The Antrim Coast is 97km (60 miles) long, stretching north of Larne and west past Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway to Portrush. If you start in gorgeous Glenarm, with its castle walls and barbican gate, and head north along the coast from there, the route takes in sweeping views of midnight-blue sea against gray unforgiving cliffs and deep green hillsides. As you arc around the northern headlands, the road passes through the National Trust village of Cushendun [S], with its tea shops and perfect Cornish-style cottages, and a string of bustling beach towns at the foot of rocky cliffs (Portstewart, Portballintrae, Portrush, Ballycastle). Along the way the coastal drive meanders under bridges and stone arches, passing crescent bays, sandy beaches, harbors, and huge rock formations. The ocean gleams beside you as you curve along its craggy shoreline, and the light creates intense colors. In the spring and autumn, you can often have the road all to yourself. In Carnlough, a quiet village with a glassy harbor, you can climb the white stone bridge and walk along a path for about a mile to the Cranny Falls waterfall. Later, for spectacular views, turn off the main coastal road at Cushendun onto the Torr Head Scenic Road (it's signposted), although note that this narrow, rugged, cliff-side road is not for those with fears of heights. It climbs in seemingly perilous fashion to the tops of hills that are bigger than you might think, and on a clear day, you can see all the way to the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. Arguably the best views are to be had at Murlough Bay (follow the signs off the scenic road). In the late spring and summer, you can take a ferry from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island, where seals and nesting birds make their homes at the Kebble National Reserve. Near Ballycastle, the town of Ballintoy is a picture postcard waiting to happen, stretched out at the edge of White Park Bay, with its wide, sandy beach at the foot of rocky hills. Finally, you can take in the eerily lunar Giant's Causeway -- a true natural wonder.
