Rathlin Island Voyage Tips and guide

Rathlin Island (Irish Reachlainn) is Northern Ireland's only inhabited island, with a population of 141 in 2021. It was historically part of County Antrim: those counties are no longer units of government so it's now part of Causeway Coast and Glens District.

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.

Rathlin 360 is the island website.

55°17′6″N 6°13′41″W

Map of Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island Ferries sail from Ballycastle hourly, 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, prams or luggage should use the car ferry. Bicycles must be booked, and dogs on leads are welcome. Single fares in 2026 are adult £8.40, child £4.20, bicycle £2.20.

55.2926-6.19521 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.

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.

Apr-Sep the Puffin Bus meets the ferry and charges £6 for a return trip to the RSPB Seabird Centre at the west tip. It allows you an hour there.

• Rathlin Boathouse Visitor Centre, Church Bay BT54 6RT (south end of harbour), ☏ +44 28 2076 0054. Apr-Sep M-Sa 9AM-5PM. Small visitor centre with historical exhibition. Free. (updated Apr 2026)
• The Walled Garden behind the village is under restoration in 2026.

There's a standing stone in the fields 100 yards south of the Walled Garden by McCuaig's Bar, and a burial cist another 100 yards south by the Boathouse.

• 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.
• St Thomas' Church, 3 Churchquarter BT54 6RT (by ferry pier), ☏ +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 1915 probably sunk by a mine, and HMS Racoon, which hit the rocks in 1918. Church services are held every Sunday in July and August at 11AM, and monthly Sep-Jun. (updated Apr 2026)

• Church of the Immaculate Conception (St Mary's), BT54 6SB (200 yards up hill from St Thomas), ☏ +44 28 2076 2223. Mass Su 11AM. 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 Apr 2026)
• 55.3003-6.27951 RSPB Seabird Centre, BT54 6BT, ☏ +44 28 2076 0062. Apr-Aug daily 9AM-5PM. 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 £9, child £5, RSPB free.  (updated Apr 2026)
• Rathlin West Lighthouse next to the RSPB Centre was lit in 1919.
• 55.3015-6.17142 Rathlin East Lighthouse, first lit in 1856, is on the cliffs of Altacarry Head. A quarter mile south is Bruce's Castle, destroyed in a quarrel of 1575, when the island's garrison and inhabitants were massacred.
• 55.2587-6.19113 Rue Point Lighthouse at the south tip was lit in 1921. The nearby Roonivoolin Lough is an RSPB reserve but free to access.

• 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.
• Report a rat: the island LIFE Raft project eradicated ferrets in 2026 and now has the rats in its crosshairs, to protect ground-nesting birds. If you think you see one, report it on the project website, don't try to whack it yourself.

• The Co-op by the ferry pier is open M-Sa 11AM-4PM. The Post Office is within.
• Island Treasures, Church Bay BT54 6RT (by Boathouse). Small souvenir and gift shop. (updated Apr 2026)
• ATM: the only ATM is within McCuaig's Bar, so it's only accessible within pub hours, and it charges for transactions.

• Cafe Lazybird (formerly Water Shed Cafe) is 50 yards west of the ferry pier, open F-Su 10AM-5PM.
• The Manor House is the main eating place, see below. It's serves non-residents daily noon-3PM and 6:30-9PM, booking essential.

• McCuaig's Bar, Church Bay BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 28 2076-0011. Daily 11:30AM-11PM. The island pub, good place for a meal and a drink after a hike around the island. (updated Apr 2026)

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.

• Manor House, Rathlin Island BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 28 2076 0046, [email protected]. Smart hotel in a renovated Georgian mansion a few steps from the ferry pier, with 11 rooms and restaurant. B&B double £160. (updated Apr 2026)
• 55.2893-6.19061 Rathlin Glamping Pods, Rathlin Island BT54 6RT, ☏ +44 7715 897773, [email protected]. Four comfy self-contained pods, one is pet-friendly. Pod £110.  (updated Apr 2026)

As of April 2026, there is no mobile signal from any UK carrier on the island. That's not a problem, is it?

• 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.