Things to do in Ballycastle
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Aquasports
Offers a range of high-speed boat trips out of Ballycastle harbour, including wildlife tours, cruises along the coast to the Giant's Causeway and tours around Rathlin Island from £25 per person.
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Ballycastle Charters
Three-hour sea-angling trips depart at 11am and 7pm daily except Sunday in summer, and cost £20/15 per adult/child including tackle, bait and lessons.
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Bonamargy Friary
Just east of town are the ruins of Bonamargy Friary, founded in 1485. It's an attractive site to explore, but sadly the vault – which contains the tombs of MacDonnell chieftains, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell of Dunluce Castle – is not open to the public.
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Marconi Memorial
In the harbour car park, the Marconi Memorial is a plaque at the foot of a rock pinnacle. Guglielmo Marconi's assistants contacted Rathlin Island by radio from Ballycastle in 1898 to prove to Lloyds of London that wireless communication was a viable proposition. The idea was to send notice to London or Liverpool of ships arriving safely after a transatlantic crossing – most vessels on this route would have to pass through the channel north of Rathlin.
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Thyme & Co
Thyme is a welcoming cafe with the distinction of a menu that is chock-a-block with homemade dishes prepared using local produce as much as possible – lush salads, shepherd's pie, salmon and egg crumble. Great homebaked scones and excellent coffee, too.
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Ballycastle Museum
The tiny museum in the town's 18th-century courthouse has a collection of Irish arts and crafts works.
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Pantry
Housed in a former printer's shop with a lovely original black-and-white mosaic floor, this brisk and cheerful cafe serves a wide range of sandwiches, from pitta to panini and bagels to baguettes, as well as cappuccino and homemade cakes. It's uphill from the Diamond.
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Wysner's
Popular with locals and visitors alike, Wysner's has a café at street level serving hearty lunches such as sausages with bacon-and-leek mash and onion gravy, and a restaurant upstairs with more sophisticated fare – steak, salmon or scallops – in the evenings.
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Quay 26
Seafood is the main item on the menu at this minimalist, modern restaurant with a view across the marina to the cliffs of Fair Head – mussels in white wine and garlic, grilled sea bream, and smoked haddock with bacon, chive and cheese mash. There’s also Irish venison, lamb shank, and roast veggie linguini for those who don’t fancy the fish.
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Cellar Restaurant
This cosy little basement restaurant with intimate wooden booths and a big fireplace is the place to sample Ulster produce – locally caught crab claws grilled with garlic butter, and Carrick-a-Rede salmon are both on the menu, along with Irish beef and lamb, and lobster from Rathlin Island. There are also good vegetarian dishes such as baked peppers stuffed with mushroom and shallot.
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