The full Causeway Coastal Route by campervan, from the Dark Hedges to Benone. Nineteen stops with the practical detail that matters when you’re driving a van: parking access, height barriers, charges and overnight options. Every stop pinned on an interactive map.
The Causeway Coastal Route is one of the best drives in Europe and it happens to be very well suited to a campervan. The distances between stops are short, the main coast road is wide and well surfaced, and almost every landmark along it has parking you can actually get a van into.
This guide covers the full route as seven areas, working east to west from the Dark Hedges to Benone Beach. Each one has its own stops, drive times, parking notes, places to eat and restock, and overnight options. Take the whole thing over five days or pick two areas for a weekend, it works either way.
We are based in Ballymoney, in the middle of it all. The Dark Hedges are fifteen minutes from our yard, Ballycastle is half an hour, and the Giant's Causeway is thirty five minutes. If you are hiring a campervan in Northern Ireland from us, you are on the route from the moment you pull out of the gate.
Every stop in this guide is pinned on the map below and colour coded by type: landmarks, scenic stops, food and drink, parking, and overnight options. Click the expand icon in the top left to open it in Google Maps, where you can get directions, save the route to your own account, or share it with whoever you are travelling with.
Use the layer toggle in the sidebar to turn categories on and off. If you only want overnight spots or food stops, filter down to just those and ignore the rest. The full breakdown of every pin, area by area, follows below.
These are the landmarks most people come to the Causeway Coast for, running east to west with drive times from our yard in Ballymoney. Each one is pinned on the map above with its category marker. The full list of nineteen stops, grouped by area with parking and practical detail, follows below.
An avenue of beech trees planted around 1775 along the approach to Gracehill House, and known worldwide since it appeared as the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones. Around ninety of the original one hundred and fifty trees are still standing. It is the closest landmark to our yard, which makes it the natural first stop of any trip with us.
Parking at The Hedges Hotel on Ballinlea Road, BT53 8PX. Large gravel car park, no height barrier, easy for any van. Bregagh Road itself is pedestrian only, so do not drive or park on it. Come before nine if you want photographs without people in them.
A small working harbour at the bottom of a steep hill, used as Pyke in Game of Thrones and a lovely spot in its own right. Limekiln ruins, rock pools and a cafe above the water, with the Sheep Island stacks offshore. Half a mile from Ballintoy village down to the harbour itself.
The road down is steep and narrow with hairpin bends and tight turning space at the bottom. This is one of the few places on the route where we would tell you to think before you descend. If you are in a larger van, park in the village and walk down instead. Toilets at the harbour and dogs are welcome.
A rope bridge strung across a twenty metre chasm, first put up by salmon fishermen in 1755. The name comes from the Gaelic Carraig-a-Rade, meaning the rock in the road. The cliff walk out to it is arguably better than the bridge itself, and most people spend about an hour and a half here.
National Trust car park on the B15, five miles west of Ballycastle. Timed entry booking is essential and slots sell out in summer, so book before you travel. If the bridge closes for high wind you get a full refund on pre-booked tickets. You can reach the viewpoint free without crossing. Dogs are not permitted on the bridge.
Around forty thousand interlocking basalt columns formed by cooling lava roughly sixty million years ago, and Northern Ireland's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the busiest stop on the route and it earns the attention. Go before ten or after four and it is a different place entirely to the middle of the day when the coaches arrive.
The car park has a vehicle size limit of 4.8m by 2.25m, so check your van's dimensions before you book online. Full detail in Area 5 below. Walking down to the stones is free, the charge covers parking and the visitor experience. Dogs are welcome throughout, including the guided tours.
Medieval ruins perched on a cliff edge with the sea directly below, and one of the most photographed castles in Ireland. Built by the MacQuillan family around 1500 and later held by the MacDonnells. Part of the kitchen reputedly fell into the sea in 1639, which tells you something about the location.
Dedicated car park across the road from the castle, with the approach from the A2 straightforward in any van. An admission charge applies to enter the grounds, but the roadside viewpoint is free and gives you the classic photograph. Around forty five minutes to look around properly, longer if the weather is good.
A small classical rotunda built on a cliff edge above Downhill Beach in 1785 by the Earl Bishop of Derry, modelled on the Temple of Vesta in Italy. One of the most striking man made things on the whole coast, with the railway line running along the sand directly below it.
