-foot deep chasm to a small island – really a tall outcrop of rock with a toupee of grass – and was originally erected to allow fishermen to check their salmon nets. Today most people check it out for the exhilaration of walking across it.
The entrance to the bridge is an even longer walk from the Causeway, over a kilometer in each direction, and there’s no bus service. Depending on the weather and your physical condition it can be arduous since you must walk the entire distance on cinder trails and stone steps across the headlands on the edge of the cliff.
Even though the day I went the bridge was closed due to high winds, I decided to make the trek anyway since I was so close (relatively speaking). I’m glad I did it but was happy nevertheless when I finally returned to my car.
Stunning Scenery Along the Coast Road
Leaving the Causeway and heading eastward towards Ballycastle, I was soon driving high above the sea in a pastoral setting along one of the more renowned parts of the Northern Ireland Coast Road. The vista seemed to go on forever and the scenery was stunning, much more attractive than the route on the Londonderry side.
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I had intended to stop for a while in the little resort town of Ballycastle, but decided instead to just continue on towards Cushendall along the A2. I was drawn onward by the road itself, which continued to mesmerize me as it wove its way through some beautiful countryside and forest.
Here and there I’d see the ruins of an old house or castle, or flocks of sheep speckling some great green vista stretching across a valley.
When I arrived in Cushendall I saw that there were several routes that would take me inland and get me to Belfast in about an hour. But I had fallen in love with those views of the beautiful coastline and stuck with the A2.
The coastal route took a lot longer than an hour to get me to my hotel in Belfast, but I still arrived in time for dinner…and without any regrets.
If You Go:
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
59 North Street
Belfast BT1 1NB
Tel: +44 (0) 28 9023 1221
Jim – loved reading this and recalling a similar trip Tom and I took several years ago when we were visiting Ian’s inlaws in Dublin. We drove up to Bushmills on a Saturday morning and enjoyed the tour and I especially remember the hot toddy they kindly offered me (instead of the usual shot) as I had a bad cold. We did Carrick a Rede and the Giant’s Causeway – both so memorable. We had brought Santa hats with us and did a great group shot sitting on the Causeway rocks for our annual Christmas card! We spent the night at the Hilton in Belfast, although Peter was nervous his Dublin accent would not be well-received. Didn’t see more than the high points of Belfast but have been back a few times on our own for good visits. Thanks for the memories!!
Hi Pat – glad you enjoyed it. The Coast Road is a good trip. I’m not totally surprised Tom would want to make a stop at Bushmills! I also greatly enjoy Belfast. It’s a great city. Jim
Ireland has 32 counties. One of the counties is called Derry there is no County Londonderry in Ireland.
Hi Stephen, I understand what you’re saying. The are 32 counties in the Republic and Northern Ireland (i.e., the “island of Ireland”, should anyone get confused re: to what we’re referring). County Londonderry was the previous name of today’s County Derry in Northern Ireland. I’ll change it in the copy so others don’t get confused. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.