HOLIDAYS  BUYING  HELPLINE Great trails ... 1 The Ulster way Our coastal walk includes the Carrick rope bridge and part of the Giant’s Causeway If you want to go walking, Northern Ireland’s scenic beauty and variety of landscape makes it the ideal place. The best-known trail is the Ulster Way, and at 560 miles it’s certainly the longest, running all around the country, often looping and straying off course as well as being met by other trails joining it from across the border. You don’t have to take this one, however, There are many other less strenuous and more localised waymarked walks, even town trails, to follow. But since we were based on the north-east coast of the country, a route along the Ulster Way was the obvious choice for us, so we selected a stretch of the Causeway Coast from Portballintrae to Ballintoy. Our 11-mile walk leads through one of the most splendid areas in Ireland. While many will find this a reasonable walk to tackle, others may prefer to take advantage of the Causeway Rambler, an Ulster bus service which runs during the main holiday season and travels within easy reach of our chosen route. This offers the less-strenuous walker the choice of returning by bus from various points en route, although the challenge is to go the whole way. DIRECTIONS TO THE CAR PARK In Coleraine, from the Safeway car park, zero your trip meter and turn left onto the A29, continuing to the third roundabout at 2.5 miles. Take the third exit, to Portrush. Stay on the A29 until the mini-roundabout at Portrush (5.7 miles). Here turn right (third exit) into Crocknamack Road. At 6.1 miles turn right again onto the A2, signposted to Bushmills. Follow the A2 coast road and turn left at 10.2 miles onto the B145, signposted to Portballintrae. Carry straight on to the end of the road and enter the Beach Rd car park at Portballintrae. 1. START HERE Our waymarked walk starts from the car park. The path passes the golf links and a bridge over the Bush (a fine, salmon river). Across the bay stands a sombre, grey building called Runkerry House, and opposite is Rocky Islet, a former salmon netting station. It should take about 45 minutes to follow the cliff path around the headland to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre. When we visited, there was a tourist information bureau, a souvenir shop, coffee area and audio-visual show. From here it is a steep descent to the lower road and the Grand Causeway. Allow about another 45 minutes to negotiate the Shepherd’s Steps and the cliff-top walk. From here you should have extensive views of strange rock formations and bays which appear to lie secret and undiscovered. Nearby is the well known Port na Spaniagh, the treacherous stretch of rocky coastline where the Spanish Armada treasure ship Girona sank in 1588. It is fascinating to contemplate the fact that the waters here concealed the famous treasure for nearly 400 years until its recovery in the summer of 1968. Carrying on eastwards, allow approximately 11/2 hours to follow the path leading to Benbane Head and on to the ruins of Dunseverick Castle. 2. DUNSEVERICK CASTLE Although only one wall of the castle remains, this historic site nonetheless compels you to stop and reflect on its once important role in the community. Dunseverick is an earlier fortification than Dunluce Castle (near Bushmills) and was the capital of the Kingdom of Dalriada. It was from Dunseverick that the raids on Scotland were launched in the 5th century, and it was linked by a great road to Tara, a site known in popular imagination as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland until the 11th century. 3. IRELAND'S TINIEST CHURCH Having reached what is more or less the halfway mark of our walk, you could take the Causeway Rambler bus from Dunseverick Castle, back to Bushmills and return to the Beach Road car park. Otherwise, the route takes you onwards via the marked cliff path to Portbraddan, entering the pretty little port via an archway in the rocks. It is here that you find Ireland’s tiniest church (just 12 x 61/2ft) and one of the most fetching spots on the coastline, for around the corner lie the stunning white sands of Whitepark Bay. The crescent-shaped bay is a jewel in the coastline’s crown. It is also a popular area for naturalists as it is strewn with shells, fossils and flints. Completing the picture is a backdrop of sand dunes and dazzling limestone cliffs. At least four hours and eight miles into the walk, you will approach the eastern end of Whitepark Bay. Here, the track passes Carricknaford and the old shoreline of a raised beach. Stone Age flints have been found in the sea caves here. 4. CARRICK-A-REDE ROPE BRIDGE From the path and by-way of the rocky shoreline, you next arrive at picturesque Ballintoy. Here, bobbing boats shelter in the small harbour tucked beneath the awesome-looking cliffs, and amazing masses of rock formations seem to stand guard. Add the distant Sheep Island and you will find that all combine to create a striking scene which is sometimes described as bearing some resemblance to an Aegean fishing village. Few manage to pass by the tea room at Ballintoy Harbour which is housed in a curious old stone dwelling. Not only does this café offer a welcome break for thirsty hikers but there are also a number of outside tables which make it a pleasant place to linger for a while. It’s worth restoring your energy before you embark on the next stage of our route: an exhilarating 30-minute walk along the cliff path to the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. As a National Trust Property, the bridge has recently been replaced by a new model constructed from the strongest materials available. It is at this outstanding beauty spot, where the bridge connects Carrick-a-Rede island to the mainland, that we finish this walk along the Causeway Coast.  • Return to the car park at Beach Road, Portballintrae from Carrick-a-Rede by taking the Causeway Rambler bus to Bushmills, using the 25-minute trip to relax as you take in the sights. HOME PAGE | TOP OF PAGE GREAT TRAILS   Ulster way walk  Art for art's sake  Smugglers' walks  BACK TO ARCHIVE PLANNING  Distance 11 miles Time At least six hours Suitable for those with a reasonable degree of fitness REFRESHMENTS Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre. Tel 028 2073 1855 Rourke’s Kitchen Ballintoy Harbour. Tel 028 2076 2225 Tea Room Carrick-a-Rede Tel 028 2073 1159 BUS SERVICE The Causeway Rambler bus service (see page 109) makes seven return journeys daily, Monday to Sunday. Tel 028 7032 5400. HOLIDAYS  BUYING  HELPLINE Contact Practical Motorhome Best viewed in screen resolution 800 x 600 using I.E.4 or Netscape 4 or later.