Holiday Cottages In Causeway Coast and Glens

The Causeway Coast and Glens has around 70 self-catering cottages on selfcatering.co.uk, scattered between the seaside towns of the north Antrim coast and the green valleys of the Glens of Antrim. This is Giant's Causeway country, and 25 of those cottages take dogs while 19 come with a hot tub.

Best areas and towns in the Causeway Coast and Glens

This is a large coastal council that runs from the Roe Valley near Limavady, along the famous north coast, and down into the Glens of Antrim. Most cottages sit either on the coast near the Giant's Causeway or inland around Dungiven and the Roe Valley.

• Dungiven: an inland town below the Sperrins on the River Roe, handy for the Roe Valley and the drive to the coast
• Ballycastle: a relaxed seaside town at the eastern end of the coast, with the ferry to Rathlin Island and the Glens close behind it
• Castlerock: a sandy seaside village west of the River Bann, below Mussenden Temple and Downhill
• Bellarena: a small village on the Roe estuary, between Limavady and the shore of Lough Foyle
• Bushmills: the village by the old whiskey distillery, a mile or two from the Giant's Causeway itself
• Portrush: the lively resort town on its headland, with surf beaches and a championship golf links
• Glenariff: the broadest of the Glens of Antrim, a wooded valley of waterfalls running down to Red Bay
• Cushendun: a tiny National Trust coastal village at the foot of Glendun, all whitewashed cottages
• Coleraine: the main market town near the mouth of the Bann, a good base for the whole coast
• the smaller settlements of Armoy, Cloughmills and Lisnagunogue sit inland between the coast and the glens, with the odd cottage apiece

Portstewart, just over the boundary, and the bright lights of Portrush make the busiest stretch, while the Glens and the Roe Valley suit anyone after quiet.

The Causeway Coast and its beaches

This is one of the great coastlines of the British Isles. Its centrepiece is the Giant's Causeway, the World Heritage Site where tens of thousands of basalt columns step down into the sea, and a few miles east the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge swings across to a tiny fishing island. The cliffs carry the romantic ruin of Dunluce Castle on their edge, while to the west the National Trust's Mussenden Temple perches above the strand at Downhill Demesne. There is plenty of sand too: the long dune-backed run of Portstewart Strand, the surf at White Rocks Beach near Portrush, and quieter bays around Ballycastle and Cushendun. Behind the shore, the nine Glens of Antrim cut green valleys down to the sea, with the waterfalls of Glenariff the best known, and the wild headland of Torr Head looking across to Scotland.

Things to do on the Causeway Coast

Beyond the Giant's Causeway, the coast is full of days out. Walk the cliff path to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, explore the clifftop ruin of Dunluce Castle, or visit the village distillery at Bushmills. The National Trust looks after Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne above the sea near Coleraine, and the old friary of Bonamargy Friary sits on the edge of Ballycastle. For walkers there is the wooded gorge of Roe Valley Country Park near Limavady and the falls of Glenariff, and families head for the sands and amusements of Portrush. The whole of the Glens of Antrim rewards a slow drive, and from Ballycastle a ferry crosses to Rathlin Island and its seabird cliffs.

When to visit the Causeway Coast and Glens

Summer brings the warmest weather and the liveliest resorts, with Portrush and Ballycastle at their busiest through July and August, when the Ould Lammas Fair fills Ballycastle in late August. Late spring and early autumn are quieter and ideal for walking the cliffs and the Glens, with long evenings and softer crowds at the Giant's Causeway. Winter is dramatic on this coast, with big Atlantic seas, though some smaller attractions keep shorter hours. Out of season many owners drop their cottage rates.

Dog-friendly and hot-tub cottages on the Causeway Coast and Glens

More than 20 of the cottages in Causeway Coast and Glens take dogs, and more than 10 have a hot tub. Browse the dog-friendly cottages to narrow your search.

Getting to the Causeway Coast and Glens

The Causeway Coast lies in the far north of Northern Ireland, about an hour and a quarter from Belfast by road on the M2 and A26 towards Ballymena and Coleraine. The scenic Causeway Coastal Route then links the coastal towns from Portrush round to the Glens. Trains run from Belfast to Coleraine, with a branch line on to Portrush, and a ferry sails from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island. The nearest airports are Belfast International and the City of Derry, each within easy reach by car.

Useful links

• Discover Northern Ireland
• Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
• Giant's Causeway (National Trust)
• Tourism Northern Ireland

The Causeway Coast and Glens is a borough in the north of Northern Ireland, reaching from the shore of Lough Foyle in the west, along the Atlantic coast of County Londonderry and County Antrim, and down into the Glens of Antrim in the east. It is a largely rural district of dramatic coastline, river valleys and upland, named for its most famous feature and built around the towns of Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballycastle and Limavady.

The coast is the heart of it. Basalt cliffs and headlands run between long sandy strands and small harbours, broken by the columns of the Giant's Causeway, the most celebrated stretch of shore in Ireland. Inland, the River Bann reaches the sea near Coleraine, the River Roe runs down its wooded valley from the Sperrin foothills past Limavady, and the nine Glens of Antrim cut green, steep-sided valleys from the moorland down to the eastern shore. Much of the coast and the glens carries protected landscape status, and the offshore island of Rathlin, with its seabird cliffs, lies a short crossing from Ballycastle.

People have lived along this coast for thousands of years, leaving forts, friaries and the cliff-edge ruins of Dunluce Castle, once a stronghold of the MacDonnells. The MacDonnell lords brought close ties with the west of Scotland, just a short sea crossing away and visible on a clear day from the headland at Torr Head. Today the district lives on farming, fishing and a steady flow of visitors drawn to one of the great coastal landscapes of the British Isles.