Ballycastle
United Kingdom · Europe
About Ballycastle
For Ballycastle in County Mayo, see Ballina
Ballycastle is a fishing port and beach resort in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Those counties are no longer units of government so the town is now in Causeway Coast and Glens District, and in 2021 had a population of 5600. It's close to the top-draw attractions of Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Bridge and Dark Hedges, all very touristy, but has many others that escape the hordes. The town is named for its own castle (hence Baile an Chaistil), lost somewhere beneath Castle Street, but others still stand on dramatic headlands, and Fair Head is a natural wonder.
Ballycastle travel guide
Getting there
There's no direct public transport from Belfast, take the train or bus to Ballymena and change. Ulsterbus 131 / 217 runs from Ballymena via Cloughmills and Armoy (for Dark Hedges), taking an hour. It's hourly M-F with four on Saturday. Bus 402 runs along the coast from Coleraine via Portrush, Dunluce Castle, Bushmills (for distillery), Giant's Causeway, Dunseverick (for castle) and Ballintoy (for Carrick-a-Rede), taking 70 min. It's every 30 min daily. Bus 178 is an inland route from Coleraine, with 2 or 3 M-Sa. It takes 80 min via Ballymoney and Armoy, so don't take it for the coastal attractions. Rathlin Island Ferries sail from Ballycastle harbour to Rathlin Island four times daily, taking 30 min, an easy day trip. Visitors may not take cars to the island, see below for where to park. Kintyre Express is a foot-passenger ferry between Ballycastle and Port Ellen on Islay in the Scottish Hebrides. This runs April-Sept, sailing from Ballycastle at 9:30AM, taking an hour and returning at 3PM, an easy day trip. It's a continuation of the sailing from Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre at 7:30AM, returning from Ballycastle at 4:30PM and taking 90 min. So a day trip from Campbeltown to Ballycastle is possible but not vice versa.
Getting around
Bus 402 runs along the coast as above. You need your own wheels for anywhere else, the main sights are all within bike range. The car park by the seafront is free but has a maximum stay of two hours, and fills up quickly in summer. If you're taking a trip on the ferry, you need to use Ann Street off Quay Road. Taxi firms are Fast Cabs (+44 7746 609019), Direct Cabs (+44 7976 751617), Maguire's (+44 7970 524323) and Paula's (+44 7925 680858).
See
1 Ballycastle Harbour is the focus of town. The lump of rock near the ferry ticket office commemorates Marconi's pioneering test transmissions of 1898, relaying news of approaching ships from Rathlin Island. (His mother was Annie Jameson, one of the Jameson whiskey family.) The traditional red phone box on the Promenade shows just how far we've advanced since. The beach starts east of the marina, with a footbridge over Glenshesk River to the main Strand. Churches: St Patrick's and St Brigid's (Roman Catholic) on Moyle Rd was built 1870. The octagonal spire was added in 1898, nicely in time for Marconi to use it as a radio transmitter. Holy Trinity (Church of Ireland) on The Diamond was built in Graeco-Italian style in 1756. The Presbyterian church on Castle St was built in 1872, and its distinctive Round Tower was added in the 1890s. Ballycastle Museum, 61 Castle St BT54 6AS, ☏ +44 28 2076 2942. Apr-Sep. Small volunteer-run museum of local history. Free. (updated Feb 2026) 2 The Strand is the sandy beach stretching for half a mile east of the river. At its east end, a boardwalk leads onto Pans Rocks, nowadays popular for angling. In the 18th and 19th centuries the rocks were used as salt pans, and as access to a coal seam. The Devil's Churn is a small natural sinkhole or sea-cave, with steps cut for access and a barrier so that sea water trickled in gently and sediment settled. In the 19th century there was also briefly a fever hospital nearby; as this coincided with a vogue for sea-bathing it's possible that the Churn was also used as a therapeutic dunking spot. 3 Bonamargy Friary, 43 Cushendall Rd BT54 6QR. 24 hours. Franciscan friary established in 1485, relatively late in the monastic era. The church has lost its thatched roof but is a substantial ruin, as are the gatehouse and cloister. Several Earls of Ulster are buried here. Free. (updated Feb 2026) Glenshesk is one of the nine Glens of Antrim, the river valley rising above the friary. There are roads both s
