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| Salmon Cottage | North Antrim Gift Shop | Leslie's Pier |
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Portballintrae lies at the mouth of a shallow river valley, once the outflow of melting glaciers, the harbour is well protected within a small horseshoe bay and still home port to several fishermen. There are some beautiful buildings of heritage interest, especially the original thatched cottages, the Old Coastguard Station and Seaport Lodge. The latter, is a fine example of Ulster's Architectural Heritage, built in the 1770's by the Leslie family as a bathing lodge. The village is adjacent to the Giants Causeway, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Site, unfortunately this has not protected the village or surrounding area from the development of uncharacteristic holiday homes and apartments, many are aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the character of the village, others though are less than sympathetic to their locality. Bushfoot Strand which during the late 1800s hosted annual horse races is flanked by an ancient sand dune system which curves round to Runkerry House which was built in the 18th century by the Macnaughten family of Dundarave. The area has had its fair share of shipwrecks including the 'Reliance' 1847, 'Thomas Graham' 1879 and in 1887 the 'Royal Standard' which foundered on the Strand. It is worth being aware that this beautiful strand has a couple of active and dangerous rip currents which have claimed several lives over the years, understanding what they do could save your life - for more information refer to the thesis carried out by John Shaw on Bushfoot Strand. |
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