A 360 Degree Video Experience of Ballintoy Harbour

Check out this amazing 360 Degree Video Experience of Ballintoy Harbour and see it in all of its beautiful glory. The harbour offer’s stunning views and peaceful walks and there are some lovely Ballintoy harbour cottages and its possible to see sheep island and the rope bridge in the distance. All this in our 360 degree video!

Northern Townland

Ballintoy is a nice small village having a small harbour there. There are plenty of rocks in the water around the place. During the high tide, the water from the waves splashes on (or over) them continuously. The combination of the wind and the splashing sound makes the place is amusingly lyrical.

The small fishing harbour can be found at the end of a small narrow steep road down Knocksaughey Hill, which passes by the entrance to Larrybane and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Ballintoy provides an exposed anchorage where the rock stacks and islands afford limited shelter in settled or offshore conditions but an entirely comfortable overnight stop would be unlikely. In northerly conditions, the Atlantic Ocean rolls directly into the harbour with formidable force and groundswell batters the harbour area. Access requires attentive navigation preferably in daylight as there are islands, stacks and covered rocks on one side of the entrance path. The direction and velocity of the tide should be the central feature of any navigation planning in this area.

Steep in History

The village itself, which is just one kilometre from the harbour, has a charming array of small shops, two churches, including the quaint white Ballintoy Parish Church on the hill above the harbour, as well as tourist accommodation, restaurants, commercial and social facilities.

Ballintoy Harbour, meaning ‘Town of the North’, is built with limestone blocks in a roughly triangular shape at the edge of Ballintoy town. No matter the weather, the crowd of small boats and surrounding rocks make for a fantastic photo of the Northern Irish coast, which extends to Ballycastle on one side and Whitepark Bay on the other.

The harbour extends to Sheep Island with a further reef to Larrybane, the perfect arrangement for a professional photo enthusiast. The popular walk from Whitepark to Ballintoy has some fantastic sights to explore; the rock formations between the two are colloquially known as ‘The Park End’ and attract some of Ireland’s most ferocious waves, given their shape and positioning.

Ballintoy Harbour has a rich history affixed to it, and to this day, it is a respected fishing and trade post. While exploring the maritime culture celebrated here, you will feel as though you have taken a true step back in time through Northern Ireland’s past. The aesthetic matches that of the hobbit homeland of The Shire – a stunning array of rocky shores, quaint hills and village shops that delight the travellers who visit.

The walk between Ballintoy to Whitepark Bay, which follows an ancient pathway, is also worth taking. The bay is known as a ‘raised beach.’ Rich in flora and fauna, the ancient sand dune system also contains several carbon-dated Neolithic sites, and arrowheads are occasionally found there.

Nature and Wonder

There are several small pots (holes) in the stone. Water uses to come inside during high tide with a fierce might. It looks like the water is trying to crash the hole down. But the solid stone is still standing there. Those holes are really deadly. The level of water rises very quickly. And sometimes too much water cannot escape, and that causes hissing sound.

The Harbour has been used as a filming location in HBO’s epic series Game of Thrones. The stunning harbour location has been used for exterior Pyke shots and as the Iron Islands.

Also, check out some of our other 360 Video experiences of Belfast and Northern Ireland.