Enjoy a bike tour where you visit many of the best known landmarks on the island of Ireland. This tour follows the North Coast with ever changing and dramatic coastal views. Start your journey in historic Derry City. Along the way you stay in pretty towns and villages. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to stroll or swim at one of the many sandy beaches. Visit Bushmills and sample the whiskey from the world’s oldest distillery. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, this cycling holiday will take you to many of its iconic filming locations.
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On this self-guided bike tour we use small family run bed and breakfasts and guest houses, apart from Derry where you stay in a small hotel. We have chosen the accommodation carefully to best suit the needs of the cyclist. The locations are in pretty towns and villages. We have chosen locations close to the village centres where you can comfortably walk to local restaurants and pubs.
Choose a single, double (one double bed) or twin (two single beds) room. Rooms have their own private bathroom.
We choose locations as close as possible to the village or town centre, so that you will be able to stroll out in the evenings to have a meal and then afterwards you can check out the local entertainment!
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This cycling holiday begins in Derry/Londonderry – Northern Ireland’s second city. It is easily reached by direct bus from Belfast International and Belfast City Airport. There are also direct bus services to Dublin Airport.
From Belfast International Airport
Aircoach bus service direct from both airports every hour. Aircoach Website
From Belfast City
Direct buses every half Hour Timetable Search for bus route 212
Frequent trains Timetable Click on Train Timetable and scroll down to find the Belfast – Derry route.
Note: Buses may be more convenient as the railway station is located on the opposite side of the river from your accommodation.
From Dublin Airport and Dublin City
Frequent direct buses Timetable Search for route X3
If you are arriving in Ireland at a different location and would like advice on how to get here, let us know and we will help you to plan your journey.
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Regular bus service to Ballymena Timetable Search for route 150, then train and bus connections to Belfast, Derry/Londonderry and elsewhere. Train and bus timetable search for bus route 120, or for train timetable click train and scroll down for timetable.
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To book the Causeway Coast self-guided bike tour with Ireland by Bike
1: Book Online
Please use the booking form opposite. Once you have completed the form you will be asked to pay a deposit of €100 to secure your booking. Please note that this deposit is non returnable so it is important that you have all your travel details correct before proceeding to book.
2: Confirmation
We will contact you confirming your booking. We will send you your invoice for the balance along with other details.
3: Pay Balance
Full payment is required at least 4 weeks before your arrival date.
Once we have received full payment we will email you your bike tour accommodation list, along with your guide notes and any other essential information.
4: Enjoy Your Adventure
We will meet you on the morning of your first cycle and get you set up with your bike, notes, GPS etc . Time to relax and really enjoy your adventure.
Please see our Booking Terms and Conditions.
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Day 1: Arrive Derry/Londonderry
Arrive in historic Derry/Londonderry, the only city in Ireland with its full medieval walls still intact. This vibrant city is rich in culture and history. Walking the walls takes around one hour. It is a great way to explore both old and recent history, as well as offering great views of the city. Derry has many lively bars and restaurants, making it the perfect location for the first night of your Irish Cycling Adventure.
Day 2: Derry/Londonderry to Moville. 38 km
Your cycling tour starts by following the pleasant path along the River Foyle — taking you north and out of the city centre. Soon you will be cycling along quiet country roads, leading you across the border into County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland. Bike through pleasant green pastures with Lough Foyle on one side and the Inishowen hills on the other. Continue north to the pleasant seaside town of Moville, where you stay for the night.
Day 3: Moville to Portstewart. 43 km
A short cycle will take you to the ferry terminal in the pretty fishing village of Greencastle. The 15 minute ferry crossing (€5 not incluede) brings you to Magilligan Point in Northern Ireland. Cycle to Downhill Beach and Demesne with the iconic Mussenden Tower. Game of Thrones fans will easily recognise this place. Cycle on to the university town of Coleraine at the mouth of the River Bann. A little further along the coast is your overnight stop in the pretty seaside town of Portstewart.
