Walking The Causeway Coast and Glens. (From Belfast to LondonDerry)

After having searched for information about this way, I still have some doubts/questions:

1. Weather: My first option is start the way from Belfast on March 19 (and come back to Barcelona on March 29). What do you think about this? Maybe to cold/rainy...?

2. Are there a lot of road travel (highway, car)? Is it safe? This point is important because if I'm going to do all the way walking during 10 days...

3. I have many problems to find camping/campsites (I'll do it with tent most days because I can't spend so much money.) In the first stretch of the way (from Belfast to Ballycastle), may I camp the tent in the field?
Sorry if I've exceeded the questions, but I don't know who to ask.

Hello Oscar, 

It's great to see that you've found your way over to the Community. :) Walking the whole way from Belfast to Derry-Londonderry sounds like an amazing adventure, and I would love to help you find the information you're looking for. 

During the second half of March you can expect temperatures between 4°C and 15°C degrees, a bit of rain here and there, followed by sunny spells. For more information about the irish weather, take a look here.

On the Walk NI page you can find an overview of all the available walking routes from Belfast along the Causeway Coast and Glens to County Londonderry. Not all of these routes connect via an off-road path, so sometimes you'll have to divert to the road. These usually will have a safe area for pedestrians, but it is always a good idea to wear clothes or gear that make you visible to drivers.

Have you planned out the exact route you'd like to walk yet? Are there any parts where you need some help to find the right path or route? Walk NI also has a super handy online map available with plenty of destinations and details.

• I'd like to try camping in Ireland, what do I need to know?
• Camping Ireland

Have you thought about staying in hostels, guesthouses or B&B's along the way? You can find all tourist board approved accommodation here. Simply type in the name of the place where you would like to stay, and all of the available options will pop up. 

I hope you'll receive more tips from our other members, and please don't hesitate to give me a shout if there is anything else you need. :)

Happy planning! 

Melin

Hey Oscar,

Great idea to walk that route. I travelled around the world and this coastline is hands down among the best I have come across. Malin gave you a lot of great advice already. I just would like to add that if you want to use your tent, it might be a good idea to find out who owns a certain field and ask for permission. If you have an honest approach people are in general very friendly here and will try and help you find a place to set up your tent. 

Good luck and have a great time.

Hanno

Thank you both for your answers!

I think I'll go there in March! I hope the weather is not very bad! hehe 

In reference to the days, my main goal is to reach to Portstewart, although I don't have time to get to Derry-Londonderry walking.

I'll write a new comment if I decide to do this way on March at the end!

Thanks!

Hi Oscar,

As you mentioned you are interested in visiting Portstewart, we invite you to check some things to see and do there.

If you think you won't have enough time to get to Derry-Londonderry walking, you can always take the train in Portstewart and enjoy the beautiful views of the coast along the trip to the city.
 
We wish you a wonderful trip and please, keep us posted about it!

We would love to hear about your experience once you are back!

PD: Si necesitas algo más, también podemos ayudarte en español. 😉

Regards,

Marta ☘️

Hola Marta! pues si, esta vez os escribo en castellano jajaja
A ver, un par de cosas más:

1. Por lo que veo, la gente se hace el camino en sentido contrario al que voy a ir yo, que empezaré desde Belfast. Quería saber si, en cuanto a las indicaciones a lo largo del camino, es indiferente.

2. En principio tenía pensado hacer este camino bordeando toooooda la costa, pero durante estos días he estado buscando información del Ulster Way. Ahí va mi pregunta: Desde Belfast hasta Glenarm, me aconsejas hacer la ruta por la costa (era mi idea principal antes de conocer el Ulster Way.), o ir más por el interior siguiendo la ruta del UlsterWay?
Cosas a tener en cuenta para tomar esta decisión: 
a) Si voy por costa pasaré por: Carrickfergus, Whitehead, IslandMagee (The Gobbins), Larne, y Ballygally.  
b) En caso de seguir el UlsterWay, me imagino que la ruta será más de senderismo por montañas, no? Por caminos... En cambio, quizá si sigo la costa me comeré más carretera...
c) No sé si siguiendo el UlsterWay me será más fácil encontrar B&B, campings, o sitios donde poder acampar.

3. En Waterfoot (pasado Glenarm) me sudece lo mismo: Tengo la opción de seguir por la costa hasta Ballycastle (pasaría por Cushendall, Cushendun, y Torr.), o por el contrario hacer el MoyleWay, que se mete más por interior.

No sé que me recomendáis. Perdonar las dudas pero si lo hago quiero haber tomado las decisiones con más o menos seguridad, ya que no me conozco nada, iré solo....(El año pasado me hice el South Downs Way del sur de inglaterra! desde Winchester hasta Eastbourne. Os lo recomiendo!)

Muchísimas gracias por vuestro tiempo.

Hola Oscar:

Las indicaciones a lo largo del camino serán las mismas en ambos sentidos, aunque podría haber algunas excepciones.

Por lo que se refiere al camino para recorrer (si él de la costa o del interior) mucho depende de lo que te interesa más explorar. Como se puede apreciar en este mapa, en algunos tramos el camino de la costa no está señalizado y coincide con la carretera así que puede ser más traficado. El camino evidenciado en rojo, al contrario, se encuentra en su mayoría fuera de las carreteras y está señalizado. Para hacerte una idea de cómo se presenta cada tramo del camino, puedes hacer click en la parte que te interese para más detalles sobre el terreno y la dificultad del trayecto.

En cuanto a la posibilidad de encontrar campings, hay mucha oferta a lo largo de toda la ruta, puedes echar un vistazo a los campings recomendados aquí.

Haces bien en preguntarnos acerca de tus dudas, ya que es un largo recorrido y merece la pena aprovecharlo al máximo. Esperamos que esta información te haya aclarado un poco las ideas y que disfrutes mucho también de este nuevo reto.

Quedamos a tu disposición para más preguntas o dudas,

Saludos,

Valentina

Hi Oscar,

How are your plans coming along? The weather here has been cold with plenty of rain in recent days so I suggest that you bring warm and perhaps waterproof clothing!

Once you reach Ballycastle you can follow the coast right the way around to Portstewart.  There are some sections which you may have to move slightly inland, for example the section passing Whitepark Bay beach which is dependent on tide times.

For more information on the Causeway Coastal walking route please see: https://www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/CausewayCoastWayGuide.pdf.  The guide explains each section and what you can expect along the way.

Should you require any further information or indeed information on accommodation in the area, please get in touch with Coleraine Visitor Information Centre and we will be more than happy to help.

Happy walking!

Alison