The nine glens and the north coast account for most of this list. Glenariff is the glen to prioritise if you only walk one, for its forest waterfalls; the wider Antrim Coast and Glens AONB runs from Larne to Ballycastle, taking in sea cliffs, waterfall valleys and Rathlin’s seabird colonies. The Causeway Coast Way covers around 52 km of that shoreline, and the North Antrim Cliff Path is its best-known stretch: roughly 8 km over National Trust farmland from Dunseverick Castle, finishing down the 162 Shepherd’s Steps onto the Causeway itself.
Further west, Portrush to Bushmills is 10.6 km one way on paths, sand and exposed rock, past East Strand, the White Rocks and the ruins of Dunluce Castle. For something shorter, Glenoe Waterfall, about 8 km south of Larne, is a circuit of stone steps down a wooded gorge to a nine-metre fall, free and open dawn to dusk. Murlough Bay needs a car; the road in is single-track and there is no bus.
Not all of it is coastal. The Belfast Hills, Cave Hill, Divis, Black Mountain and Slievenacloy, give free open walking on the city’s doorstep, with McArt’s Fort the usual target. Inland, the Broad Water towpath at Aghalee is flat and fully accessible for three miles from Moira station. The higher ground changes with the season: Divis and the Garron Plateau are blanket bog, and wet underfoot for much of the year.
30 of 31 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Glens of Antrim, antrim
Nine glacial valleys radiate from the Antrim plateau to the coast between Larne and Ballycastle. Glenariff is the one to prioritise for its forest waterfalls; the rest reward a slow drive with clan history, the award-winning gardens at Glenarm and quiet harbour villages.
antrim
Stretching from Larne to Ballycastle, the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty packs soaring sea cliffs, waterfall-filled valleys and Rathlin Island’s seabird colonies into a single, rugged landscape. Inland, the nine glens run from the much-visited Glenariff to quieter valleys few visitors ever reach.
Ballycastle, antrim
The Ballycastle Heritage Trail is a self-guided walk linking the town's 18th-century courthouse, 15th-century friary and working harbour, with traditional-music pubs and a Blue Flag strand along the way. The museum on the route is closed for restoration until 2028, but the walk itself is open year-round.
Ballycastle, antrim
Just south of Ballycastle, Ballypatrick Forest mixes a rare double-chambered Neolithic cairn, mature woodland and the stone-arched Irish Ford. The scenic forest drive is now closed to cars after harvesting, but the waymarked Wildlife Trail and the upland views over Rathlin Island remain.
South Belfast, antrim
Barnett Demesne pairs a Georgian mansion and mature arboretum with a graded mountain-bike network on the wooded slopes above the Lagan. The green trail suits families; the red loops are for confident riders, and the jumps park is currently closed. Entry is free.
Belfast, antrim
The ring of hills above Belfast – Cave Hill, Divis, Black Mountain and Slievenacloy – give free, open walking with views over the Lough to Scotland and the Isle of Man. Trails run from a paved castle loop to the boggy Divis ridge; McArt's Fort, the rocky outcrop known as Napoleon's Nose, is the one to head for.
Belfast, antrim
Just west of Belfast city centre, Black Mountain offers a rewarding ridge walk through blanket bog and heather. Hikers are rewarded with sweeping views of the city skyline, Belfast Lough, and on clear days, the distant peaks of Scotland and Wales.
Mid and East Antrim, antrim
The Braid is a small, fast spate river that runs about 15 miles down from the Antrim Hills through Broughshane and Ballymena to join the River Main. Its easy, paved riverside path makes a pleasant local stroll or dog walk rather than a day out, and the Braid Angling Club runs a 7-mile stretch for wild brown trout, salmon and the Lough Neagh Dollaghan.
County Antrim, antrim
The Causeway Coast Way traces around 52 km of Northern Ireland’s most dramatic shoreline, linking old fishing tracks with modern coastal paths. From the cliffs at Dunseverick to the hexagonal basalt of the Giant’s Causeway, it delivers raw Atlantic scenery and centuries of local history.
