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Kinramer North walk guide. Follow rathlinwalks. An up to date walking booklet for eight fabulous walks on Rathlin Island. This detailed guide with photos of every stage of the walks points out the ruins and places of interest along the way giving a brief account of events that happened there.
More information here. Most of Rathlin's roads are surfaced and in relatively good condition, but they are mostly narrow and often winding and hilly, so if you are walking, cycling or driving on the island's roads please be mindful of this, and of other road users.
Cyclists may also wish to dismount and walk on some of the island's steeper hills. In particular, walkers should be aware that there can be more vehicular traffic on the roads than they might have expected, and they need to make way for passing cars, buses, tractors, etc. In these situations, please all stand to one side of the road - if a group splits in two and stands on both sides of a narrow country road, the passing vehicle needs to slow almost to a halt to safely pass.
The Centre will open The Seabird Centre building and the viewing platforms will be open to the public. Admission payable on arrival : RSPB members and under 5s free. Family and group rates available. For more information call Along with 11 other lighthouses around the Irish coast, Rathlin West Light is one of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland GLOI , all of which will offer unforgettable experiences and create a deep appreciation of the role of lighthouses and the maritime and seafaring story of the island of Ireland.
In summer, the seabird colony is a real assault on the senses — the sight, sound and smell! These birds spend most of their lives at sea, and only visit sites like Rathlin for the brief summer breeding season.
The seabirds start leaving the island to head back to sea from mid-July, with razorbills and guillemots going first, followed quickly by the puffins. The kittiwakes and fulmars will remain for most of August. The birds will start returning to Rathlin from March onwards. The lighthouse situated at the heart of the colony is a spectacular feat of engineering, clinging to the cliff face with the lantern gleaming red at its foot.
The Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre is situated four and a half miles from the harbour - roughly a minute walk. There are also buses running from the harbour and bicycles available for hire. Please note that while the main visitor centre is accessible, there is an 89 step descent to the viewing platform, or steps in total to the bottom of the lighthouse.
Dogs except for guide and assistance dogs are not allowed in the Seabird Centre and Lighthouse. There are facilities to tie dogs up outside the Visitor Centre. See here for more information about bringing dogs to the island.
For more information about the Seabird Centre visit www. Please help us to keep the seals of Rathlin as undisturbed as possible, and allow all visitors and residents to responsibly and safely enjoy this marvellous wild nature experience! Thank you for your cooperation. The information in this section is also available in leaflet form here.
Two species of seal inhabit the coast and seas around Northern Ireland. The harbour seal also known as the common seal is smaller, has a dog-like face and prefers more sheltered habitats whereas the grey seal is larger, has a longer head and is more often seen in exposed areas.
Grey seal on Rathlin. Photo by Tom McDonnell. Seals haul out to rest, warm up and breed; they are very sensitive to disturbance, especially during the pupping season. As with any large, wild mammal, they may also inflict a powerful bite if they or their young feel threatened.
Harbour seal on Rathlin. In August , an aerial survey detected harbour seals and grey seals around the coast of Northern Ireland. The quiet inlets around Rathlin Island afford visitors wonderful views of charismatic seals, especially around low tide.
Grey seals and harbour seals find sheltered habitats here to rest, breed and rear their young within the relative safety of areas such as Church Bay and the Rue. These beautiful marine mammals spend much of their lives at sea but can be seen and enjoyed by all when they haul out ashore. By contrast, grey seals are born later in September-November. The pups have a fluffy white coat and usually stay on land for three to five weeks before venturing into the sea.
An aerial survey of seals in August used a thermal imaging camera attached to a helicopter to record numbers during the annual harbour seal moult. It recorded harbour seals and 46 grey seals around Rathlin Island, although grey seal numbers can be highly variable from day to day and animals sheltering in sea caves or underwater are particularly difficult to detect. Seals are fully protected by law from intentional or reckless disturbance and great care should be taken not to disturb these vulnerable animals.
Enjoy the wonderful views but please keep a respectful distance from seals, letting the animals decide how close is acceptable to them. If you see any of these signs, back off slowly and quietly. These spectacular maritime heritage properties, located on the Southern, Western and Eastern points of Rathlin, are all listed monuments. Commonly referred to as Ireland's only upside down lighthouse, This icon was recently refurbished and is now open to the public to peer into it's past.
This lighthouse is a remarkable engineering achievement and a must see as it stands impressively into the cliff edge. When it was erected in , a special pier and an inclined railway was built to facilitate its elaborate construction. It was automated in Visitors can access the main area but to view the lighthouse itself you must descend around 90 steps, plus more inside the lighthouse itself. Rathlin's eastern lighthouse is it's oldest, built in and de-manned in The upper light is still active.
In this lighthouse was chosen by Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, electrical engineer and pioneer of long-distance radio transmission. He set up a wireless link between Rathlin Island and Ballycastle as all cargo ships from America and Canada had to pass by Altacarry on their way to the ports of Liverpool, Belfast and Glasgow. The lighthouse keepers recorded all passing ships and the Marconi transmission systems enabled this information to be relayed quickly to London.
This lighthouse is made even more famous because Robert the Bruce, Scotland's King in , took refuge in the caves underneath. It is here were the phrase 'if at first you don't succeed try try again' was coined.
The King watched as a spider tried determinedly to construct its web, succeeding only after 7 attempts. The indomitable spirit of the spider led the King to return home and fight for Scotland! Built in this Lighthouse sits at the southern tip of Rathlin.
Fair Head on the Antrim Coast, is only 2. This listed monument is now fully automated. Many of the Rathlin natives have families on the island for generations. Rathlin Island is steeped in history with archeological evidence dating from the late Mesolithic and Neolithic period's of the Stone Age. It is thought that Rathlin was the first Irish island to become inhabited with Scottish settlers arriving around BC.
It wasn't always as peaceful on Rathlin Island as it is nowadays, even a brief look at its history will show that. The communities have had to endure many hardships and tragedies over the years. It is not a history were we can look back and be proud of our behaviour as human beings. However the Spirit of Rathlin Island herself and the ancestors of people who have chosen her shores as their sanctuary on the planet seem strong and faithful.
Today Rathin seems rich in community spirit and island pride. Visit Rathlin for a day trip or stay for longer. There is a choice of accommodation suit everyone. Here you can find out information about tours, trips, activities and events plus in depth isights into past life on Rathlin. Seasonal Opening Hours. Rathlin Festival, in July. A week of family fun including music, model yacht races, drama, children's entertainment, home made raft racing and more Visitors are welcomed on Rathlin, but are requested to follow the Rathlin Code.
Your code of conduct on Rathlin Island:. They say at eve when rude winds sleep And hushed is every turbid swell A mermaid rises from the deep And sweetly tunes her magic shell.
And as she plays, rock, dell and cave In dying falls her sounds retain As if some choal spirits gave Their aid to swell her witching strain. And summoned by that dulcet note Uprising to the admiring view A fairy island seems to float With tints of many a gorgeous hue.
They also say if earth or stone From verdant Erin's hallowed land Were on this fairy island thrown Forever fixed it then would stand. But if for this some little boat In silence ventures from the shore The mermaid sinks, hushed is the note The fairy isle is seen no more'.
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