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Advice for the independent traveller who wants more from their holiday. Antrim Coast Weekend Break,
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Ballycastle
One of the four large towns on the Antrim coast road. It has a good beach and marina. The prefix Bally is very popular in this part of Ireland. It means ‘Place of’. Ballycastle also has a ferry point to Rathin Island. The normal ferry takes about 40 minutes but the fast outrigger only takes 10 minutes. Make sure you book up in advance as on some days in the summer all the tickets are sold out. The island is rich in wild life and has several bird colonies. It is said that this is where Robert the Bruce hide from King Edward I and gained inspiration to try again by watching a spider. The Earl of Essex under the command of Sir Francis Drake carried out a massacre here in 1575.
Larrybane Carrick-a-rede rope bridge
For more than 300 years the rope bridge that links the tiny Carrick island was used by the fishermen to bring their salmon catch to the main land. It is now mainly a tourist attraction. Access is by a path from above Larrybane bay. The bridge is suspended over a 30m chasm. It wobbles and sways whilst you walk across. Crossing requires a strong nerve and a head for heights. Larrybane also marks the beginning of the Causeway Coast Path, which stretches 12 miles west to the Giant's Causeway.
