Rathlin Island

If you’re extending your trip along the coast toward Ballycastle — already worth doing for the Salthouse hotel or Morton’s fish and chips and Ursa Minor Bakehouse — Rathlin Island is a genuinely worthwhile extension. It’s Northern Ireland’s only inhabited offshore island, home to around 150 people, and a proper day trip in its own right rather than a quick stop.

Getting there

The ferry departs from Ballycastle Harbour, around 30 minutes on the fast boat or 40 minutes on the car ferry, with several sailings a day year-round. Book ahead, especially in summer, at rathlinballycastleferry.com — this isn’t a walk-up crossing you can always rely on getting a spot for.

Puffins and the RSPB Seabird Centre

The RSPB’s West Light Seabird Centre, on the island’s northern tip, is open from Easter through the end of August (sometimes into September) — timed to the seabird breeding season, when the cliffs here host puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, and fulmars in real numbers. May to July is the best window to actually see puffins. A seasonal “Puffin Bus” (cash only) meets the ferry and runs out to the centre, saving you the walk if you’d rather spend your time at the cliffs than getting there.

Bruce’s Cave

In 1306, the exiled Scottish king Robert the Bruce took refuge on Rathlin after his defeat at Perth. Local tradition holds this is where he watched a spider repeatedly fail, then succeed, at rebuilding its web — inspiring him to return to Scotland and ultimately win at Bannockburn. You can walk east from the harbour toward Bruce’s Cave and Mill Bay to see the spot the legend is tied to.

Getting around

Cars can only cross with special permission, so the island stays genuinely quiet. A private bus serves the seabird centre, or you can walk (a scenic 4.5-mile route) or cycle across — bike hire is available from McCuaig’s Bar in the harbour village for around £10 a day.

A realistic time estimate: between the ferry crossing each way and the walk or bus out to the seabird centre, treat Rathlin as most of a day, not an add-on to an already-full Causeway itinerary.