Mistakes I see tourists make when they visit Causeway Coast & Glens

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Apr 2025, 12:52 BST

There’s no doubt about the popularity of the Causeway Coast for tourists – whether it’s a day trip to the seaside or a longer stay by international visitors.

Jaw-dropping scenery, myths and legends, World Heritage sites, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, blue flag beaches, world class golf courses and top notch local cuisine – it’s understandable why tourists flock here in their tens of thousands each year.

But every day I see tourists making mistakes with their planning (or lack of planning!) which means they may be missing out on some real treats!

Here’s a few tips on making the most of the Causeway Coast and Glens area...

When there's a major event on around the Causeway Coast such as the North West 200 or the International Air Show, car parking spaces can be at a premium! And when there's a spell of great weather, it seems like most of Northern Ireland heads to the north coast - making car parking a little tricky! The Borough has thousands of car parking spaces so just plan your journey in advance - check out which car parks are free and which are paid-for, HOWEVER, one mistake that we constantly see visitors making is parking on beaches and on sand when advised not to! This can be a very costly mistake as cars easily get bogged down in the sand or worse still stuck fast as the tide comes in.

1. PARKING ON SAND

When there's a major event on around the Causeway Coast such as the North West 200 or the International Air Show, car parking spaces can be at a premium! And when there's a spell of great weather, it seems like most of Northern Ireland heads to the north coast - making car parking a little tricky! The Borough has thousands of car parking spaces so just plan your journey in advance - check out which car parks are free and which are paid-for, HOWEVER, one mistake that we constantly see visitors making is parking on beaches and on sand when advised not to! This can be a very costly mistake as cars easily get bogged down in the sand or worse still stuck fast as the tide comes in. Photo: NATIONAL TRUST PORTSTEWART

No trip to the seaside is complete without two things - a trip to the funfair and some fish and chips! The Causeway Coast and Glens area offers plenty of scope for a trip to the amusement arcades and funfairs - whether it's the pre-Lammas Show funfairs at Ballycastle or the amusements at Curry's and Kiddieland in Portrush. And, of course, the north coast offers a mouth-watering array of places to enjoy the traditional seaside favourite of fish and chips but a word of warning.... ...visitors, under no circumstances should you eat your fish supper BEFORE climbing into a waltzer, a swing boat or a rollercoaster. It's a disaster waiting to happen!

2. LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER

No trip to the seaside is complete without two things - a trip to the funfair and some fish and chips! The Causeway Coast and Glens area offers plenty of scope for a trip to the amusement arcades and funfairs - whether it's the pre-Lammas Show funfairs at Ballycastle or the amusements at Curry's and Kiddieland in Portrush. And, of course, the north coast offers a mouth-watering array of places to enjoy the traditional seaside favourite of fish and chips but a word of warning.... ...visitors, under no circumstances should you eat your fish supper BEFORE climbing into a waltzer, a swing boat or a rollercoaster. It's a disaster waiting to happen! Photo: GOOGLE

Come on, admit it - we've all had a little chuckle at visitors trying to wrap their minds (and tongues!) around the name of this Causeway Coast and Glens village - LISNAGUNOGUE. Coming from the Irish placename meaning 'the fort of the churns', when it comes to mispronounced placenames, this one has to the daddy of them all. For anyone not familiar with the village, it's pronounced LISS-NA-GUN-YAH.

3. GETTING THE NAMES WRONG

Come on, admit it - we've all had a little chuckle at visitors trying to wrap their minds (and tongues!) around the name of this Causeway Coast and Glens village - LISNAGUNOGUE. Coming from the Irish placename meaning 'the fort of the churns', when it comes to mispronounced placenames, this one has to the daddy of them all. For anyone not familiar with the village, it's pronounced LISS-NA-GUN-YAH. Photo: GOOGLE MAPS

OK, this mistake is not confined to visitors to the Causeway Coast. Locals are guilty of this - and they really should know better! There are thousands of parking spaces around the Borough. Yes, you may have to park somewhere and walk to get to your destination, especially on busy days. And yes, Portrush is a peninsula and there's one way in and one way out of it. BUT there is NO excuse for parking in prohibited areas such as the one pictured at Portrush's Ramore Head. Recently Coleraine Coastguard had to issue an appeal to drivers to stay out of the yellow box which is there for a reason - to allow quick access to emergency service vehicles.

4. PARKING IN PROHIBITED AREAS

OK, this mistake is not confined to visitors to the Causeway Coast. Locals are guilty of this - and they really should know better! There are thousands of parking spaces around the Borough. Yes, you may have to park somewhere and walk to get to your destination, especially on busy days. And yes, Portrush is a peninsula and there's one way in and one way out of it. BUT there is NO excuse for parking in prohibited areas such as the one pictured at Portrush's Ramore Head. Recently Coleraine Coastguard had to issue an appeal to drivers to stay out of the yellow box which is there for a reason - to allow quick access to emergency service vehicles. Photo: COLERAINE COASTGUARD

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