Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island (In Irish Reachlainn) is an island historically part of County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Those counties have been abolished so it's now part of Causeway Coast and Glens District; it's Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island, with a population of 141 in 2021.

Understand

The ferry leaving Rathlin harbour

Rathlin was created by the same outpouring of lava that formed Giant's Causeway, and its sea cliffs and bird life are its main attractions. It's poor land for farming, and its outlying position made it vulnerable to raids by Vikings and others. Outcasts such as Robert the Bruce of Scotland have occasionally taken refuge here, only to bring down murderous reprisals upon the entire population. In the 18th century it was briefly industrial thanks to kelp, then morphed in Victorian times into a tourist resort.

In 2021 a five-year project was launched to rid the island of its rats and ferrets, to protect the ground-nesting birds.

Visitor information

• Rathlin Island visitor information website

Get in

Rathlin Island Ferries sail from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island four or five times daily, taking 30 min. There are two vessels: Kintra II is for foot passengers (no luggage), Spirit of Rathlin also carries vehicles. Visitors may not bring vehicles (see Ballycastle for long stay car parks) but passengers with restricted mobility or luggage should use the car ferry. Bicycles must be booked, and dogs on leads are welcome. Single fares are adult £8, child £4, bicycle £2.20.

1 Church Bay is the ferry pier and only settlement on the island. A draughty perspex bus shelter is the only semblance of a "passenger terminal", and there are no toilets.

Get around

Kilmeer is the hilly west arm of the island, five miles long. In the middle is the settlement of Church Bay, then Kinkeel is the low-lying south arm, three miles long. A tarmac lane runs the length of the island, single track with passing places. You can hike it all, and bicycles can be hired from Soerneog View Hostel.

In summer the Puffin Bus meets the ferry and charges £6 for a "tour", including a one-hour stop at the RSPB Seabird Centre at the west tip. This "tour" may or may not bother to drive you back.

See

• 1 Rathlin Boathouse Visitor Centre, Church Bay BT54 6RT. Apr-Sep: daily 9:30AM-5PM. Small visitor centre with historical exhibition. Free. (updated Mar 2021)
• There's a standing stone and a burial cist in the fields by McCuaig's Bar.
• Kelp House is the ruin at the south end of the bay, built circa 1750. Until 1820, kelp was valuable as its ash contained sodium carbonate for making soap and glass, though you needed over 400 tons of seaweed to get one ton of sodium carbonate. The price crashed when the Leblanc Process created it much more cheaply; kelp was still needed as a source of iodine but many remote coastal communities lost their livelihood.

Church of the Immaculate Conception

• St Thomas' Church, 3 Churchquarter BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 28 2076-0079. This Church of Ireland church dates from 1812 and is named for St Thomas Lindsay of Armagh. The first church here was founded in 580 AD, with a monastic settlement that was raided and eventually destroyed by the Vikings. The graveyard is for all denominations; here lies Rev John Gage, who bought the island in 1746. War graves hold the crew of HMS Viknor, lost in Jan 1915 probably sunk by a mine, and HMS Racoon, which hit the rocks in Jan 1918. Church services are held every Sunday in July and August at 11AM, and monthly Sep-Jun. (updated Mar 2021)
• Church of the Immaculate Conception (St Mary's), BT54 6SB, ☏ +44 7809 553349. Mass Su noon. The original Roman Catholic church here had been a mill and threshing barn until 1812. It was replaced by the present building in 1864, which used washed-up timbers. (updated Mar 2021)
• 2 RSPB Seabird Centre, BT54 6BT, ☏ +44 28 2076-0062. Apr-Aug: daily 10AM-4PM. Viewpoint and 4 mile clifftop nature trail. Seabirds include puffin, guillemot, kittiwake, razorbill and fulmar, and there's also chough and corncrake. You may not bring dogs into the area, and there's no place to tie them up while you explore. The centre has toilets and a drinks vending machine. Adult £5, child £2.50, RSPB free. (updated Mar 2021)
• Rathlin West Lighthouse next to the RSPB Centre was lit in 1919.
• 3 Rathlin East Lighthouse, first lit in 1856, is on the cliffs of Altacarry Head. Just south is Rathlin (or Bruce's) Castle, destroyed in a quarrel of 1575, when the island's garrison and inhabitants were massacred.
• 4 Rue Point Lighthouse at the south tip was lit in 1921. The nearby Roonivoolin Lough is an RSPB reserve but free to access.

