Causeway Coast (Carrick-a-Rede, Ballintoy, Giant's Causeway)

The Causeway Coast Way is a 2-3 day hiking trail from Ballycastle to Portstewart along the spectacular Antrim coastline in Nothern Ireland. Bus lines 172 and 402 (journey planner) provide a good service along most of the path, making it possible for me to do the core section of the Causeway Coast Way as a linear day hike.

I park the car at Portballintrae and catch the 9:00 bus to Carrick-a-Rede. The bus drops me off on the main road. It's a short walk downhill to the car park, where I have to buy a rather expensive (5.90 GBP) ticket for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The rope bridge itself is a 10 minute walk further to the east. The bridge connects the mainland to the small Carrick-a-Rede island. A rope bridge has been in place here for centuries. It was originally installed by salmon fishers who wanted to access the best spots for fishing. Unfortunately, the current bridge is a modern installation for tourists, which has completely lost touch with its history. The island itself is beautiful, with the blue sea, black rock, green grass, yellow flowers... However, the rope bridge is underwhelming, especially if you are used to much more spectacular examples in the Alps. And there's a strict stay-on-the-path policy: you will get shouted at if you leave the path just for a quick photo, not just on the island, also on the mainland...

Having visited Carrick-a-Rede, I now have a 22 km coastal hike in a westerly direction ahead of me. I'm glad to leave the mass tourism behind (even though I was at Carrick-a-Rede early in the morning and it was still really quiet compared to his' report) as I head towards Ballintoy. The path first heads to the church before following a small road down to the harbour. What a lovely place! First, there's a beautiful beach, with an interesting outcrop on the middle of it, which can be climbed surprisingly easily around the back (2m of T3). Then, there's the little harbour itself, which (in spite of being a Game of Thrones filming location) is not overrun by mass tourism at all. Though I'm not normally a big bird photographer, there's a beautiful oystercatcher who is doing nice poses for my camera. There are also many picturesque outcrops rising out of the sea. Eye-catching formations include Elephant Rock (where a gap in the rock separates the fat "body" from the "trunk") as well as two beautiful rock arches which can be climbed (the first T3; the second grade I climbing, exposed on top!).

I could easily spend a whole day relaxing, exploring and taking photos at Ballintoy. Unfortunately, I still have a long way ahead of me, so regretfully I continue with the next section of my hike: White Park Bay. This is the only part of my hike where the cliffs retreat inland and there is a proper beach along the shore (though "unsafe for bathing").
I haven't seen any signposts for a while when I get towards the end of the beach. Ahead, the cliffs are getting closer to the sea again, so I head up to the hostel, expecting to find a path along the top of the cliffs. But there is no path and I find myself on the main road. Knowing that his can't be right, I make two attempts to get back down towards the sea again. The first attempt takes me through some fields to the top of the cliffs, but there is no usable path here. The second attempt takes me on a side road to the tiny harbour of Portbraddan. I talk to a woman here, who tells me that there is no path along the shore and that I have to go back to the main road. After walking unpleasantly on the busy main road for about two more kilometers, I finally find a walking path again in Dunseverick. A little later, I talk to another hiker who says that he has just walked along the shoreline all the way from White Park Bay to Dunseverick. So someone has been f**cking with me...

From Dunseverick Castle, the Causeway Coast Way is now once again obvious and impossible to miss. It just follows the top of the cliffs all the way to Giant's Causeway, with spectacular views all along. Some 2 km east of Giant's Causeway, I notice an eye-catching trail that traverses lower down along the cliffs, sometimes in a steep and exposed position. Apparently, these are the remains of the "lower cliff path", which has been officially closed since 1994. There is a fence separating the Giant's Causeway tourist path from this old trail. For the experienced mountain hiker and in dry conditions, it might be worthwhile to explore the lower cliff path from the east, but I would expect that you will get shouted at by some health-and-safety person if you try to enter Giant's Causeway this way.

I stay on the official paths and enter the Giant's Causeway area via a long staircase. As could have been expected, the paths are suddenly full of tourists. Giant's Causeway itself is unique and needs to be seen, but I dare say that the Ballintoy Harbour is in fact much more scenic. Access to Giant's Causeway is free if you arrive on foot. You can pay for the visitors centre and for an audio guide, but from what I've read, this is not worthwhile.

Just past the visitors centre, the Causeway Coast Way gets much quieter again. After going over some final cliffs, the path passes the impressive mansion of Runkerry House on the way to Bushfoot Beach. The easiest way to Portballintrae goes behind the beach along the railway tracks, before turning right onto a path of wooden planks just before the railway bridge over the Bush river.

In summary:

• Carrick-a-Rede is expensive and underwhelming.
• Ballintoy Harbour is worth a visit on it's own!
• For an easy yet rewarding hike along the cliffs, I would recommend the just section from Dunseverick to Giant's Causeway (or to Portballintrae if you don't want finish in a mass-tourism hotspot).