Day 1

You meet your guides and fellow travelers mid-morning in Belfast; after brief introductions the bus immediately departs for the approximate two-hour drive to Ballycastle, a small, seaside town on the most northeasterly tip of County Antrim. Before reaching your final destination, you stop for an easy downhill walk on a country road overlooking Glenshesk, one of Antrim’s Seven Glens. Afterwards visit a 12th century monastic site before a delicious lunch is served overlooking the quay and Ballycastle beach—farther in the distance you see the distinctive basaltic cliffs of Fair Head, this afternoon’s destination. One of the great headlands of Ireland, Fair Head rises some 600 feet above sea level, making it Northern Ireland’s tallest cliff face.

The trail starts on a high plateau and skirts the island, with cliffs dropping straight into the sea on one side, and endless fields of heather on the other. The wide and open path allows you to comfortably and safely enjoy this dramatic scene, or approach the edge to take a peak at the waves crashing against the rocky beaches below. Now standing on the northeastern corner of the island (and in good weather) you can see Scotland, only 12 miles away, and Rathlin Island, which you explore tomorrow. The sound of the surf, invigorating sea air, and shades of green mosses and grasses awaken your senses—this is the Irish way of life.

Concluding the walk in the late afternoon, a brief bus ride delivers you to your home for the next three nights, the small town of Bushmills. After settling into a cozy room in the historic coaching inn, you gather for dinner in its excellent restaurant. In celebration of the week ahead, start off or finish your meal with a warming Bushmills whiskey from the town’s distillery—considered the world’s oldest legal distillery by a 1608 license from King James I.
Bushmills Inn, Bushmills

Day 2

Following breakfast, a short drive along the Causeway Coast returns you to Ballycastle to pick up supplies for a picnic lunch and board a ferry for the hour-long journey to Rathlin Island. The rugged island with a year-round population of 110 people lies about 4 miles off the coast and is known for its stunning coastal scenery and birdlife, especially at the Kebble National Nature Reserve on the island’s west end. With several walking options, your route is the most picturesque—from the west end to Church Bay. You hop on an island minibus for the short ride to the West Lighthouse and the nearby observation platform, offering dramatic views of surrounding sea stacks rich in bird life, nesting kittiwakes, and razorbills.

Following a trailside picnic, you return on foot to the ferry pier, admiring the snug white cottages that contrast against the deep green fields and shimmering sea, or looking back to the coast, ochre-colored cliffs that drop hundreds of feet. You may even spot seals sunning on the rocks below. The afternoon concludes with a ferry ride back to Ballycastle.

There is time to refresh at the hotel before dinner at a local restaurant, sinking into one of the comfortable sitting areas with a cup of tea or an apéritif, in front of an old-fashioned peat fire.
Bushmills Inn, Bushmills

Day 3

After a satisfying Irish breakfast, a short drive takes you to the Giant’s Causeway. One of Ireland’s most well known natural features and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the spectacular geological formation is the result of a volcanic eruption dating back 60 million years that created an enormous expanse of hexagonal stone columns, closely fitted together and descending from the cliff’s base into the sea, thus earning its descriptive name. Rich in natural and human history, local legend explains that the giant Finn MacCool placed the stones across the sea to fight a Scottish rival giant.

Your exploration of the Causeway Coast begins at the Visitor Center, the most spectacular, but also the most visited section. There is time to view the columns and take photographs before climbing the steep steps to reach the top of the cliffs and begin this morning’s walk. The trail ascends from the natural amphitheater of the Giant’s Causeway through open fields, spectacular cliff scenery, headlands, and bays, with a few stiles to cross along the way. You may be lucky to spot a peregrine falcon or a raven along the heights and jackdaws and occasional black guillemots in the bays, before approaching the ruins of Dunseverick Castle.

