GLENARIFF FOREST

 Glenariff Forest Park is situated amid the world famous Glens of Antrim, an area to which tourists have been coming for over a century. Glenariff, the Queen of the Glens, is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the nine Antrim Glens.
The Park, now including the former Parkmore Forest, covers an area of 1185 ha of which 900 ha have been planted with trees. The remainder consists of several small lakes, recreation areas and open space left for landscape and conservation reasons.Bisecting the Park are two small but beautiful rivers; the Inver and the Glenariff, containing spectacular waterfalls, tranquil pools and stretches of fast flowing water tumbling through rocky steep-sided gorges.
The soil over most of the forest is of low fertility being mainly peat over basalt. Along the river glens the relatively more fertile clays support a greater variety of plants and better tree growth.
The main tree species is Sitka spruce, a North American conifer, but Douglas fir, Japanese larch, Lodgepole pine and Norway spruce are also grown. Along the Inver and Glenariff rivers there are some beautiful areas of broad-leaved woodland mostly Oak and Beech.
The diversity of topography, woodland and habitats found within Glenariff Forest Park provide, for the visitor, an area of superb natural beauty in which to walk, enjoy the tranquility and admire the spectacular views.

CARRICK-A-REDE

 Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge near, Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National Trust, spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below.[1] Today the bridge is mainly a tourist attraction, with 227,000 visitors in 2007. The bridge is now taken down every year in late October or early November, depending on weather conditions, having been put up in March.
Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat
It is no longer used by fishermen during the salmon season, which used to last from June until September, as there are now very few salmon left.
The area is exceptional in natural beauty with stunning views of Rathlin Island and Scotland. The site and surrounding area is an Area of Special Scientific Interest, with unique geology, flora and fauna. Underneath large caves are visible, which once served as home for boat builders and as shelter during stormy weather.

MURLOUGH BAY AND FAIR HEAD

 Fair Head is one of the great headlands of Ireland, its sheer face rising some 600 feet above sea level, making it Northern Ireland’s tallest cliff face. Its impressive profile can be seen from Ballycastle and many other points along the North Coast.
The gentler slopes and wooded areas of Murlough Bay to the east provide a contrast to the starkness of Fair Head.
Both sites are accessible by car and offer excellent walking opportunities, more challenging at Fair Head than at Murlough. The easiest point from which to explore Fair Head is from the Trust’s car park at Coolanlough (at the end of the Fair Head road), with a walk of about a mile north to the cliff-top. Murlough Bay is best explored from the main car park at the top of a steep narrow lane down to the shore. There is another small car park at the foot of the steep road. Cars should be not be taken beyond this point, as the road is liable to subsidence

LAYDE CUSHENDALL

Layde enjoys a secluded coastal site nestled among the scenic Glens of Antrim. A path runs from the National Trust car park to a small beach, passing the ruins of Layde Church which dates from around 1300. The graveyard surrounding the church was for many generations the chief burial ground for the ruling McDonnell family. Amongst those buried there is Dr. James McDonnell who organised the Belfast Harpers’ Festival of 1792 – an event designed to reverse the decline of traditional Irish harp music.
How to get there
Car park located less than half a mile from the centre of Cushendall along the short length of coast road opposite the square tower. Cushendall can be reached either from Ballycastle (15 miles) by the A2 or from Ballymena by the B14 (18 miles).