Cushendun Caves ©Tourism NI ©Tourism Caves Cushendun Red squirrel ©Tom McDonnell ©Tom squirrel Red Torr Scenic Drive ©Richard Donaghey ©Richard Drive Scenic Torr harbours. harbours. found nowhere else in the world. world. the in else nowhere found Glenariff Forest Park © Tourism NI Tourism © Park Forest Glenariff beaches, charming villages, historic castles, graveyards and and graveyards castles, historic villages, charming beaches, and the array of sponges and corals they support, some some support, they corals and sponges of array the and Every corner reveals the most amazing scenery of unspoilt unspoilt of scenery amazing most the reveals corner Every marine life. The reefs and sea caves are of particular note note particular of are caves sea and reefs The life. marine cliffs, it now offers one of the world’s top road journeys. journeys. road top world’s the of one offers now it cliffs, features and nutrient rich seas support a wide diversity of of diversity wide a support seas rich nutrient and features to the narrow strip of coastline between sea and high high and sea between coastline of strip narrow the to Under the waves around Rathlin the diverse geological geological diverse the Rathlin around waves the Under mid-1800s when the Antrim Coast Road was built. Clinging Clinging built. was Road Coast Antrim the when mid-1800s waters of the North Channel. Channel. North the of waters people preferred to journey by boat. Change came in the the in came Change boat. by journey to preferred people sharks are frequent visitors too, feeding in the plankton-rich plankton-rich the in feeding too, visitors frequent are sharks targeted travellers on the old high roads. No wonder most most wonder No roads. high old the on travellers targeted and Grey seals breed in the rocky coves and caves. Basking Basking caves. and coves rocky the in breed seals Grey and powerful clan in North Antrim. Notorious highwaymen once once highwaymen Notorious Antrim. North in clan powerful dolphins and porpoises are regular visitors while Common Common while visitors regular are porpoises and dolphins reminders of a time when the MacDonnell’s were the most most the were MacDonnell’s the when time a of reminders The coastline and waters are alive with marine life. Whales, Whales, life. marine with alive are waters and coastline The slave farmer. Ancient castles stand on hill and shore, shore, and hill on stand castles Ancient farmer. slave grasses, Tor-grass. grasses, Saint Patrick tended sheep on these uplands as a young young a as uplands these on sheep tended Patrick Saint The area is also home to one of Northern Ireland’s rarest rarest Ireland’s Northern of one to home also is area The Coast Road basalt can be seen overlying limestone layers. limestone overlying seen be can basalt Road Coast The deep blue sea blue deep The Ancient tombs dot the landscape and in the 5th century, century, 5th the in and landscape the dot tombs Ancient Pyramidal bugle, Great burnet and Meadow crane’s-bill. crane’s-bill. Meadow and burnet Great bugle, Pyramidal baked the softer rocks, preserving them. Along the Antrim Antrim the Along them. preserving rocks, softer the baked Patterns of settlement stretch back to the Mesolithic period. period. Mesolithic the to back stretch settlement of Patterns diverse assemblage of plants, including Wood crane’s bill, bill, crane’s Wood including plants, of assemblage diverse Limavady. These hard basalt layers capped and partially partially and capped layers basalt hard These Limavady. meadows have been preserved which support a rich and and rich a support which preserved been have meadows north of Belfast and as far west as Binevenagh Mountain, Mountain, Binevenagh as west far as and Belfast of north deep valleys which form the famous Nine Glens of Antrim. Antrim. of Glens Nine famous the form which valleys deep giving it a golden coat and blue eyes. blue and coat golden a it giving Head. traditional grasslands. Fortunately, in some areas, wildflower wildflower areas, some in Fortunately, grasslands. traditional stretches from the North Antrim Coast to Cave Hill, just just Hill, Cave to Coast Antrim North the from stretches around 20,000 years ago huge ice sheets gouged out the the out gouged sheets ice huge ago years 20,000 around including the rare golden hare which has a genetic mutation mutation genetic a has which hare golden rare the including North Channel, including Fair Head, Garron Point and Torr Torr and Point Garron Head, Fair including Channel, North Modern intensive farming has had a dramatic impact on on impact dramatic a had has farming intensive Modern years ago. Vast lava flows formed the Antrim Plateau that that Plateau Antrim the formed flows lava Vast ago. years substrate could not withstand the erosive effects of ice – – ice of effects erosive the withstand not could substrate birds are now protected. The Irish