Day 4: Portstewart to Ballycastle. 43 km
Today your cycling tour brings you to some of the most iconic locations in all of Northern Ireland. You’ll pass Dunluce Castle, impossibly perched on a cliff top. Cycle to Bushmills, where you can sample a whiskey from the world’s oldest distillery. Then it’s on to the legendary Giant’s Causeway. Further along the coast, an extra cycle will take you to the vertigo-inducing Carrick-a-Reed Rope Bridge. Tonight you’ll stay in the lovely seaside town of Ballycastle, where the views from the harbour will make you want to sit and relax forever.
Day 5: Ballycastle. 44 km
Choose between resting, visiting Rathlin Island or a loop cycle to the Dark Hedges. Rathlin Island is a magical place. (Ferry tickets not included.) Life moves at a different pace here. Its lighthouses are well worth a visit. The west lighthouse perched on the cliff edge is also a seabird observation point. If you are a Game of Thrones fan you will need no introduction to the Dark Hedges. This is one of the most photographed sites in Northern Ireland. A 35 km cycle through the lovely rolling Ulster countryside will bring you to this iconic location.
Day 6: Ballycastle to Cushendall. 30 km
Amazing sea views greet you at every turn as you cycle along the north east corner of Ireland. The rolling road takes you past beautiful Fair Head and Torr Head, and into the pretty town of Cushendun. You are now in the heart of the Glens of Antrim. Follow the coast south to your destination in Cushendall. This lovely coastal village is located where Glenballyeamon reaches the sea.
Day 7: The Glens of Antrim. 25/47km
A day to explore the beautiful Glens. A leisurely 25 km cycle will allow you to explore Glenballyeamonn and Glenariff, “Queen of the Glens”. A longer cycle will take you through the quieter but no less beautiful Glendun and Glenann. Whichever option you choose you can enjoy a great downhill cycle back to the sea, and a final night in Cushendall.
Day 8: Depart.
Following breakfast, easy bus connections will bring you to Belfast or back to Derry. There you may continue your travels, or make your way home.
Tuesday 03 June, Tuesday 01 July, Tuesday 26 August.
Available to groups of 6 or more (Subject to availability)
Price per person sharing: €1,490
Single occupancy: €280
Bicycle: €100
E-bike: €230
• Bed and breakfast accommodation in B&B’s and small hotels
• Welcome meeting and bike set up on arrival evening or first morning
• Luggage transfers
• Comprehensive guide booklet
• Maps and turn by turn directions
• GPS unit with all routes pre-programmed (one per room)
• GPX tracks available pre-tour. (If you would like to use your own GPS device or mobile app)
• Emergency support
• Travel to and from start/finish of tour
• Meals other than breakfast
• Entry to sites and attractions not included as part of the tour
• Evening entertainment
“Ireland by Bike tours are awesome! I recently completed the Causeway Coast tour (my second time on this tour) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenery was stunningly beautiful, the b&b’s were nice, and the local pubs were charming. This tour was my fourth with Ireland by Bike. I really appreciate the quiet roads on the routes they chose, the accurate route guidance on the garmins they provide, and the transfer of luggage from b&b to b&b. Terrific value for the cost of the tour. I can’t recommend these tours highly enough!” Doug Darby – Portland, ME – September 2023
Posted on Google
Note: Below Review is of 3 combined Ireland by Bike Tours, Sligo Single Centre Tour, Highlights of Donegal Bike Tour and Causeway Coast Bike Tour.
21 Day custom tour from Sligo to Cushendall. “Amy and I contacted Ireland by Bike to create a 21 day custom bike tour combining several of their tours of the Wild Atlantic Way, Donegal and the Causeway/Antrim coastal route. Seamus and Nora were a pleasure to work with and were excellent communicators. They were more than willing to create an itinerary and route that met all of our expectations and more.
We had originally planned to ride the tour in May of 2023, and had paid for and booked the trip and flights. Unfortunately, we had to cancel due to a bike crash injury Amy had prior to the trip that needed time for rehab. No problem! Seamus and Nora cheerfully returned our funds and said to contact them when we were ready to ride again.
