Antrim North Coast
Larne to Portrush along the north Antrim coast — nine glens, one basalt causeway, and the smoothest tarmac in Ireland.
On the map.
The vertical picture.
What the road feels like.
This is the polished cousin of the Wild Atlantic Way. From Larne the A2 climbs and drops through the Glens of Antrim — Glenarm, Glenariff, Cushendall — hugging the sea one minute, ducking inland into deep green cuts the next. The road surface here is Northern Ireland smooth: long, clean sweepers cut into cliff faces, hardly a pothole in sight.
The Giant's Causeway is the postcard, but the real magic is the road either side. Peel off at Ballycastle for the Torr Head coastal detour if you want to see almost nobody all day, then rejoin the main for Carrick-a-Rede, Bushmills, and the surf towns of Portrush and Portstewart.
Ride this on a long summer evening and you'll have light until eleven. The basalt columns turn gold. The bike sounds better.
- 01The Glens of Antrim (nine of them)
- 02Torr Head coastal detour
- 03Giant's Causeway UNESCO site
- 04Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
- 05Old Bushmills Distillery
- 06Dunluce Castle ruins on the cliff-edge
- Ursa Minor BakehouseBallycastle
Sourdough, cardamom buns, strong coffee — the coast's best pit stop.
- Babushka Kitchen CaféPortrush
Right on the pier — surf, chowder, sunsets.
- Morton's Fish & ChipsBallycastle
Fresh haddock and a harbour view.
- Notoriously busy weekends July–August — ride early and beat the coach tours.
- Sheep and cyclists on the Torr Head detour — go easy.
- Speed cameras through Portrush and Portstewart.
- Sea spray on cliff sections can leave the tarmac greasy after storms.
From the road.
