Bushmills

Walking from Bushmills to the Causeway Coast

Bushmills is a village in County Antrim, set on the River Bush a short distance inland from Northern Ireland's north coast. Surrounded by farmland and close to the Causeway Coast National Landscape, the village provides a practical base for exploring the beaches, cliffs and headlands between Portballintrae and the Giant's Causeway.

The River Bush runs through the village before reaching the sea at nearby Portballintrae. Paths and quiet roads connect Bushmills with the coast, where the landscape changes from the sheltered river valley and surrounding farmland to beaches, dunes, rocky shoreline and exposed clifftops.

The Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site lies north-east of Bushmills and forms one of the defining landscapes of this part of County Antrim. Its basalt formations sit beneath cliffs on an exposed stretch of coast that can be explored as part of a longer walk rather than only as an individual visitor attraction.

The Causeway Coast Way follows the coastline through this landscape, passing Portballintrae, Runkerry and the Giant's Causeway as it continues towards the cliffs and headlands farther east. Bushmills sits slightly inland from the trail, but its accommodation, places to eat and drink and proximity to the coast make it a useful base for walking sections of the route.

Exploring Bushmills and the Causeway Coast on foot

Walking from Bushmills can begin along the River Bush and surrounding countryside before continuing towards Portballintrae and the coast. Once beside the sea, walkers can join the Causeway Coast Way and follow the shoreline towards Runkerry and the Giant's Causeway.

The coastal landscape offers a marked contrast with the countryside around the village. Beaches and lower shoreline sections give way to rocky ground, open headlands and clifftop paths, with longer walks continuing east beyond the Giant's Causeway through increasingly exposed coastal terrain.

Bushmills can also be used as a base for shorter days that combine the village, river and coast. Portballintrae provides straightforward access to the shoreline, while the Giant's Causeway can form the destination for a longer walk before returning to the Bushmills area.

For walkers staying near Bushmills, Causeway Lodge provides a countryside base close to the coast and the landscapes of the Causeway Coast National Landscape. From here, walkers can explore nearby coastal paths and beaches, join sections of the Causeway Coast Way, or spend a day walking around the Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site.