North of Ireland Highlights
Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (A)
The sublime Causeway Coast reveals new and ever-more stunning vistas around every corner. Castles in various states of decay cap several of the headlands – Dunluce Castle is the best preserved. The fabled Giant’s Causeway is every bit as impressive as its reputation, and the adjacent Causeway Coastal Path is a marvellous hike. From the coastal resort of Ballycastle you can take your bike on the regular six mileferry crossing to Rathlin Island, whose cliffs are home to huge colonies of seabirds. East of Ballycastle, the sea cliffs at Fair Head drop 700 feet to the ocean. From the abandoned coastguard station at Torr Head, the Scottish coast is just 11 miles away across the water. The roller-coaster ride from Ballycastle to the delightful coastal village of Cushendall is breathtaking.
(picture shows Giant's Causeway)
Antrim Coast Road and Glens of Antrim (B)
Cushendall marks the start of the famous Antrim Coast Road that follows the shore south to Larne. Just north of the village are the ruins of 13th century Layde Old Church. The Londonderry Arms Hotel in Carnlough was once owned by Winston Churchill. Glenarm on the coast road is a conservation village with a pleasant forest park.
The sheep-dotted Antrim Plateau rises steeply from the coastline. Nine rivers have carved deep valleys through the basalt on their passage to the Irish Sea and each of the resulting fabled Glens of Antrim has its own unique beauty. Glenariff Forest Park in the glen of the same name has some of the most spectacular scenery with waterfalls, thick woodland and wildflower meadows. On the slopes of Slemish Mountain, St Patrick tended pigs after being captured by pirates and sold into slavery.
(picture shows Glenariff)
The Sperrins (C)
To the west of the town of Antrim there is excellent cycling on the Loughshore Trail, a 90-mile cycle route around the expanse of Lough Neagh. Further to the west, the elevated Sperrins are an isolated region of sheep-dotted hills, neat farms and wooded river valleys. Ulster’s gold prospecting country in the 1800s, the hills and valleys offer some superb cycling routes for those who enjoy a more remote experience.
North of the Sperrins the Bishop’s Road climbs over the Binevenagh Plateau, opening up marvellous views across the wide expanse of Lough Foyle to Donegal. Mussenden Temple and the Bishops Palace, built by the eccentric Bishop of Derry at Downhill are magnets for photographers.
(picture shows the Glenelly Valley)
Belfast (D)
Surrounded by hills and occupying a spectacular position at the head of a wide sea lough, Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, became a thriving industrial port in Victorian times. At one time the city’s shipyard was one of the biggest in the world – the building of the unsinkable Titanic is one of the city’s more dubious claims to fame. Today, Belfast is a lively, friendly and thriving city – well worth a visit, not least to view some of the legacies of the “Troubles”, now very much an event belonging to the past. There are traffic-free cycling routes leading from the centre to the north, the south and the east, so it is relatively simple to build an itinerary that starts and/or ends in the city.
(picture shows Titanic Museum)
St. Patrick's Country and the Ards Peninsula (E)
The countryside surrounding the town of Downpatrick is known as St Patrick’s Country because of its many associations with Ireland’s patron saint - Patrick is buried in the graveyard of Downpatrick Cathedral. From Strangford a regular ferry makes the short crossing to Portaferry on the Ards Peninsula. There are wonderful riding routes around the southern end of the peninsula. The shores of Strangford Lough are dotted with ruined castles, soaring towers and grand homes, and they all come with impressive scenery. On the western shores of Strangford Lough, Nendrum Monastic Site lay forgotten for hundreds of years before being excavated in the mid 1800s. The Comber Greenway is a picturesque cycle route built on an old railway line between Comber, on the northern shores of Strangford Lough, and Belfast. It provides very pleasant, traffic-free access to the centre of the city.
(picture shows Strangford Lough)
Mountains of Mourne and the Cooley Peninsula (F)
The pretty county Down coastal resorts of Warrenpoint, Rostrevor and Newcastle have the Mourne Mountains as a spectacular backdrop. Above the fishing port of Kilkeel, the Silent Valley, closed to motor traffic, is a beautifully peaceful location in the heart of the mountains. A ride over the Spelga Pass, the highest point on the road that separates the eastern from the western peaks of the Mournes affords great views of the surrounding countryside. On the stretch of coast between Dundrum and Strangford, there are several castles in various states of repair, and seals bask on the rocks close to the shore. Above Newry the Gap of the North is the ancient crossing point between the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. The hilly Cooley Peninsula to the south of Carlingford Lough has some wonderful cycling routes on virtually traffic-free country roads.To the west the granite dome of Slieve Gullion, surrounded by the smaller peaks that make up the Ring of Gullion, dominates the surrounding South Armagh countryside.
(picture shows Silent Valley)
Recommended Itineraries
6 day to 14+ day itineraries starting and finishing in Belfast.
Fixed base itineraries on the Causeway Coast.
Fixed base itineraries in St Patrick's Country.
(picture shows Portaferry on Ards Peninsula)