The North Coast has an abundance of activities and attractions offering you days packed with energy and excitement during your visit. Children will love the mixture of water activities, playgrounds and amusements, whilst the older generation can enjoy the picturesque scenery, great local cuisine, fine antiques and arts and crafts.

Whether you choose to experience the thrill of the white-knuckle rides, splash through the Atlantic breakers, explore natural habitats amongst the rock pools or enjoy award-winning ice cream – for young and old there is something to please everyone. With an action packed programme of events and a host of activities for all the family, the North Coast offers all the ingredients for a great holiday.

Northern Ireland’s premier seaside resort Portrush, is the ideal base for a family holiday. Come rain or shine, Portrush provides the essential fun factor, while the pretty neighbouring town of Portstewart, famed for it’s traditional promenade and beautiful views, overlooks a wonderful two mile stretch of golden sand.

You can also enjoy good food, colourful crafts and art galleries and a variety of leisure activities. Portstewart Crescent has recently been refurbished and visitors can now enjoy a spectacular fountain, the first of its kind in Europe, with multi-coloured lights, musical displays and jets reaching heights of up to 4 metres. The newly designed café incorporates an outdoor covered seating and viewing area, which overlooks the fountain and other facilities including children’s play areas, paddling pool, boating lake, motorized cars and bandstand.

Wonders of the Sea

The hidden treasures of our beautiful sandy beaches and dunes are waiting to be discovered. Natural marine material on the North Coast can contain many interesting specimens such as barnacles, whelks, sea urchins, star fish and even a ‘mermaid’s purse’. From time to time beach visitors get an opportunity to encounter some spectacular marine wildlife ranging from seals and birds to whales and dolphins. Watch out for small porpoises or seals feeding in the estuary at the Barmouth.
You’ll discover fantastic beaches, great family bistros and restaurants, specialist shopping, a wide range of attractions and a packed programme of organised entertainment for all ages to enjoy. Complemented by the spectacular scenery, it’s easy to see why the North Coast is the perfect destination for a family holiday.

This 58km Lower Bann Canoe Trail stretches from Lough Neagh to Portstewart, where the river meets the ocean at the Barmouth. Passing through constantly changing scenery, this is a unique way to experience the River Bann. It is suitable for canoeists of all abilities, offering both tranquil waters and some faster flowing sections. Canoeists should be conscious of sea-going vessels that use the river between the Barmouth and Coleraine docks.

The courses on the North Coast are known throughout the world as being some of the finest links courses available with the magnificent 18 hole championship Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush being perhaps the most famous.

However throughout the whole area both links and parkland courses offer interesting challenges for all levels of golfing. Visitors are welcome by appointment at Royal Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock.

Smaller, 9 hole courses that also welcome visitors include the Brown Trout (Aghadowey), Kilrea, Bushfoot (Portballintrae) and the cliff top located Ballyreagh, which also has a pitch and putt facility.

People have been coming to the North Coast for thousands of years and pockets of history survive through the area’s unique built heritage.

Both Mussenden Temple (an attractive 18th century, Neo classical, folly) and the ruins of Dunluce Castle, dating to the early 16th century, are found on the edge of dramatic cliff tops over-looking the Atlantic ocean, which over centuries brought many of Ireland’s invaders and visitors. The town of Coleraine itself is the oldest plantation town in Ulster and the remains of Ireland’s earliest human settlement at Mountsandel (dating to pre-7000 BC) provide an insight into early Irish History.

Coleraine is steeped in history – over 9000 years of it! Excavations at Mountsandel during the 1970s would suggest that it is the earliest known settlement site in Ireland. Evidence was uncovered of a Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) settlement dated 7700-7400BC and this discovery dramatically revised our understanding of prehistoric life. Visitors to Mountsandel Wood today can enjoy a circular walk within the woodland which is interspersed with interpretative panels highlighting the history and biodiversity of the site. There is a commanding view from the summit of the fort which is thought to date to the Anglo-Norman period.

Across the River Bann in Somerset Park ‘Source’ – a magnificent piece of public art – interprets 10,000 years of human settlement in Ireland and symbolises this passage of time through its form.

