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Torr Head Walk

0.62 miles (1 km)

Open Streetmap This walk visits Torr Head on the beautiful County Antrim coast near Ballycastle.
From the rugged headland there are some dramatic cliff top views to the nearby Rathlin Island and even into Scotland on a clear day. Torr Head is also notable as the closest point in Northern Ireland to Scotland, with only 12 miles separating them across the Irish Sea.
The area also includes the remains of Altagore cashel, an ancient fort of some historical interest.
There is a car park at the site where you can pick up a short circular trail around the headland.
To reach Torr Head, the recommended route is to follow the Antrim Coast Road to the village of Ballyvoy. From there, turn onto the Torr Road and continue until reaching the Ballyvennaght Road junction. Proceed carefully along this mostly single-lane, winding, and hilly country road until reaching the sign for the Torr Head car park. Follow another single-lane country road from there to reach the destination at Torr Head.

Postcode

BT54 6RQ - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Torr Head Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Near Ballycastle you can try the Ballycastle Fair Head Walk. The circular loop walk takes you around a beautiful headland with some spectacular cliff top views.
In Ballycastle you can also catch the ferry to the beautiful Rathlin Island. There are some splendid trails here with lots of wildlife to see in the RSPB nature reserve on the island.

Photos

Torr Head - Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, UK - August 15, 2017

Torr Head. The term "Torr" in Irish Gaelic translates to "mound" or "large pile". Previously, Torr Headland served as an ancient salmon port with a thriving commercial fishery that endured for centuries. However, due to overfishing, degradation of river habitats, and shifts in oceanic conditions, salmon populations declined rapidly, prompting the eventual prohibition of all commercial salmon fishing along Northern Ireland's coasts.

Port-aleen Bay from Torr Head - geograph.org.uk - 642740

Port-aleen Bay from Torr Head. In addition to its fishing history, Torr Headland functioned as a small shipping port and housed the coastguard during the 20th century. Unfortunately, the coastguard station was later destroyed by fire and subsequently closed. Today, visitors can still observe the dilapidated ruins of the old port.

Scotland from Torr Head - panoramio

Scotland from Torr Head

From Torr Head to Rathlin Island - panoramio

From Torr Head to Rathlin Island

GPS Files

GPX File

Torr Head.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)