After another hearty breakfast we drove north to the coast and found Dunluce Castle a bit further west. Due to Heritage Open Days there was no admission fee which made up for the rain delay in the car and the brisk winds. Around 1500 the MacQuillans established the site as the center for their power. A half century later they were ousted by the MacDonnells, of Scottish descent. Despite their dominance in the area, they were greatly conflicted with many of the local families as well as the English Crown who was not taking a liking to their power. Before the end of the century there were more uprisings. Another fifty years later and Cromwell gave portions of the town and land to his soldiers. The castle went to ruins and parts were reused in other constructions. Fifteen years later ownership was returned to the MacDonnells who soon left it for another residence. Ruins remained when it went under State guardianship in 1928. The grand ocean views atop a cliff makes it seem like prime real estate.
Rain returned as we drove on to Portrush which is not of any interest other than its sweeping beach. Some interesting carved gaps in the stone cliffs are intriguing with one resembling elephants. While the rain abated we were able to meander the beach but soon it returned dampening us quite a bit. After deciding there was nothing in town to hold us we drove east to Ballycastle. We had made a ferry reservation for the next day but due to some difficult weather conditions the sailing was highly unlikely. As the terminal was in town we stopped in to confer with the agent and cancelled our plans.
The village is on a small inlet with some interesting shops and restaurants as well as a beach. Several boats are harbored there. After meandering around and enjoying seeing several vintage Mini Coopers we drove to the other side of town for dinner. The Cellar Restaurant is small and cozy with delicious plentiful dinners. This time we both chose salmon in a cream sauce with a very generous side of garlic sautéed potatoes.
The day’s weather was a mix of rain and sun along with gusts of wind. This might be the norm for our trip!