Runkerry Beach (Portballintrae) (Bushfoot Strand)

Set just around the corner from the Giant’s Causeway, Runkerry Strand is a wonderfully wild crescent of golden sand. The beach stretches for around 400 metres from the mouth of the River Bush towards Runkerry Point.

Runkerry beach is possibly the most exposed on the Northern Ireland coast. This is great news for surfers as there are nearly always waves here. It isn’t such good news if you fancy a dip as the currents can be particularly fierce. If you do want to swim we’d recommend Whiterocks beach a few miles down the coast which has a seasonal lifeguard.

Running through the dunes behind the beach is the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Heritage Railway. The narrow gauge train offers a 2 mile / 15 minute ride from Bushmills (just up the road from Portballintrae) to the Causeway with three trains a day.

Whilst on the beach you can’t help but notice the imposing mansion built on Runkerry headland - this is Runkerry House. The house was built for Sir Edward Macnaghten, a wealthy London politician and barrister, in the 1860s. These days it has been divided into private apartments.