Explore Portballintrae via its coastal paths, Salmon Rock Beach and historic buildings. If you are looking for a hotel for your trip, you can first consider whether walks, coastal scenery or the town’s maritime history will shape your stay. The paths have clearly named endpoints; at the beach, a river crossing and a footpath beyond it provide specific points of reference. Together, these themes offer different ways to plan your stay without requiring a fixed itinerary.
Coastal paths with specific points of reference
The Yellow Trail at the Giant’s Causeway is a 1.8-mile section of the Causeway Coast Way and is managed by the National Trust. It runs from Runkerry Head to Hamilton’s Seat, is accessible from Portballintrae and starts just behind Runkerry House. When choosing a trail, also consider its suitability: the trail is considered unsuitable for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility.
Another route description concerns the Causeway Coast Way from Portballintrae to the Giant’s Causeway: this section is 4.3 km long and passes through an extensive dune area. The two descriptions provide different points of reference along the coastal path: the Yellow Trail has Runkerry Head and Hamilton’s Seat as its endpoints, while the section starting in Portballintrae is described in terms of its length and dune landscape.
Beach and coastal scenery
Salmon Rock Beach is a small sandy beach in the centre of the coastal town of Portballintrae. Its surface is mostly sandy; the shore is rocky at both ends, and offshore rocks enclose the beach. From here, you can reach Runkerry Beach and the footpath beyond to the Giant’s Causeway via the Threequarter Footbridge, a wooden walkway over the River Bush. The beach, river crossing and the onward footpath are thus connected through named locations.
The coast of Portballintrae is designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). Lissanduff offers views of Bushfoot Beach and Runkerry Point.
Historic houses and local history
Seaport Lodge, a Georgian house built around 1770, stands at the western tip of the bay. It is one of the earliest examples of a bathing lodge in the district and is still considered to be of significant local interest. Its classification as both a Georgian house and an early bathing lodge gives the building two historical aspects.
Runkerry House also has a clear historical classification: this listed sandstone building was constructed in the early 1860s. Portballintrae Coastguard Station dates from another period; it was built around 1875. The approximate dates of Seaport Lodge, Runkerry House and the Coastguard Station provide a brief timeline for several of the town’s buildings.
Maritime activities and architectural history
The COAST Office in Portballintrae is a centre for watersports and maritime activities. It is located in a stone harbour building from the 19th century that formerly served as the boathouse of the Coastguard House. The place thus combines maritime activities with a building whose former use was also part of harbour life.
The COAST Office currently also offers an activity involving the collection of shark egg cases and recording data about them. If you would like to include this activity in your plans, check the current programme details.
Discover more destinations: Aghadowey, Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart.
Return to the main travel overview: Coleraine.