National Trust car park at Lion's Gate, then around fifteen minutes on foot across open parkland to reach the temple. The wider demesne has the ruined mansion, a walled garden and the dovecote worth a look on the way round. Very exposed, so save it for a clear day. Dogs on leads are welcome.
The route breaks naturally into seven areas, each a cluster of stops close enough together to cover in half a day or so. They run east to west below, but you can pick them up in any order. If you only have a weekend, areas one, four and five give you the headline landmarks with the least driving.
Our own patch, and the natural starting point if you are collecting from us. Ballymoney is a working market town rather than a tourist stop, which makes it the best place on the whole route to load up before you head for the coast.
Stops: The Dark Hedges, Gracehill House, Ballymoney town centre.
Parking: Free parking for the Dark Hedges at The Hedges Hotel, Ballinlea Road, Stranocum, BT53 8PX. Large gravel car park, no height barrier, easy for any van. Bregagh Road is pedestrian access only.
Food and supplies: Full supermarkets in Ballymoney with parking that takes a van comfortably. Fuel in town. This is your cheapest and easiest restock of the trip, so do the big shop here rather than at the coast.
Overnight: Most people start early and push on to Ballycastle or Bushmills for the first night. If you are collecting late in the day, ask us and we will point you at the nearest option.
The eastern side of the route, inland and green rather than coastal and exposed. Worth a day if you have it, and the best part of the route in light rain when the waterfalls are running properly.
Stops: Glenariff Forest Park, Cushendun Caves, Fair Head, Murlough Bay.
Parking: Pay and display at Glenariff Forest Park, van accessible. Park in Cushendun village car park for the caves and walk down, the village streets are too narrow to take a van closer. Fair Head has a car park at the trailhead with a single track approach lane that is manageable. Murlough Bay has parking at the top of the descent, and we would leave a larger van there and walk down rather than take on the road.
Worth knowing: You will see the Torr Head Scenic Route signposted through here. It is spectacular and it is signposted as off limits to campervans, motorhomes and caravans. The road is very narrow single track with passing places that need reversing into. Fair Head gives you a comparable view without the problem.
Food and supplies: Cafe at Glenariff Forest Park. Cushendall and Cushendun both have small shops and pubs doing food. Limited beyond that, so carry lunch.
Overnight: Campsites around Cushendall and Glenariff. Book ahead in July and August.
A working seaside town and the best overnight base for the eastern half of the route. Everything you need in one place, plus the ferry terminal for Rathlin.
Stops: Ballycastle beach and harbour, Rathlin Island.
Parking: The harbour car park takes vans comfortably during the day.
Rathlin: Leave the van in Ballycastle, vehicle access to the island is restricted. Passenger ferry from the harbour, book ahead in summer. Northern Ireland's largest seabird colony, with puffins usually on the cliffs from around April to July. Allow a full day rather than squeezing it in.
Food and supplies: Supermarkets, fuel, laundrette and a good run of places to eat along the seafront. Best restock point between Ballymoney and Bushmills.
Overnight: Campsite in the town with hook up. Book ahead in peak season. The beach is dog friendly outside the summer restricted zone. A Classic van suits this area well, everything is close together and the roads are easy.
The stretch most people rush through on the way to the Causeway, which is a mistake. Four good stops within a few miles of each other and far fewer people at any of them.
Stops: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Ballintoy Harbour, Whitepark Bay, Dunseverick Castle and Falls.
Parking: National Trust car park on the B15 for Carrick-a-Rede, charge applies, free for members. Ballintoy Harbour has limited parking and a steep narrow descent, so consider the village instead. National Trust car park at the top of the path for Whitepark Bay. Roadside parking only at Dunseverick with limited spaces.
Worth knowing: Carrick-a-Rede needs booking ahead in summer. Cattle graze the dunes at Whitepark Bay so keep dogs close. Dunseverick is the start of the coastal path to the Giant's Causeway, roughly eight kilometres one way and one of the better walks on the route.
Getting around without the van: the Causeway Rambler bus service 402 runs between the coastal stops through this section, so you can leave the van at a campsite for a day if you would rather walk one way. Check current timetables on Translink.
