The beauty of slow travel is having the space to discover local magic otherwise easily missed. Chatting with a farmer about some quirk of local history. Following a tip for the best seaview walks or trad music sessions or whatever you’re having yourself. Gold-dust moments like these unfurl on self-guided routes along Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, which pick up at Derry~Londonderry.
We asked locals along this northern coastline for their favourite gems on a route from the charming seaside town of Ballycastle, County Antrim, to the buzzing surf town of Strandhill, County Sligo.
Ballycastle Traditional Music Trail
Musician Micheál Ó Seanáin explains that the Ballycastle Traditional Music Trail was “born of the reputation and tradition of music in Ballycastle”, where “there’s been music in various bars since the mid-1950s and 60s” (currently Wednesday to Friday and the first Saturday of each month). Book on to the Saturday afternoon trail to meet a pair of experienced local musicians at a shoreside bar for stories and music. Over a few hours you’ll visit two more heritage pubs, learn about instruments from uilleann pipes to Irish bouzouki, share a song and even try some brush dancing.
Ballycastle makes a charming overnight stay before day tripping to Rathlin Island’s seabird colonies of guillemots, razorbills, and puffins. Thanks to a campaign to eliminate rats and ferrets, the future of these colourful ground-nesters on the island should be secure. Ó Seanáin also recommends seeing the coastline by horseback.
Horserides from Benone beach to Downhill beach
Hazel Patterson describes Crindle Stables as a family-run affair that evolved from her daughter Hannah’s desire to “ride with unicorns”. While that dream didn’t quite pan out, Hannah did showjump at international competitions with Team Ireland. Today Hannah and her sister Amy run Crindle Stables and Crindle Bespoke together with their parents.
“We offer a combination of farm and equestrian experiences and exploring the coast,” Hazel says, “incorporating the history, the culture, the characters and the authenticity of our area.” Bookable experiences include mixed ability beach rides from Benone beach to Downhill beach through the shallow waters, sand dunes, streams and rocky waterside environs below Mussenden Temple.
“It’s the ultimate mindfulness; when you’re on the horse you literally cannot think of anything else. Then after all that connection with nature below and around you, I highly recommend zoning out with a sauna on the beach.” Hazel suggests either the local Hotbox saunas or hopping on the summertime ferry across Lough Foyle to The Sea View Sauna in County Donegal.
Wood-fired saunas in the Inishowen peninsula
Former school pals Darragh Kelly and Ronan Doherty, who run Sea View Sauna, have two wood-fired, barrel-shaped saunas with views through full-moon windows on to beauty spots in the Inishowen peninsula. The first, overlooking the Stroove lighthouse near the Moville-Greencastle coastal walk, proved so popular that they set up a second at Culdaff’s beautiful blue flag beach.
Kelly is a regular in his saunas. “I’m a professional MMA fighter,” he says, “and take my recovery very seriously. I use a lot of ice baths and saunas, and was going to get one for my house but then I thought ‘why keep it to myself?’ Now I use it at the beach whenever I want.”
Freshly shucked oysters from Ardara
For the full Atlantic experience, nothing beats eating freshly shucked oysters straight from the water. For that, Kelly would send you to County Donegal’s western coast, just above Ardara. Here, Edward Gallagher runs Irish Premium Oysters, a shoreside working farm where his semi-retired oyster farmer father, Jimmy, leads tours. Several times weekly, Jimmy welcomes visitors to walk out with him at low tide to see how the oysters grow from seed and to taste how peated water from local bogland lends a unique flavour to Gallagher’s “Speciale” oysters.
It’s not all about the oysters however, Edward says. “In a group of four, one will be mad about the oysters and the other three are more amazed to hear Jimmy’s tales about the curse put on this bay that caused the local heron to disappear.” (No spoiler alerts; Jimmy will have to tell you the rest himself.)
“My father has any amount of time on his hands,” Edward says, so he won’t be shy of sharing recommendations in the area, whether for favourite local walks or secret beaches. For another altogether different working farm experience, however, he might send you down to Grange, just north of Sligo town.
Sheepdog demonstrations north of Sligo town
Here, Martin and Trish Feeney are childhood neighbours turned sweethearts turned the husband and wife team who run Atlantic Sheepdogs, with the help of their next generation of “three little men”, a loyal pack of nine border collies and several flocks of diverse sheep breeds. Having learned from his father, Eugene, at the age of 11, Martin became the youngest ever competitor to win the annual international young sheepdog handler title. His personal hobby has become a unique award-winning tourist attraction, with daily sheepdog demonstrations year-round.
“It’s a raw unfiltered Ireland, learning about real life on the farm in real time,” Trish says. “Martin does all the demos, and he’s witty and chatty and has a lovely way of putting the story across. Our visitors love the warm Irish family welcome, and they love seeing the bond he has with the dogs and how intently they listen to him, whether it’s a whisper or a whistle.”
Voya Seaweed Baths, Strandhill
From their family farm, Trish would send you to the buzzing surf town of Strandhill, where Voya Seaweed Baths beckons with the final unwind of your slow-travel tour: a long soak in a hot bath filled with organic seaweed hand-harvested from the wild Atlantic shoreline for all its healing, detoxifying, nourishing properties.
“Strandhill is a busy place,” Trish says, “but then you step into the calm and serenity of Voya. And the seaweed baths themselves are like bringing the seaside inside.”
Where better to contemplate the special memories you’ve gathered along the Causeway Coastal Route and Wild Atlantic Way, and plan your return visit?
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