Hare prospers on Rathlin Rathlin on prospers Hare Irish The protected. now are birds punctuated by striking headlands reaching out into the the into out reaching headlands striking by punctuated period of volcanic activity that began some 55-66 million million 55-66 some began that activity volcanic of period cooled to form layers of basalt rock. But even this hard hard this even But rock. basalt of layers form to cooled Grasslands used to abseil down the cliffs to collect birds eggs, but the the but eggs, birds collect to cliffs the down abseil to used Plateau, while at the coast, broad sweeping bays are are bays sweeping broad coast, the at while Plateau, This area experienced truly explosive conditions during a a during conditions explosive truly experienced area This 60 million years ago when successive eruptions of lava lava of eruptions successive when ago years million 60 July are the best times to see the breeding birds. Islanders Islanders birds. breeding the see to times best the are July old volcanic plug, is a distinctive landmark on the Antrim Antrim the on landmark distinctive a is plug, volcanic old metres at its highest points. The plateau was formed some some formed was plateau The points. highest its at metres Land of fire of Land habitat to hunt its prey of small birds and mammals. mammals. and birds small of prey its hunt to habitat Kittiwakes that fill the air and line the cliffs. May, June and and June May, cliffs. the line and air the fill that Kittiwakes some wonderfully diverse landscapes. Slemish Mountain, an an Mountain, Slemish landscapes. diverse wonderfully some The Antrim Plateau dominates the area rising to over 500 500 over to rising area the dominates Plateau Antrim The the majestic Hen harrier which needs large areas of open open of areas large needs which harrier Hen majestic the Atlantic puffins, Common guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars and and Fulmars Razorbills, guillemots, Common puffins, Atlantic The Antrim Coast & Glens AONB’s geology has created created has geology AONB’s Glens & Coast Antrim The Riada which encompassed much of Scotland’s west coast. west Scotland’s of much encompassed which Riada and grassland. The Antrim Hills are also a stronghold for for stronghold a also are Hills Antrim The grassland. and nest. Around 20,000 visitors come each year to see the the see to year each come visitors 20,000 Around nest. can be seen at Cushendun. at seen be can Today’s landscape Today’s centuries this area lay within the ancient kingdom of Dal Dal of kingdom ancient the within lay area this centuries grouse, Snipe and Curlew nest in its patchwork of heath heath of patchwork its in nest Curlew and Snipe grouse, each year, many returning to the 70-metre high cliffs to to cliffs high 70-metre the to returning many year, each forming the conglomerate and sandstone deposits which which deposits sandstone and conglomerate the forming cultural legacy with nearby Scotland – in the 5th to 7th 7th to 5th the in – Scotland nearby with legacy cultural of the Antrim Plateau are well adapted to its conditions. Red Red conditions. its to adapted well are Plateau Antrim the of nowadays about 250,000 birds nest on Rathlin Island Island Rathlin on nest birds 250,000 about nowadays mountains gradually eroded down, their weathered remains remains weathered their down, eroded gradually mountains bogs and rugged farmland. Many of its people share a rich rich a share people its of Many farmland. rugged and bogs the Coast Road is built on these raised beaches. beaches. raised these on built is Road Coast the The animals and plants that inhabit the harsh, exposed bogs bogs exposed harsh, the inhabit that plants and animals The Robert the Bruce took refuge in a cave here in 1306 but but 1306 in here cave a in refuge took Bruce the Robert Himalayas. The climate at that time was hot and dry and the the and dry and hot was time that at climate The Himalayas. villages, deep valleys and spectacular cliffs, to wild upland upland wild to cliffs, spectacular and valleys deep villages, of these can be seen at South Bay near Carnlough – in fact fact in – Carnlough near Bay South at seen be can these of of a mountain range that was larger and higher than today’s today’s than higher and larger was that range mountain a of The uplands The Rathlin future generations. generations. future contains a range of stunning sights, from pretty coastal coastal pretty from sights, stunning of range a contains beaches above the level of the coastline. Classic examples examples Classic coastline. the of level the above beaches about 400 million years ago, the north of Ireland was part part was Ireland of north the ago, years million 400 about wonderful area so that it can be enjoyed by present and and present by enjoyed be can it that so area wonderful Rathlin Island (Northern Ireland’s only inhabited island).