Castlerock
Castlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, with a population of 1287 in 2011. It's best known for Mussenden Temple perched on its cliffs.
Get in
[edit]
Trains run hourly from Belfast Great Victoria Street via Lanyon Place and other Belfast stations, Antrim (for International Airport), Ballymena and Coleraine, taking 90 min to Castlerock, then another 30 min to Londonderry. Change at Coleraine for trains to Ulster University and Portrush, and for buses along the Antrim coast to Bushmills, Giant's Causeway and Ballycastle.
1 Castlerock railway station is in town centre close to the beach.
Ulsterbus 134 / 234 runs M-Sa every couple of hours or so from Coleraine along the coast road A2 to Castlerock (20 min), Magilligan crossroads, Aghanloo Cross and Limavady. The 234 continues to Ballykelly, Eglinton (for City of Derry Airport) and Londonderry.
Get around
[edit]
Everything is within walking distance of the railway station.
See
[edit]- 1 Barmouth is the breakwater channeling the outflow of the River Bann. The breakwater on the other side is at the end of Portstewart Strand but there's no river crossing.
- 2 Hezlett House
- 3 Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne
Do
[edit]- Castlerock Golf Club is on Circular Rd 200 yards northeast of the railway station. Blue tees are 6767 yards, par 73, visitor round £75.
Buy
[edit]- Costcutter on Main St is open daily 8AM-9PM.
Eat
[edit]
- Bertha's Bar & Grill, 6 Sea Rd (north side of railway station), ☏ +44 28 7084-8888. Daily noon-11PM. Dog-friendly eating place and bar.
- Crusoes, 29 Sea Rd, ☏ +44 28 7084-9618. Daily 9AM-5PM. Cafe and fish & chips takeaway south side of railway station.
- The Village Kitchen has a takeaway (beside the butchers on Sea road) or a sit-in restaurant upstairs above the butchers
- the surf shack for coffees and watching the world go by
- the coffee hut on main street for cake and coffee
- See Bertha's above. Village Tavern is on the main road in Articlave 2 miles south of Castlerock.
Sleep
[edit]- Castlerock Holiday Park next to the railway station normally offers camping and tourer caravan pitches. In 2021 it's only available for static caravan longs lets.
- Downhill Beachhouse, Mussenden Rd BT51 4RP (100 yards east of railway station), ☏ +44 28 7084-9077. Normally a hostel, but 2021 it's only available for exclusive self-catering lets.
- 1 Carneety House, 120 Mussenden Rd BT51 4TX, ☏ +44 28 7084-8640. Friendly B&B on main road, handy for motorists.
Connect
[edit]As of May 2021, Castlerock has a 4G signal from all UK carriers, though coverage from Three is patchy at the edge of town. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
[edit]- Derry is a must-see historic city, with its ancient walls intact.
- Portstewart east across the estuary has another fine beach.
- Coleraine has Ulster University. It's short of sights, but you go that way for Bushmills and Giant's Causeway along the Antrim coast.