We booked for September and again, Seamus and Nora had our logistics and tour route ready to go. We had a four day layover enroute to Dublin in Reykjavik, Iceland to get synced up with the time zone change ( 8 hours forward!) and jet lag relief. We strongly recommend this option as we were ready to ride when we arrived in Ireland.
We met Seamus in Sligo to get our tour briefing and e-bikes. We had a nice visit with him and went over our itinerary, GPS and bicycle operating details. He was very informative and helpful, providing us with all we needed to start our tour.
All of the routes and side trips were just what we hoped for. Amazing scenery, abundant historical sites to visit and, most importantly, back roads with minimal vehicle traffic. I can honestly say that we encountered more sheep and farm tractors than other motor vehicles. While we had to ride some busy highways, they were of short duration and usually had a bike path or lane for us to ride on.
The lodging they arranged for us was exceptional! We enjoyed our stay and meals at all of them, and the hosts were very friendly and helpful. Their local knowledge of places to hike and visit and evening meal options were invaluable. Our luggage was always waiting for us at our evening destination.
Our rental bikes, GPS and guide books provided by Ireland by Bike were accurate, dependable and easy to use. That’s not to say we didn’t manage to occasionally “create” our own routes, but that was operator error, and we
never got lost.
We had the pleasure of meeting Nora in Carrick at the company building while riding to Glencolmcille. Seamus met with us again in Letterkenney to provide a GPS and guide books for the back half of our tour ending at Cushendall.
It’s hard to say which part of the tour was our favorite, as every leg had it’s own unique, exceptional character and scenery. The hiking days we had scheduled at Slieve League and Glen’s Head are memorable and were a nice break from being in the saddle.
The side trips and ferry rides to Arranmore and Rathlin Islands were spectacular, as was the riding and scenery.
We would not hesitate to recommend Ireland By Bike for those wishing to book a bike tour. Ours was truly a trip of a lifetime, and everyone who has
viewed our photos agrees!” F + A Clements, September 2023
Posted on Tripadvisor
“Wow. Seamus and co have it put together. We took a slightly altered tour (changed a bit from their standard tour) starting in Derry and ending in Ballycastle. All of the inns we stayed in were wonderful, welcoming, and ready for all aspects of our luggage and then our bikes. The GPS navigation system, in combination with their printed material, and occasionally Google maps, insured that we knew where we were at all times. The bikes and all of the gear felt new and in perfect working order. The routes that were chosen were wonderfully varied – mountain passes, pastureland, bike paths near cities, etc. There was very little time needed to be spent on busy roads and we never felt endangered in any way. And Seamus is a really nice guy that is super organized and communicative. We simply LOVED every aspect of our trip. I couldn’t recommend Ireland by Bike enough.” Barry Wright – July 2022
Posted on Google
“We just completed an absolutely wonderful tour along the Northern Ireland Coast. I’d never even been to Ireland, so these folks answered all my questions and really tailored this excursion to my needs. I was really impressed by how well planned yet flexible my experience was. Absolutely recommended, you will completely enjoy it!” Kathryn Rathke – July 2022
Posted on Google
“It was a wonderful trip and we are so happy we did our first bike tour with Ireland by Bike. Company was great and well organized. Routes were great and distances just right.” Katharine and Chuck Hope, CA, U.S.A. May 2019
“Thanks again for the flawless organization and support during our recent trips (August 2019). We had a fabulous time and have recommended Ireland by Bike to all of our friends here in Switzerland. Don’t be surprised if you soon see a deluge of Swiss adventure seekers. We very much appreciated the personal attention from you and the friendly welcomes we received from everyone along the route… it seems you two are on a first name basis with everyone we met!” Chris and Bettina Venezia, (Prangins, Switzerland). Causeway Coast Tour + Backroads and Beyond Tour. August 2019
“We were pleased beyond words with the two tours (Yeats Country & Lakelands and The Causeway Coast) we took in August, 2019 with Ireland by Bike. The owners have planned extraordinarily beautiful routes through Northwest and Northern Ireland, chosen charming B&B’s, supplied near flawless cue sheets/maps paired with a GPS unit, and provided exceptional in-person and phone-call service. The scenery on The Causeway Coast tour was absolutely stunning with dramatic cliffs meeting the sea, lush farmland with roller coaster hills, and deep green glens. Seamus and Nora, your cycling tours top our list of favorites!”
