Holiday in County Antrim

County Antrim

County Antrim is by far the most visited in Northern Ireland and has been an Irish tourist destination for hundreds of years. This is due, in no small measure, to the presence of the Giant’s Causeway, the only World Heritage Site in all of Ireland. Visitors first started arriving here in the 1700s and the Giant's Causeway became known as ‘the Eighth Wonder of the World’, with increasingly large numbers coming to view the amazing array of basalt columns, and it is estimated that there are over 40,000 of these. Most of the columns are hexagonal in shape, but some are triangular, square, or pentangular, and rise to 40ft in height. The Visitor Centre details the mythology and geology of the site, and supplies buses to take you to the Causeway. There are some idyllic Irish holiday cottages to rent near the Giant's Causeway - from thatched cottages to traditional self-catering Irish houses to rent.

The nearby town of Bushmills is where Northern Ireland’s finest whiskey is made and a popular resort town for exploring the area - if you want to let a holiday home in Bushmills then you will find a choice of quality Irish houses to rent here. The distillery has been in operation since 1608 and is the world’s oldest licensed producer, and tours of the works are available year round.

Either side of Bushmills are the holiday towns of Portrush and Ballycastle, both with their own reasons for visiting. Portrush has the super East Strand Beach, which runs to the White Rocks and affords superb views across the sea to the Skerries and the isle of Islay and backs onto the excellent Royal Portrush Golf course. Portrush has all types of accommodation on hand from bed and breakfasts to Portrush self-catering accommodation and houses, and plenty of attractions for all ages, as you would expect from a resort town. Ballycastle, on the other hand, has a fine beach, where Marconi made the first radio transmission over water, a decent golf course, and there is plenty of luxury self-catering accommodation in Ballycastle to rent. Ballycastle also has a popular Lammas Fair in late August, and a tennis tournament for all ages in late July. This is also the place to take the ferry over to Rathlin Island, weather permitting.

Also on this stretch of the Antrim coast are some wonderful self-catering cottages and houses to rent from which you can explore the the ruins of Dunluce Castle, which fell into disuse in the late 17th century after the kitchens fell into the sea, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which takes you via a rather scary Burma bridge to an off-shore rock that was the home of salmon fishermen until reasonably recently.

The Antrim coast is the most visited part of the county, and the road that runs along it is busy, but beautiful and with Scotland only 12 miles away the views across the water are stunning. The road from Ballycastle to Larne passes the entrances to the 9 Glens of Antrim, and through the towns at their entrances. Glenarm, with its castle, is the home to the Earls of Antrim, Carnlough has a pub that was once owned by Winston Churchill, and Cushendun is filled with holiday cottages and a lovely beach. Glenariff Forest Park is situated in what many think is the most beautiful of the glens and has many outdoor attractions to draw you away from the coast, most notably the waterfalls and quiet pools that feature along the river. Each of the glens, and the towns at their entrances, offer accommodation from farm cottages to bed and breakfasts, and their secluded location in this tranquil part of County Antrim allows you to truly get away from it all in an idyllic part of Northern Ireland.

Island Magee is another such place, scattered with small farms and quiet hedge-lined lanes, this unspoilt part of the county has much to recommend it, with opportunities for riding, golf, bird watching, and diving, with the chance to rent an Island Magee cottage as well.

The county town of Antrim, is situated only 4 miles from Belfast International Airport, and dominated by its 10th century round tower. It is also the home to Shane’s Castle, the seat of the O’Neills of Clanaboy, and the grounds surrounding the ruined castle are some of the best maintained in all Ireland.

The most southerly town in the county is Lisburn, an old plantation town it grew up to be the major producer of linen in the country and now houses the Irish Linen Centre where you can see a reconstructed weaving workshop in action. This Georgian town is on the border with county Down and Lisburn is the most popular place for visitors to base themselves for a holiday in the southern counties of Ulster and there are some lovely rental homes in Lisburn as well as excellent hotels and guesthouses.

Irish tourist information

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