After a simple lunch at a conveniently located café, you may choose to continue along the coast, this time at sea level, and take in the striking scenery of contrasting black basalt and white chalk sea cliffs, long stretches of sandy beach with rocky islands offshore, and a quaint harbor village. The trail passes through a tiny harbor, rocky beaches dotted with moss-covered boulders, and finally winds between ancient dunes and chalk grasslands, home to rare orchids, and a long sandy beach, part of the Whitepark Bay Nature Reserve.

A second option is to explore the famous Carrick-a-Rede Island, which is reached via a rope bridge. Put in place by fishermen every spring for over 200 years (and updated over the decades), it was used until 15 years ago to access the salmon fishery at the tip of the island where salmon were caught in nets during their annual westward migration. The 60-foot-long and 3-foot-wide bridge stretches from the sea cliffs of the mainland to the tiny island. Hanging 100 feet above water, the bridge is perfectly safe, but it may not be suitable if you are prone to vertigo. Traversed by paths and carpeted with wildflowers in spring and summer, the island is also a noisy seabird colony populated mainly by guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, and fulmars. Views over the sea extend to Scotland’s western islands.

Dinner this evening is at your leisure; you may choose to stroll the streets of Bushmills, or perhaps settle in the inn’s cozy pub with a platter of local cheeses including a sample of Cahill’s Irish Porter Cheddar, marbled with Guinness. Should you wish to dine at the hotel’s restaurant, reservations are recommended and your guides will be happy to assist you.
Bushmills Inn, Bushmills

Day 4

This morning you transfer to the next part of your exploration—County Down—southwest of Belfast, known for its seaside resorts and beaches, and indeed boasting more sunny and fewer rainy days than other regions of Ireland. Stopping en route, you arrive in the small, seaside town of Dundrum just in time for a lunch of hearty soup, homemade bread, and scones.

The afternoon walk takes you to Dundrum Bay and the Murlough National Nature Reserve, “where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.” A boardwalk passes through the best example of dune heath in the area, a bird paradise and home to the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, scented by blooming yellow gorse or purple heather. Perhaps meeting horses and goats along the way, you walk deeper into the dune system and learn about this fragile ecosystem. Strolling a golden sandy beach, views of your magnificent hotel with the Mournes in the background are unveiled.

Following arrival, there may be time to explore the resort’s spa amenities (please see page 13 regarding spa reservations) before gathering for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The high ceilings, oak paneling, central fireplace, and large windows opening up to the sea, all perfectly complement your grand dining experience.
Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Newcastle

Day 5

This morning’s adventure begins on the Strangford Lough Canoe Trail, an easy and comfortable kayak tour guided by local experts, offering an opportunity to paddle on clear, shallow waters amongst playful seals while exploring some of the inlet’s 70 islands. The lough is designated “An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,” and one of the United Kingdom’s only three marine reserves. Marine plant species and wildlife abound, and you might spot porpoises, Brent geese, or basking sharks. Those who prefer not to kayak may explore the Castle Ward Estate trails, join a guided tour of the house, or relax in the bookshop or tearoom.

After a buffet lunch, specially prepared by a local seafood restaurant, and giving the opportunity for oyster-tasting, you transfer to the 820-acre Castle Ward Estate, a National Trust site, overlooking Strangford Lough. Built in the 1760s for Lord and Lady Bangor, Castle Ward House displays a quirky blend of Classical and Gothic styles, as a result of the husband and wife’s dissimilar tastes. The estate also comprises a Victorian laundry museum, a wildlife center, a 16th-century plantation tower, a 15th-century tower house, a working corn mill, and a farmyard with pigs, horses, and hens, all connected with manicured trails. This afternoon’s route takes you through forested areas and eventually to a two hundred year-old Victorian walled garden.