Julane and Art Anderson, Maryland, U.S.A. Yeats Country and Lakelands + Causeway Coast August 2019.
See Julane and Art’s wonderful photo album and commentary here: (External Link)
Loved it! “We are avid cyclists from Florida. My boyfriend and I just completed the causeway tour-8 day 7 night. It was wonderful. The countryside was amazing, the routes were rural, which as a cyclist was great. Lots of hills in Ireland. Scenery is amazing. I used the electric assist bike, my boyfriend, who is a much stronger cyclist used a regular bike. The bed and breakfast’s each night were perfect. Just remember to bring rain gear. Jacket, pants and shoe cover. It rained every day, some worse than others but we still enjoyed it very much and would do another tour with this company.” Igs0407, Lakeland FL – September 2018
Posted on Tripadvisor
Below you will find the answer to some of the most commonly asked questions about this tour. For other more general FAQ’s please visit our FAQ page.
Who is this tour suitable for?
This tour is suitable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness who is comfortable cycling 40 – 50 km (25 – 30 miles) on a typical day. It is important to note that on some days the routes are very hilly. Experienced cyclists will have no difficulty with the distances and hills. If this tour appeals to you but you are worried about the hills, we recommend using an e-bike.
Will I be cycling along with others?
It is quite likely but not guaranteed that others will be following the same routes as you. However as this is a self-guided bike tour there is no guarantee that you will be along with others.
Is this tour on cycle paths or public roads?
For most of this tour you are on roads that are also open to traffic. There are some dedicated cycle paths in towns like Derry and Coleraine where you would expect to find the heaviest traffic. There is also a section on gravel along the old railway line between Bushmills and the Giant’s Causeway. There are some short stretches on roads with moderate traffic. However even here traffic is limited and cycling is not difficult.
Are the routes hilly?
The routes on this bike tour are very hilly. (This is partly why it is so beautiful) Most hills are not long however the gradient varies constantly from gentle to very steep. On an average day where you would typically cycle 40 km (30 miles) you can expect an elevation gain of approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft). Using an electric bike will make the hills seem non-existent.
How do I get to the start?
This bike tour starts in Derry City (Londonderry) It has regular direct bus connections to Belfast and Dublin Airports. There are also direct connections to Ireland West (Knock) Airport. To see links to websites with more information and timetables click on the “Getting Here” tab above. If you are flying Trans-Atlantic it is worth noting that most flights are overnight – arriving in Ireland in the early morning so you may want to consider a “recovery day” before starting to cycle.
How do I get from the end of the tour?
The tour finishes in Cushendall in the Heart of the Glens of Antrim. There are bus connections to Ballymena where you will find frequent bus or train connections to Belfast or back to Derry.
What is the currency?
In Northern Ireland the currency is the British Pound (sterling) £
In the Republic of Ireland the currency is the Euro €
“We were pleased beyond words with the two tours (Yeats Country & Lakelands and The Causeway Coast) we took in August, 2019 with Ireland by Bike. The owners have planned extraordinarily beautiful routes through Northwest and Northern Ireland, chosen charming B&B’s, supplied near flawless cue sheets/maps paired with a GPS unit, and provided exceptional in-person and phone-call service. The scenery on The Causeway Coast tour was absolutely stunning with dramatic cliffs meeting the sea, lush farmland with roller coaster hills, and deep green glens. Seamus and Nora, your cycling tours top our list of favorites!”
Julane and Art Anderson, Maryland, U.S.A. Yeats Country and Lakelands + Causeway Coast August 2019.
See Julane and Art’s wonderful photo album and commentry here: (External Link)