Food and supplies: Weighbridge Tearoom at Carrick-a-Rede and a cafe above Ballintoy Harbour. Not much else, so carry supplies through this section.
Overnight: Nothing dedicated in this stretch. Push on to Bushmills or back to Ballycastle.
The busiest part of the route and the reason most people come. Bushmills is the obvious base for the western half, small enough to walk around and well set up for visitors.
Stops: Giant's Causeway, Old Bushmills Distillery, Dunluce Castle, Portballintrae.
Parking: National Trust visitor centre at the Causeway, and note the 4.8m by 2.25m vehicle size limit covered above. Town centre car park in Bushmills. Dedicated car park opposite Dunluce Castle. Harbour car park at Portballintrae.
Worth knowing: Time the Causeway carefully, before ten or after four is a genuinely different experience to the middle of the day. Reaching the stones on foot is free. A park and ride ticket is available if the main car park does not suit your van. Distillery tours need booking ahead.
Food and supplies: Cafe at the Causeway visitor centre. Good options in Bushmills including pubs doing food, plus a small shop for basics and fuel in the town.
Overnight: Holiday park near Bushmills with hook up. Book ahead in peak season. If you are travelling as a couple and want the extra space for a longer trip, our Premium vans are worth a look.
The busiest towns on the north coast and the best place on the route for a proper meal and a real shower. Two enormous beaches within a few minutes of each other.
Stops: Portrush East and West Strand, Portstewart Strand, Royal Portrush.
Parking: Several car parks in Portrush, with East Strand and West Strand both having their own. The town centre gets congested in summer so park at the edges and walk in.
Portstewart Strand: one of the few beaches in Ireland where you can still drive onto the sand, but it is set up for cars rather than campervans and there is no towing service if you get stuck. Beach parking is limited and payment is contactless only. We would park in Portstewart town and walk on instead. If you do want to take a van on, speak to the team at the entrance first and avoid it near high tide. All vehicles have to be off the beach by the time posted at the entrance.
Dogs: at Portstewart Strand dogs must be on leads between marker posts one and ten, and can run free beyond post ten. There are seasonal restrictions on the main Portrush beaches through the summer.
Food and supplies: Best choice on the route. Supermarkets, fuel, laundrette and a wide range of places to eat in both towns.
Overnight: Several holiday parks around the Triangle. Busiest area in summer, so book well ahead.
The western end of the route, where the coast opens out into miles of flat sand backed by the Binevenagh cliffs. Quieter than the Triangle and a good place to finish.
Stops: Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne, Downhill Beach, Benone Beach, Derry/Londonderry.
Parking: National Trust car park at Lion's Gate for Mussenden Temple. Vehicle access onto Benone Beach at designated points. Campervan pitches with hook up at the Benone tourist complex.
Worth knowing: Mussenden is very exposed, so save it for a clear day. Benone is seven miles of Blue Flag sand and rarely feels crowded even in August. If you carry on to Derry, park on the outskirts rather than taking a van into the centre. The seventeenth century walls are a one and a half kilometre circuit and free to walk.
Food and supplies: Facilities at the Benone complex. Full range of options in Limavady and Derry.
Overnight: Benone tourist complex has proper pitches with hook up. Campsites on the approaches to Derry if you are extending. Check availability before you plan the return leg, we are about an hour back from here.
Shots from along the route, from the Dark Hedges in the east to Downhill and Benone in the west.
All our vans are self-converted, dog friendly, and ready for the road. Pick the one that suits your group and check availability directly on the listing page.
The distances here are short. You are rarely more than forty minutes between stops, which means a change of plan costs you an hour rather than a day. If the weather closes in at Fair Head you can be at the Bushmills Distillery before it clears.
Almost every stop has parking a van can get into. The three worth thinking about before you commit are the vehicle size limit at the Giant's Causeway, the descent to Ballintoy Harbour, and the road down to Murlough Bay. All three are covered above. Everything else on the route is straightforward.
Weather is the real argument for a van on the north coast. It changes fast and it changes often. Having your kitchen, your kettle and somewhere dry to sit means a bad hour stays a bad hour instead of turning into a bad day. All of our vans are hand built by us here in Ballymoney, they are all dog friendly, and they are all set up for exactly this kind of trip.
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Site by Verosia Studio
