Ballycastle

Named by the Sunday Times in 2022 as the best place to live in N. Ireland.

In September of 2018, we flew into Belfast in N. Ireland. We were met at the airport by good friends who drove us to their home in Ballycastle. Our friends were kind enough to not only host us but take us to some very interesting sites during our stay with them.

We had heard quite a bit about Ballycastle when our families lived next door to each other in Singapore in the mid 1980’s, so it was a double joy to see them again after more than thirty years and to visit this seaside town we heard so much about.

Ballycastle is located in County Antrim’s northern coast about an hour’s drive from Belfast. Recently, the Sunday Times named Ballycastle the best place to live in N. Ireland in 2022. The judges looked at a number of factors including schools, transport, broadband, culture and green spaces to arrive at their choice. It was described as “an unspoilt fishing village” with a “vibrant food scene” and “its beaches and beautiful surroundings make it a blissful base for families.”

We were certainly impressed by our visit. Here are a few of the sites I can still recall. The one thing I have learned since writing for Medium is that travelers should always have a journal with them. It makes things so much easier to recall when you finally sit down to write about your travels.

Ballycastle beach is very close to the town center of Ballycastle. It is just short of a mile in length and stretches from Ballycastle’s Marina pier in the west to Pans rock in the east.

It was pleasant walking along the beach in the brisk late September weather. From the beach one can also see Fairhead, a headland that rises more than 600 feet out of the bay. Some of the greens of the golf course are set just behind the beach. The Ballycastle Golf Club founded in 1890 is touted as one of the most scenic in N. Ireland.

We drove to the ruins of Bonamargy Friary, founded in 1485. This Franciscan Friary was one of few that allowed both men and women to live in prayer and recluse. Around 1822 four important church manuscripts were found in a chest at the ruins.

The 17th century prophet Julia MacQuillan — The Black Nun — reputedly chose to live alone among the ruins after the friary fell out of use. As an act of humility she asked to be buried at the entrance of the chapel, so that she may be trodden upon by all who entered the chapel. A holed stone cross is said to mark her grave.

Ballintoy harbor is a small fishing harbor that takes one back in time. Known famously as the location of the docks of the Greyjoy Kingdom of Pyke, for the filming of Game of Thrones, the harbor built with limestone blocks is a prime and spectacular location for movie making.

Just half a mile from the harbor is the quaint village of Ballintoy with a population of well under 200 living in the beautiful setting of hills, shops, rock and seascapes.

11 miles from Ballycastle is the town of Bushmills, home to the Old Bushmills Distillery. It is the world’s oldest licensed distillery. The town owes its name to the River Bush and a large water mill that was built there in the 17th century.

Bushmills received their original grant to distill from King James 1 in 1608 and has been in operation distilling Irish Whiskey since then. We enjoyed a tour of the distillery and a small taste of their whiskeys.

Torr head is a mound of headland that is the closest point to Scotland, just 12 miles across the north channel. At the highest point of the mound is the old Lloyd’s signal station built in 1822 for north channel shipping.

We walked up to the remains of the old signal house. From there you get a good view of the channel and the Scottish coastline.

We went on the beautiful and enchanted waterfall walk through Glenariff Forest Park. There is something about walking through a beautiful forest and hearing the sounds and rhythm of falling water that relaxes as well as rejuvenates the spirit.

We ended up having a wonderful lunch at the friendly family run Laragh Lodge Restaurant which was built in 1890 to serve as a Tea House for visitors to the glen.

Murlough Bay, located between Ballycastle and Torr head with its sandy beach, hillsides and rock faced slopes offer the visitor a glimpse of natural and unspoiled beauty. The bay was almost deserted when we walked through it, perhaps due to the somewhat narrow and difficult winding drive to get there. In the 18th and 19th century there were many lime kilns that operated in the area, the remains of some are still visible today.

We attended Sunday mass at St. Patrick’s and St. Brigid’s Church which was first erected in 1870. A spire was added in 1898 and there were further alterations in the 1990’s. It is said that the church’s spire was used by Marconi in 1898 to send the first radio broadcast to Rathlin island as the spire’s height enabled the best signal results.

The places we visit around the world have a special significance when we visit primarily to see friends. Ballycastle is not only home to some very old and good friends but is most certainly a beautiful and interesting place to visit. Were it not for our friends living there we would certainly have missed out on seeing this gem of a place.

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