Do
Rock-climbing: Fair Head is the premier spot, with 100 m columns ascended by hand-jamming or chimneying. Only "clean-climbing" techniques are permitted. Ulster Way is a long-distance hiking trail that circumnavigates Northern Ireland. The local section is called the "Causeway Coast Way" but there's no footpath between Carrick-a-Rede and Ballycastle, so you have to tramp along the busy main road with no sidewalk. To the east the route swings inland as Moyle Way, over boggy hills. In wet weather stick to the public road along the coast towards Cushendall. Boat trips sail from Ballycastle for sea-angling, scuba-diving and scenic tours. Operators are Kintra, Abhainn and Aquaholics. Make peace: Corrymeela Community is an organisation based in Ballycastle and dedicated to reconciliation and peace in Northern Ireland. They sometimes host conferences, exhibitions and so on. Ballycastle Golf Club is on Cushendall Rd just east of the river. White tees 5899 yards, par 71. Armoy Road Races are an on-road motorbike racing event held in July. Were you ever at the fair, were you ever ever there, were you ever at the fair in Ballycastle-oh? Ould Lammas Fair is a street festival and market held since 1606. Lammas was loaf-mass, a church harvest festival held on 1 Aug, but the modern Fair is held on the last Monday and Tuesday of August linking to the weekend.
Buy
The convenience store for the harbour area is Spar at 15 North St, open daily 7AM-11PM. Spar main store is on Castle St (daily 6:30AM-11PM), along with Co-op Food and McLister's.
Eat
Did you treat your Mary-Ann to the dulse and yellowman, at the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle-oh? Dulse (Palmaria palmata) is an edible seaweed - well, almost edible. So chomp away, buoyed by the thought that a swanky Japanese restaurant would be charging you £24.50 for this experience. Yellowman is a chewy honeycomb toffee, quite tangy as vinegar is mixed with baking soda to create the bubbles. Then it's bashed up with a hammer and sold by weight in irregular lumps. Morton's is a popular fish & chips cafe by the harbour, open M-W 3-8PM, Th-Su 12:30-8PM. Promenade Cafe at 7 North St is open Th-Tu 9AM-4PM. 19 by Katherine Carr is over the bridge at 2 Cushendall Rd, open F Sa noon-9PM, W & Su noon-4PM. Thyme & Co Cafe, 5 Quay Road BT54 6BJ, ☏ +44 28 2076 9851. M Tu Th F 9AM-4PM, Sa 9AM-3:30PM, 5:30-8PM, Su 9:30AM-2PM. Bright simple place for lunch and light bites. (updated Feb 2026) The Cellar, 11B The Diamond BT54 6AW, ☏ +44 28 2076 5879. M-F 5-9PM, Sa Su noon-9PM. This restaurant gets rave reviews for its seafood and other Med cuisine. (updated Feb 2026) Anzac Restaurant, 5 Market St BT54 6DP, ☏ +44 28 2076 8469. Tu 5-9PM, W-F 4-11:30PM, Sa noon-11:30PM, Su 1-11PM. Good bar food and service. (updated Feb 2026) Al's Pizzeria at 41A Castle St is open W-Su 5-10PM.
Drink & nightlife
Anglers Arms is at 12 North St. Harbour Bar is at 7 North St. O'Connor's is at 9 Ann St. Central Bar is at 12 Ann St. Boyd Arms is at 4 The Diamond. Halo Ballycastle is at 5 The Diamond. Diamond Bar is at 8 The Diamond. House of McDonnell is at 71 Castle St.
Sleep
Ardaghmore, 35 North Street BT54 6BP, ☏ +44 28 2076 3329. Clean welcoming guesthouse. B&B double £120. (updated Feb 2026) Ballycastle Backpackers, 4 North Street BT54 6BN (next to Marine Hotel), ☏ +44 7773 237890, info@bal
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.