Rathlin Island

Rathlin lies about ten kilometres off Ballycastle and is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a population of around one hundred and fifty. The West Light is built into the cliff face with its lamp at the base of the structure rather than the top, an arrangement adopted because the light needed to sit below the fog that gathers at cliff height; it is one of very few upside-down lighthouses anywhere. A seabird centre at the light looks onto stacks holding tens of thousands of guillemots, razorbills and puffins, with a viewing platform almost level with the ledges. The island also holds a population of golden hares, a colour variant of the Irish hare found in unusual numbers here, and the Rathlin Sound between island and mainland has strong tidal races.

What you actually see

• The upside-down lighthouse - a light built at the base of the tower in the cliff.
• The seabird stacks - tens of thousands of auks viewed almost at eye level.
• The golden hares - a pale colour form of Irish hare unusually common here.
• The tidal races - strong currents running in the sound to the mainland.

When to go

April to August for the seabird colony, with puffins present until late July; the birds leave and the centre closes after that. Ferries run year-round but cancel in swell and reduce in winter.

Honest expectations

Ferry cancellations happen at short notice and can strand day visitors overnight. The West Light is about six kilometres from the harbour, so a bus, bike or long walk is needed. Facilities are limited to a handful of businesses.

Nearby

Ballycastle is the ferry port; Carrick-a-Rede and the Causeway lie west along the coast.