Dungonnell Road, antrim
The Dungonnell Way is a way-marked 9.5-mile loop above Cargan in the Antrim glens, half of it on quiet lanes and half on bog and forest track. It follows the line of a vanished narrow-gauge railway that once hauled iron ore to the coast, and skirts the Garron Plateau, the largest intact blanket bog in Northern Ireland.
antrim
A legendary blanket-bog landscape perched above the Antrim Coast, Garron Plateau is a protected wetland of international importance. Walk the way-marked Dungonnell Way to discover rare orchids, thriving red-grouse populations and sweeping coastal views across to Scotland.
Larne, antrim
Glenoe Waterfall drops about nine metres through a deep wooded gorge behind the whitewashed hamlet of Gleno, roughly 8km south of Larne. A short circuit of stone steps runs down both sides of the glen to a footbridge and a rocky platform close enough to feel the spray. It is owned by the National Trust, free to visit, and open dawn to dusk all year.
Belfast to Lisburn, antrim
The Lagan Canal’s 11-mile tarmac towpath runs from Belfast’s Lagan Weir to Union Locks in Lisburn, tracing an 18th-century navigation that once carried coal and linen to Lough Neagh. It’s flat, wheelchair-friendly and part of National Cycle Network Route 9, passing restored locks and the Industry lighter at Lock 12.
Randalstown, antrim
Charles Lanyon's eight-arch viaduct carried the Belfast & Ballymena Railway over the River Maine until the line closed. Since 2022 its deck has been a community garden called Elevation, modelled on New York's High Line, and since 2024 it's lit warm-white after dark. Free, open all hours, entered from Station Road or New Street.
antrim
Murlough Bay is a remote inlet between Fair Head and Torr Head, reached by a single-track road with no bus and views across to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre. Roger Casement asked to be buried here – a stone plinth marks the spot – and Game of Thrones filmed it as Slavers Bay. A 4.4 km loop from Murlough Road drops to the beach past Knockbrack Viewpoint.
Causeway Coast, antrim
The North Antrim Cliff Path runs about 5 miles (8 km) along the clifftops between Dunseverick Castle and the Giant's Causeway, over a working National Trust farm and a string of headlands and quiet bays. Nesting fulmars, razorbills and the odd puffin work the cliffs; at the western end, 162 Shepherd's Steps drop you onto the Causeway itself.
Portrush, antrim
The Portrush-to-Bushmills walk runs 10.6 km one way along the Causeway Coast, from Portrush Harbour past East Strand, the White Rocks cliffs and the ruins of Dunluce Castle. It's a moderate walk on mixed ground – paths, sand and some exposed rock and steps – ending at Bushmills Station, a short walk from the Old Bushmills Distillery.
Randalstown, antrim
Randalstown's eight-arch railway viaduct, built by William Dargan in 1855, became a level walkway and cycle path after the line closed. Beside the town, Randalstown Forest keeps a herd of fallow deer and the World of Owls, a self-funded rescue with one of the UK's largest owl collections.
Portballintrae, antrim
Runkerry House is an 1883 Scottish-Baronial manor on the cliffs above Portballintrae, now converted to private apartments. You cannot go in, but the grounds and coast path are free and open, and the house is the landmark on the walk between Portballintrae and the Giant's Causeway. In 1950 it was gifted to the Stormont government, declassified files show, to keep it out of Catholic hands.
Belfast, antrim
Sailortown was Belfast’s first waterfront village, home to over 5,000 dockers, seamen and mill workers, and the place where James Larkin launched the 1907 dock strike that founded the ITGWU. Urban redevelopment and the M2 motorway erased most of it in the late 1960s. Two churches, three houses and one pub survive, strung along the Maritime Mile waterfront trail.
Belfast, antrim
Parliament Buildings, opened in 1932, is the neo-classical home of the Northern Ireland Assembly at the head of the Stormont Estate avenue. It is 365 feet long – a foot for each day of the year – with six columns for the six counties. Free 45-minute guided tours run Wednesday to Friday, and the public gallery opens when the Assembly sits.
Northern Ireland, antrim
Ballycastle, antrim
Crumlin, antrim
Belfast, antrim
Belfast, antrim
Rathlin Island, antrim
Mid and East Antrim, antrim
Toome, antrim
Belfast, antrim
Newtownabbey, antrim
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