To find out more about the town’s rich history and culture be sure to pick up a copy of “Round the Ramparts” from the tourist information centre. This beautifully illustrated heritage walking guide, which is peppered with little anecdotes recorded by local people, allows you to explore the historic side of Coleraine at your own pace.

The North Coast offers everything for a superb leisure break, with a wide range of activities and an exceptional choice of water sports on offer. A fantastic natural environment and a stunning and varied coast-line provide visitors with ample opportunities to experience exhilarating coastal based activities such as waterskiing, sailing, ocean kayaking, surfing or body boarding.

Whilst the warmer summer months attract many bathers to our shores, the autumn and winter period is prime time for surfers and the North Atlantic Ocean provides consistent quality swell and conditions particularly off Portrush’s East Strand and Whiterocks Beach. If you’re not already a water sports enthusiast, visit the North Coast soon and allow us to convince you! A list of activity providers, surf schools and lots more can be found on www.northcoastni.com

Since opening in summer 2007, this dedicated water sports facility at East Strand, Portrush has hosted a number of popular surf and ocean kayak events. The centre offers the public, clubs and groups year round access to high quality facilities in order to enjoy a wide range of sea and coastal related activities. Groups and individuals can use the Water Sports Centre as a base for changing and storing belongings as well as running workshops and educational courses. Activities popular at East Strand include surfing, body boarding, sea kayaking, surf kayaking, wind surfing, sub aqua and sea angling.

Facilities at North Coast Water Sports Centre

• Beach safety / lifeguard station
• Surf Retail Outlet (Seasonal Opening)
• First aid room
• Training room
• External changing facility
• Club/group male and female changing and showering facilities
• Leader/coach changing facilities
• Male/female and disabled public toilets
• Heated shower cubicles, controlled by purchasable Access Cards

Access Cards

Access Cards Priced at £6 / 4 showers or £10 / 10 showers are purchasable from Troggs Surf Shop at the Water Sports Centre or from Portrush Filling Station (Maxol) on the Bushmills Road. (Prices include a £3 deposit, refundable on card return).

Group Bookings

For use of internal changing facilities and training room please contact Coleraine Borough Council’s Leisure Services Department.

T: 028 7034 7234 E: leisure@colerainebc.gov.uk
Surf Report: Tel: 0906 7122010 (charges apply)

Watersports Events

Portrush Open Surf Championship

East Strand, Portrush (10-11 April 2010)

Riverfest

Christie Park, Coleraine (3-4 Jul 2010)

UK Pro Surf Tour

East Strand/ Whiterocks, Portrush (Oct) TBC

Walking is one of the best ways to fully appreciate the stunning natural scenery of the North Coast. Take a gentle stroll and saunter along the promenades and seafronts of the main resorts or take a brisk walk along one of the many beaches in the region.

Many walkers favour the sheltered inland walks, which by no means are mountainous but yet provide good exercise and a fair degree of challenge. Examples include the Drumbane Trail and the Errigal Glen Trail at Glenullin, west of Garvagh.

Long distance walkers have the opportunity to follow the revamped Ulster Way, incorporating the Causeway Coast Way and the North Sperrins Way.

The Causeway Coast Way follows a waymarked route along the coast between Portstewart and Ballycastle. It passes through an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a World Heritage Site and several Areas of Special Scientific Interest. The 52km route offers opportunity for enjoyment to walkers of varied abilities and passes through magnificent coastline scenery.

The North Sperrins Way, connecting Dungiven and Castlerock, provides a contrasting walking experience to the coastal trails. The route traverses higher ground forming the northern foothills of the Sperrins Mountains, passing notable landscape features including Benbradagh and Binevenagh, and affording excellent views over Lough Foyle towards Donegal. Walking this route is a great way to enjoy the Binevenagh Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Guided walks take place throughout the summer months and are usually themed on points of historical and environmental interest.

Check www.northcoastni.com for dates of scheduled walks. The annual Glenullin Walking Festival in June includes hill and low level walks, combined with history and music.

For further information about walking in the area contact the Tourist Information offices.