Castlerock & Downhill
Castlerock lies west of Portrush along the North Coast and is a small coastal town with a relaxed atmosphere, a fine golden sandy beach and an excellent championship golf course. An ideal spot for those seeking a relaxing break in an area where boating, fishing, walking, golf and tennis are the most popular activities.
Only eight miles from Coleraine and the bustling resort towns of Portrush and Portstewart beyond, Castlerock enjoys the best of both worlds as a quiet retreat within easy reach of the amenities and entertainments of it's larger neighbours. Portrush and Coleraine can both be reached by train from Castlerock along one of the most scenic stretches of railway line in Northern Ireland. Nearby, the beautiful beach and attractions at Downhill are watched over by the famous Mussenden Temple - one of the most photographed and painted landscapes in Ireland.
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HISTORY
Castlerock - Carraig Ceasail, named for the fortress-like rock outcrops on the shore – is today a quiet resort nestled between golden sands, forests and hills and offering a wide variety of activities.
Castlerock is situated just a kilometre from where the River Bann meets the sea – The Bar Mouth. Castlerock was a backwater hamlet until a Victorian railway company built a station and then in order to generate passenger traffic ‘designed’ a town and offered virtually give-away sites for the building of houses. Problems of land title, however, delayed full development until the early 1950s and since then the town has blossomed, not just with housing, but with high quality holiday park facilities.
ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS
Forest and coastal walks, pony trekking, tennis, bowls and of course golf (with the bonus of magnificent views), as well as sea bathing and surfing, are among the holiday activities of the area, but it is also a treasure house of some more esoteric interests. More than 100 varieties of shells can be found along its beaches and, for the lucky, the sand dunes can yield stone and bone implements left by Ireland’s early inhabitants, for which the mouth of the Bann was the gateway.
The Bar Mouth itself, protected by the National Trust, is one of the most fruitful bird-watching sites in the north of Ireland, being on the migratory route of many winter visitors and with important populations of nesting and wading birds. For a small fee the key to Grangemore Bird Hide (which has facilities for the disabled) can be obtained from the warden by phoning 028 7084 8728. There are also scheduled summer cruises to the Bar Mouth to watch birds feeding in the estuary during low tides, giving you the perfect opportunity to relax and admire the natural environment whilst enjoying your favourite tipple.
Downhill – originally the parish of Dun Bo, meaning ‘the enclosure of the cows’ is situated just west of Castlerock. For lovers of relaxation, the enthusiastic beach walker, the beachcomber or shell collector Downhill Strand is a little piece of heaven all year round.
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Downhill marks the start of several miles of golden sandy beach which leads to Magilligan Strand, which includes Benone Beach and eventually links to Magilligan point and Lough Foyle. The delicate dune system along this stretch of coast is now preserved as a Geological Area of Special Scientific Interest. Its western end, at the mouth of Lough Foyle, is marked by one of the Martello Watch Towers built round the Irish coast to warn local people of a feared Napoleonic invasion.
Sandwiched between the sea and a line of imposing high basalt cliffs, the northern flank of Binevenagh Mountain, Downhill is an excellent spot for bathing, surfing and walking where one can enjoy a wonderful vista of moorland, forest and coast. Gortmore Picnic Site, 900 feet above sea level, offers a breathtaking panorama from Binevenagh, across Lough Foyle to Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula, the Scottish islands and to the east the great cliff bastions of the Causeway coast. Follow the steeply inclined Bishops Road from Downhill to reach Gortmore.
The area is also renowned for the dramatically sited Downhill Castle which, together with Bishop’s Gate and Mussenden Temple, is maintained by the National Trust. Built in 1772 by the globe-trotting Earl of Bristol - also at one time Bishop of Derry - it once housed a collection of treasures he amassed on his travels, including rare manuscripts and books, sculptures, paintings and antiquities. A disastrous fire in 1851 destroyed much of the collection and the castle was never restored to its former glory. It remains an interesting ruin.
The original entrance to the Castle, a fine classical lion gate known as Bishop’s Gate, now leads to Portvantage Glen, a pleasant, tranquil park with a nature trail, fish pond, car park and picnic area. Downhill Forest, across the main road, boasts a collection of rare trees and two sparkling waterfalls, as well as a mound known as Dungannon Hill, the remains of a prehistoric settlement.
An outstanding and endlessly photographed landmark of Downhill is Mussenden Temple. Perched on the cliff-top, it is a classical folly built by the Earl Bishop in 1783 after a trip to Italy where the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli had inspired him. Around the border of the urn-crowned dome is the inscription: ‘Tis pleasant safely to behold from the shore the rolling ship and hear the tempest roar’. The Temple is open to the public from April to the end of October and is also available for private functions. Contact the National Trust (Tel: 028 7084 8728).