Rathlin Island.

LONG OVERDUE POST.

So, a few months ago, me and a few friends rented a car and drove to Ballycastle.

Our main goal of the trip was to go to Rathlin Island, a small island off the coast of Antrim and the most northern point of Northern Ireland! 

You can get to Rathlin by going through the motorway which would be much faster but we opted for the Coastal Route where we drove along Northern Ireland's gorgeous coastline. 

I swear the longer journey was worth every minute! 

From Ballycastle, we took a ferry to Rathlin. A return ticket costs £12 for adults.

Rathlin Island is home to many sea birds and wildlife that you wouldn't normally see. So this island is really popular amongst birdwatchers and biologists. 

I would suggest buying the tickets in advance at the Rathlin Ferry website so you wouldn't have to wait around for the next available ferry. We arrived at 10am, hoping to get on the 11.15 ferry but had to wait for the 1pm one because they were all full :( There is a ferry every hour or so but the schedule's different every season. 

The ferry takes roughly 25 minutes to get to the island.

We were instantly greeted by a myriad of blues and greens as we got closer to the island. 

Rathlin Island's famous for its nature reserve and wildlife. As you can see in the photo above, I'm mere metres away from a seal lounging on a rock. 

The island's really small and you can leisurely walk around the whole island if you came in the morning and left in the evening. But we only had four hours (and a crying baby on tow haha) so we didn't manage to see everything. I would actually suggest renting a bike for the day as it would make the journey easier. 

There are places to stay on the island but they get fully booked really quick and you have to book waaaay in advance. The island only has a population of about 150 so I reckon there isn't enough manpower to fully commercialise the place. But honestly, I think that's the beauty of Rathlin. Everything is preserved so well. 

We didn't try the food on the island because there's an amazing fish and chips shop near the harbour in Ballycastle called Morton's. The queue's outrageous but it's worth the wait if it's less than 25 minutes haha. The price was quite good too. 

So yes, I would definitely recommend Rathlin Island to those wanting to explore Northern Ireland. 

If you're an avid bird-watcher, nature lover, wildlife photographer or even a sunbather, Rathlin Island has something that would appeal to you.