Returning to your hotel the rest of the day is at your leisure. Perhaps you may enjoy a swim in the indoor heated pool, or take a spa treatment in one of the aromatherapeutic steam or sauna rooms. Dinner options include the hotel’s elegant dining room, light and healthy cuisine at the Lighthouse Lounge located beside the hotel spa and overlooking the sea, or pub fare in the town of Newcastle.
Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Newcastle

Day 6

This morning you transfer by van to the nearby Fofanny Reservoir, which lies in the heart of the Mourne Mountains. The granite peaks of this mountain range are dominated by Slieve Donard, Ulster’s highest peak at over 2,800 feet. The trail traverses open grassland crisscrossed by rushing streams affording spectacular views. Stepping over stiles, set up to cross stone walls, and hopping on stones over shallow riverbeds, the perfect spot awaits to unpack a picnic lunch of local, homemade treats.

With a final look at the open mountain scenery, you seem to enter a fairytale setting as you step into neat hazel woods—an ideal setting to stop for a story or two. The path winds through a surprisingly diverse environment where mosses, lichen-covered trees, rocky waterfalls, mysterious grottoes, and miniature shrubs display endless shades of green and an extraordinary array of textures. Now in Tollymore Forest Park, the oldest forest park in Britain and Ireland, you walk a maintained trail network along the river. Curiosities abound, and you might encounter some exotic tree species such as monkey puzzle and eucalyptus in experimental forest plots. Tollymore also hosts giant redwoods, Monterey pines, slow growing spruce, Deodar cedars, and oak, the preferred wood for the interiors of the HMS Titanic, built in Belfast. A short van ride transfers you from this most romantic setting to your beachfront hotel.

Dinner tonight is a casual celebration of the island’s fresh seafood and fish at a renowned local restaurant; its offerings are from its own shellfish beds, in nearby Carlingford Lough—where deep and cool, grade-A waters yield first-class shellfish. You toast your discovery of the coasts and hills of Northern Ireland with oysters, mussels, cockles, lobsters, or langoustines, from today’s catch. The menu also features out-of-the-ordinary fresh fish species such as gurnard, ling, and john dory, all from fresh, healthy stocks.
Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Newcastle

Day 7

One final view of the sea from your hotel’s breakfast room sets you on your way; you depart for the 2-hour drive to Belfast. Bidding farewell to your new friends you begin your journey home, or step further into the magic of the Emerald Isle.

Itinerary Changes

Please bear in mind that this is a typical itinerary, and the actual activities, sites, and accommodations may vary due to season, special events, weather, or transportation schedules. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances that mandate change may arise. Itinerary changes are made to improve the tour and your experience.

Nights 1, 2 & 3

Bushmills Inn
Bushmills, Northern Ireland

Voted “A Best Loved Hotel of the World.” This coaching inn includes cozy rooms, a library, drawing room, loft, and Victorian-style bar, all complete with peat fires, oak beams, whitewashed walls, and gas lights. A living museum, the inn also features local artist James McKendry’s beautiful paintings.

Nights 4, 5 & 6

Slieve Donard Resort and Spa
Newcastle, Northern Ireland

This Victorian seaside resort is located on six acres of private land and is adjacent to Royal County Down, one of the world’s top golf courses. It also offers spectacular views of the beach and the Mourne Mountains.

Please note that this is a sample hotel itinerary for this tour. While these exact hotels are featured on most departures, we occasionally reserve other hotels of similar style and quality. If you are currently booked on a Country Walkers adventure, a hotel itinerary has been sent to you for your exact departure date. Please call Country Walkers at 800.464.9255 if you have any questions about the exact hotels selected for any of our tours.

Michael Miller

Michael, a native Irishman, has extensive guiding experience and a comprehensive knowledge of Ireland’s fascinating history. However, his true love is traditional Irish folk music. Michael is a delightful travel companion and insightful "walking encyclopedia".

Pól O'Colmain

Irishman Pól O’Colmain is an artist, musician, poet, story-teller, folklorist, and teacher. He has also restored historic gardens, is fluent in gaelic and likes scuba diving and swimming. He is often to be found walking in the hills around his home in rural Ireland.