Stretching seven miles from tip to tip, Rathlin’s distinct L-shape lies just six miles from Ballycastle and 15 miles from Scotland’s Mull of Kintyre.
Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd. operates several daily crossings connecting Rathlin with Ballycastle making it a very streamlined, and affordable, trip.
Sailing time is 25mins on the passenger-only Rathlin Express and 45mins on the larger MV Canna which also carries a few vehicles – though, thankfully, tourist cars are not allowed on the island.
The crossing can get a little choppy but nothing your average land lubber couldn’t handle... sickbags are available but keeping an eye on the disappearing horizon and looming island should quell any unwelcome lurches.
The small inside cabin can fill with families while, outside, hardier types enjoy refreshingly salty seasprays and dream of a life on the ocean waves...
Well within the hour its time to ship to shore and, if overnighting, head to your abode of choice.
Complemented by a pint of draught Guinness and those uninterrupted ocean scenes, this must surely be one of Northern Ireland’s most memorable restaurants.
Rathlin may have around eighty residents, but the population is significantly swelled in the summer months with the arrival of tens of thousands of seabirds.
From May to August, puffins, guillemots, gannets and kittiwakes call its craggy cliffs home, though recent reports suggest the depletion of fish is having a direct affect on bird numbers.
Two minibuses run daily from the ferry to the RSPB’s newly renovated Seabird Centre at the West Lighthouse (admission free, donations welcome).
Descend 89 steps and you’re rewarded with the magnificent sight of NI's largest seabird colony.
What at first seems like a homogeneous swarm of white dots soon comes into focus as RSPB volunteers hand out binoculars and telescopes and reveal the amazing spectacle.
The upside down lighthouse – the red light looking like it has fallen from its towering perch – is yet another quirky aspect of this unique island.
Exploring the undulating landscape on foot or by bicycle is a must – if not a necessity for any overnighter.
From the National Trust-owned Ballyconagan Waymarked Trails to the seal colony on the eastern tip, every road leads to a new ‘wow factor’ view or up-close encounter with nature.
Delve into the island’s precarious past at the compact yet replete Rathlin Boathouse Visitor Centre (open daily May-Aug, admission free) and read up on the 8th Century Viking pillage, 16th Century massacre, numerous shipwrecks (including WW1 Royal Navy flagship HMS Drake) and a certain meeting between Robert the Bruce and a cave-dwelling spider.
Marconi’s first commercial wireless telegraphy link (between Ballycastle and Rathlin’s East Lighthouse) in 1898 and Richard Branson’s 1987 trans-Atlantic balloon crossing splashdown complete the island’s modern lore.
And a friendly Rathlin resident is on-hand to tell you more about island life past and present.
Locals are also keen to point out that inclement weather forecasts shouldn’t deter anyone from taking the trip – the island climate often differs from that of ‘mainland’ NI.
As local overnight options go, they don’t come much more enchanting than this. In fact, you may return to the rat race and pine for the quieter life left in your wake.
Rathlin may be one of those places you see on a map and think ‘I keep meaning to go there’, but with so many crossings, several accommodation options and such a fascinating story to tell, our advice to you is just do it.
Contacts:
- Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd, tel. 028 2076 9299 www.rathlinballycastleferry.com
- Manor House, tel. 028 2076 3964, www.rathlinmanorhouse.co.uk
- Rathlin Island Seabird Centre, tel. 028 2076 0062, www.rspb.org.uk
What other islands are?
Rathlin is not the Norths only inhabited Island