Do

• Rathlin Trail is a four mile walk from the harbour to the West Lighthouse and RSPB Seabird Viewpoint (no dogs here). It's mostly on the lane, but there's very little traffic. Think about the four miles to get back to your return ferry.

Buy

• The Co-op by the ferry pier is open M-Sa 11AM-4PM. The Post Office is within.
• Island Treasures, Church Bay BT54 6RT. Oct-Mar: M-F 10AM-2PM; Apr-Jun Sep: Su-F 11AM-3PM, Sa noon-4PM; Jul Aug: daily 11AM-5PM. Gift shop. (updated Mar 2021)
• ATM: the only ATM is within McCuaig's Bar, so it's only accessible within pub hours, and it charges for transactions.

Eat

• Water Shed Cafe next to the ferry pier.
• The Manor House is the main eating place, see Sleep. It has Lighthouse Cafe open daily noon-3PM and Island Restaurant daily 6:30-9PM; booking for both essential.

Drink

• McCuaig's Bar, Church Bay BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 28 2076-0011. Daily 11AM-11PM. The island pub, good place for a meal and a drink after a hike around the island. (updated Mar 2021)

Sleep

Church Bay

Accommodation is limited so book early. The late afternoon ferries from Ballycastle won't take you unless you've something booked, so they've obviously had too many visitors get stranded and become carrion for the gulls.

• 1 Manor House, Rathlin Island BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 28 2076-0046, reception@manorhouserathlin.com. Check-in: From 3PM, check-out: Until 11AM. A renovated smart hotel in Georgian mansion a few steps from the ferry pier, with 11 rooms and restaurant. £80 for room with no sea view, £160 for Family room (up to 4 guests, 2 adults and 2 children). (updated Dec 2023)
• 2 Arkell House B & B, Church Bay BT54 6SA, ☏ +44 7565 871319. It's the three-storey, white building overlooking the harbour, comfy welcoming B&B. (updated Mar 2021)
• 3 Rathlin Glamping Pods, Rathlin Island, BT54 6RT (pods are visible on the shoreline from the Ferries entering Rathlin Harbour; they are a 5-10 minute walk from the Harbour upon arrival), ☏ +44 7715 897773, info@rathlinglamping.co.uk. Check-in: Between 1PM and 6PM. Later check-in is possible but must be organized with management in advance, check-out: 10AM latest. Consists of 4 self-contained pods and provides a luxury camping experience. One of the 4 pods is designated as pet-friendly, but must be arranged prior to arrival. There is a fee of £8 per night for dogs. The facilities are a family friendly space and cannot accommodate Hen/Stag Parties. £100 per night for 1-2 people. Fee for additional adult is £20 per night and fee for additional child £15 per night. Up to 4 guests per pod. (updated Dec 2023)
• 4 Kinramer Cottage, ☏ +44 28 2076-3969, alison@kinramercottage.com. It is self-catering, away at the west end of the island towards the RSPB reserve. It's open all year. Fully booked for 2024 (updated Dec 2023)

Connect

As of March 2021, there is no mobile signal from any UK carrier on the island. That's not a problem, is it?

Go next

• Back to Ballycastle it must be.
• From there either track east along the mainland coast to the big attractions of Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, Giant's Causeway and Bushmills, or southeast to the Antrim Glens.
• The Copeland islands were inhabited until 1996 when the lighthouse was automated. Reach them by boat trip from Donaghadee near Bangor, County Down.