Giants Causeway Day Tour – Antrim Coastal Drive

We leave Dublin early and drive through picturesque scenery to Northern Ireland. We join the Antrim Coastal route at Larne which is a village north of Belfast. The coastal drive of Antrim incorporates the glens of Antrim villages, beaches and cliffs. We make our first stop at Carlough where you can take in the beauty of the harbour town and grab a coffee or snack.

Antrim coastal Drive, Giants causeway tour

We drive along to Glenarm which means ‘valley of the army’. Glenarm has a long history and you will see the imposing Barbican gate which marks the entrance to Glenarm Castle dating from 1750. If you want to learn more about Glenarm’s fascinating history, have a look at Glenarm. We then drive on to Glenariff, which means ‘the glen of the ploughman’. This is the biggest and best known of the Glens of Antrim. The glens were formed in the ice age as giant glaciers carved out deep rifts in the landscape. These beautiful glens are known around the world thanks to the ballad called ‘The Glens of Antrim.’ Lush greenery awaits you as we travel through this stunning part of the country.

Glens of Antrim

We head on to Cushendall, a quaint village at the meeting point of three of the Glens of Antrim where you can enjoy views of  the table topped Lurigethan Mountain. Crossing the Glendun Bridge we temporarily leave the coast. The inland drive rewards us with more scenic views and we rejoin the road hugging the coastline at Ballycastle. You have spectacular views of sandy beaches and can watch as the landscape changes to cliffs and rugged coastline. Across the water, you can see Rathlin Island as well as smaller islands close to  the coast, such as Sheep Island.

Antrim coastal drive

We then come to the famed Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge where we will stop to take a short hike to the bridge and enjoy spectacular views. If you dare, you can cross the rope bridge to Carrick-a-Rede Island. We then head past Whitepark Beach and the village of Ballintoy before coming to the highlight of the tour – The Giants Causeway.