The route
This is a suggested first route along the Causeway Coastal Route, built from the places already in the Old Route Retro atlas. It follows the Antrim coast north from Belfast, past castle towns, glens, and rope bridges, to Derry at the other end — a drive the atlas files in its own words as the Causeway Coastal Route. Every stop below links to its own place page, where the postcards filed for that location are gathered together.
The Northern Ireland route shows the whole country, and holds every design currently filed under it.
Start in Belfast
The route begins in Belfast, the capital at the head of the lough. Heading north, the coast opens quickly: Whitehead sits on the shore where the route leaves the city behind, and just beyond it, Carrickfergus Castle guards the water with its Norman walls.
The Glens of Antrim
Beyond Carrickfergus the road enters the country of the Glens of Antrim, where the hills come down to the sea — Glenariff Forest Park is its green heart, and the village of Cushendun shelters in its own glen. Just inland, the beech avenue of the Dark Hedges makes a famous detour.
The north coast
Further north the coast turns west and the route reaches its signature stops: Giants Causeway, a World Heritage shore of basalt columns; and Dunluce Castle, which stands on its cliff above the sea. Above the coast, Binevenagh lifts the skyline, while Mussenden Temple balances on the clifftop at the route's far end.
End in Derry
The route ends at Derry (also known as Londonderry), the walled city on the River Foyle.
Further afield
One atlas place lies close enough to the route to make its own detour: Rathlin Island, reached by ferry from the coast. Further south, in County Down, the atlas covers a different coast altogether — the Mourne country around Mourne Mountains and Strangford Lough.
Planning the route
This is a suggested route from the Old Route Retro atlas. It follows the same coast as the route promoted by Discover Northern Ireland, but as an atlas journey rather than an official itinerary. The drive spreads naturally over a day or two — the north coast alone deserves a full day between the rope bridge, the causeway, and the castles — and each place page stands alone if you would rather follow a single stop.
Open the Northern Ireland route to browse every design currently filed under it.
How long does this route take?
As a suggested route it has no fixed length. The coast from Belfast to Derry fits naturally in a day or two — a long day for the main stops, or two relaxed days with the glens and the island detour. Each place page stands alone, so you can follow any single stop on its own.
Is this the official Causeway Coastal Route?
It follows the same coast as the route promoted by Discover Northern Ireland, but this version is built from the places in the Old Route Retro atlas — a way of travelling the route through the site's own pages and postcards rather than an official itinerary.
What are the must-see stops?
Three stops carry the route's signature: the basalt causeway of the Giants Causeway, the cliff-top ruin of Dunluce Castle, and the beech avenue of the Dark Hedges inland.