Bushmills, Ireland

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The quaint village of Bushmills is a great base for families touring Northern Ireland’s County Antrim. Spend a 1/2 day at Giant’s Causeway, explore the Dunluce Castle, considered Ireland’s most romantic, and cross the swinging Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge near Ballintoy. Leave the car behind: bike, walk or take a steam train ride. And should the kids need a break from the adventure and the great outdoors, take a leisurely stroll through the streets of Bushmills and take in the local architecture. Don't forget to pause along the River Bush and watch the silver bodied salmon as they make their way upriver to spawn.

Getting there

Bushmills is just 60 miles (97 km) from Belfast and 175 miles (280 km) from Dublin and is situated between Portrush and Ballycastle on the A2 (Antrim Coast Road). Families traveling from Greencastle in the Inishowen Peninsula will want to hop on the ferry to Magilligan. It will reduce your driving time by roughly an hour! Public transport makes travel in Ireland possible even for families not wanting to rent a car.

Map It!
Google Maps
Ferry Service
Lough Foyle Ferry Company Ltd
Public Transport Journey Planner
Translink

Getting around

Bushmills offers families intent on making getting around part of the experience a few alternatives to the car. Take a 10-minute steam train ride from Bushmills to Giant's Causeway. Follow the footpath alongside the steam railway, Ordnance Survey sheets 4 and 5, or bike along traffic-free roads.

Steam Train
Giants Causeway and Bushmills Railway
OS Discoverer Series Maps
Ordnance Survey
Bike Routes
Sustrans

When to travel

The one certainty about the weather in Northern Ireland is that it will change more than once each day. It is not unusual to experience rain, sunshine as well as hot and cold in a single day, even in summer. In July, the average daily high is 17° C in the uplands and 19° C at lower altitudes but it can easily reach 30° C. The coldest months are January and February when the average daily high is between 5-7° C. While May and June have the lowest rainfall plan for rain on holiday throughout the year.

Weather Forecast & Climate History
BBC
SouthTravels.com

Things to keep in mind

You need to know more than distance to estimate driving times in Ireland.