Kinbane Castle — Attraction in Ireland

A fantastic distraction whilst traversing the Causeway Coastline. I hadn't heard of this point of interest before I visited, and just happened upon it when exploring the northern coast one Sunday afternoon. It is situated just about half a mile from the main road, so access is easy, and it has a decent sized car park on the cliff with a good view of the coast, Rathlin Island and, on a good day, the Mull of Kintyre.

The castle itself is on the headland at the base of the cliff. As a warning: this means that accessibility can be difficult! There is a large narrow stairway that leads round the cliff to ascend and descend, and this will potentially be difficult for some. Once on the headland there are parts that are weathered and natural meaning it can be a scramble along some muddier parts in some weather if you wish to head to the signalling point. You can see part of the stairs and the muddy path in one of my pics. It's not a huge issue for most, but could be a big hindrance for some. Sensible footwear is a must.

There are good information boards to tell you about the headland and its use.

There is a small building which possibly used to be a toilet in the car park that is no longer open. The nearest settlement isn't far away though.

All in all I spent a good 45 mins here whilst out and about. A good distraction if you are in the area...

Just a few miles from Ballycastle - in the direction that takes you to Giants Causeway - you turn down a signed narrow road that takes you to a car park. Castle is a bit of an overstatement, its a 16th Century fortified watchtower, I suppose, and it isn't of itself that interesting. However, it sits on a limestone promontory from where you can look back and can get a seagull's eye view of a spectacular part of the Antrim coast. To get there you will have to walk down a long series of steps ( not forgetting the climb back up). It's a fairly narrow path on the promontory and you should have a reasonable head for heights.

If this seems a bit of a slog then just stay in the car park and enjoy the view from this under visited spot (maybe that's a good thing) it is absolutely beautiful. From here you can see along the cliff coast back towards Fairhead with a fantastic view of Rathlin island and between them, shimmering in the distance,...

Kinbane Castle (Caisleán Ceinn Bán, White Head Castle, Kenbane/Kenbaan Castle) is located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on a headland between Ballycastle and Ballintoy. The name comes from the Irish for "white head", referring to the limestone of the promontory. Nowadays, the castle is largely destroyed. Kinbane Castle is a State Care Historic Monument sited in the townland of Cregganboy, in Moyle District Council area, at grid ref: D0876 4383.[2] The area surrounding Kinbane Castle is a Scheduled Historic Monument, grid ref: D0879 4381.The site also has views of Rathlin Island and Dunagregor Iron Age fort. In 1547, a two-storey castle was built at the headland by Colla MacDonnell. The castle was damaged and partly destroyed due to English sieges under Sir James Croft in the 1550s. Rebuilt afterwards, Colla MacDonnell died at the castle in 1558, and his son Gillaspick MacDonnell subsequently...