The_Sunday_Times_Travel__21_July_2019

The Sunday Times July 21, 2019 15

PUFFINS, CASTLES AND SUNBATHING COWS

DRIVING THE NORTHERN IRISH RIVIERA

N

orthern Ireland’s A2 is one of

the finest coastal drives in

the world. Leaving Belfast, it runs

alongside the Lough before

swinging northwest to Larne. Just

north of here, you go through the

Black Arch and get rushed by the

wild beauty of the Antrim Coast.

There are beaches here, such as

Drains Bay and Cushendall, but this

is a coast for cruising — the road

clings to the steep slopes of the

Antrim Mountains and passes so

close to the sea that on stormy

days you’ll be hit by the spray.

You’re in the Nine Glens now: deep

parallel valleys that existed for

centuries as discrete worlds and,

if you’ve time to linger, are a rich

source of folklore and legend —

take the Madman’s Window, a gap

in the rock through which a

heartbroken local came every day

to stare at the sea in the hope his

drowned sweetheart would return.

The beach action starts at

Ballycastle, a wild stretch of sand

running three-quarters of a mile

east to Pan’s Rock, where

fishermen cast for pollock and sea

bass. If you’re here between April

and July, you should take the ferry

to Rathlin Island, six miles offshore,

to see the puffins (£12 return;

rathlinballycastleferry.com).

Three miles past the rope bridge

to Carrick-a-Rede island (£9,

children £4.50, faint hearts need

not apply; nationaltrust.org.uk),

you come to the pale gold sands

of White Park Bay, backed by

butterfly-rich dunes and popular

with cows, which can occasionally

be seen sunbathing on the shore.

If you’re appropriately

victualled, you could easily spend

the entire day here. Otherwise,

push on, past the Giant’s Causeway

and the eerie clifftop ruins of

Dunluce Castle, to the Ulster

Algarve — aka Whiterocks Beach,

where erosion has carved the

than the rocks. You should spend a

night here: try the Harbour Bar for

dancing (ramorerestaurant.com)

and the Inn on the Coast for

sleeping it off (doubles from £69,

B&B; innonthecoastportrush.com).

Just opposite the Inn, running

alongside the golf course, Glen

Road takes you to the Slab, the

most spectacular surf spot on the

north coast. Atlantic swells break

over a rock ledge to produce —

in the right conditions — a vicious

but beautiful tubing wave that’s

best left to the experts.

Portstewart, 10 minutes west,

has an altogether more genteel

vibe. Apart from its musical

fountain and busy little harbour,

this Victorian town’s pride and

joy is its two-mile beach of blond

sand, backed by dunes and the

Portstewart golf club.

Last stop is Benone Strand,

seven miles of sand stretching from

just west of Castlerock to Magilligan

Point, at the mouth of Lough Foyle.

This is where Ulster comes for its

adrenaline fix: surfing, kayaking,

kitesurfing, Blokarting (a form of

sand yachting) and skydiving.

The walking is decent, too.

Antrim

Belfast

Ballycastle

Portrush/ White Park Bay

Whiterocks

Portstewart

Benone

Strand

10 miles

A

IT’S ALL STACKING UP

Whiterocks Beach and,

below, Ballycastle

From Ballycastle to the ‘Ulster Algarve’, this beach-based

road trip is one of the UK’s most dramatic, says Chris Haslam

limestone cliffs into a labyrinth of

caves, tunnels and arches.

Walk west along the beach and

you come to Portrush — the

happiest seaside town in the six

counties, home of the Ulster surf

scene and, this weekend, the world’s

best golfers competing in the Open.

Of the two beaches here, West

Strand is the beginner-friendly

break. East Strand, when it’s

pumping, is the more challenging.

If you’re paddling out at either,

beware: the local wit is sharper

and arguments over which is best. Sango
Bay is a good starting point: three beaches
separated by limestone outcrops. The
campsite at the top offers cracking sea
views and a whisky bar (pitches from
£18; sangosands.com). A mile east is
Smoo Cave — the biggest in Scotland.
Guided tours on foot and by boat cost £
(smoocavetours.weebly.com).

30 GWYNVER, CORNWALL

North of Sennen, itself just a mile’s walk
from Land’s End, Gwynver is said to be
named after Arthur’s queen. It’s hellish
in a winter westerly, but heavenly under
the summer sun, with 650 yards of sand
bookended by decent rockpooling.
The main attraction, however, lies
offshore. This is the most exposed beach
in Britain, and it’s said that if there’s no
surf at Gwynver, there’s no surf in
Cornwall. A little competence helps here,
and you should be prepared to queue
in the line-up: in summer, eight out of 10
cats on Gwynver are surfers. Walk from
Continued on page 16 →

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Water quality

Excellent

Good

Not rated

Other features

Car park

Toilets

Lifeguards

Refreshments

Shopping

Dogs allowed

Beach huts

Accessible

KEY