Rathlin, home of puffins and braves
In Rathlin's Island coexist, in a brotherly alliance against the elements, tough men and animals . Mother Nature rewards her bravery with dramatic landscapes that hypnotize anyone.
It doesn't matter if the sun shines or not in the bustling fishing port of the small seaside town of Ballycastle . Most likely, during the 25-minute ferry ride from that port's main wharf to the Church Bay Jetty - on Rathlin Island -, the weather changes two or three times and, almost always, for the worse. Perhaps something extreme for the visitor, but nothing new for the inhabitants of Rathlin.
A community of just 150 people lives on this L-shaped island. about 6 km long by 4 km wide . The colorful facades of their houses welcome you in a port where the tranquility only seems to be interrupted by the arrival and departure of tourist boats. Nevertheless, it wasn't always like this.
GREAT STORIES ARE KEPT IN SMALL JARS
Rathlin Island has been inhabited for thousands of years. It was here that, at the end of the eighth century, the fearsome Vikings landed their first blow on an Irish He didn't know what was coming his way.
A few centuries later, at the beginning of the 14th century, the Scots Robert the Bruce , defeated by the troops of the English Edward I, fled to hide in a cave in Rathlin. According to what they say, there he observed, for months, the tireless work of a spider that repaired, over and over again, its web torn by the wind . That would make you see what he needed to defeat the english was to weave an indestructible alliance between the different Scottish clans. With that idea he would set off again to battle, defeating his enemies at Bannockburn to proclaim himself king of Scotland.
Perhaps this story is nothing more than a legend, but the inhabitants of Rathlin will tell it to you as a sure fact, always around a well-stocked table with hot lamb stew and pints of beer , either in Manor House or McCuaig's Bar.
And it is that the inhabitants of Rathlin are lovers of good food. Perhaps this is related to the terrible famine they had to endure in the 19th century , when most of the population – at that time, thousands of people lived on the island – emigrated in search of better fortune.
Manor House, Rathlin
The descendants of the brave who stayed, now live peacefully from tourism, fishing, agriculture and livestock . Also from art , because there are not a few artists who have moved to this place, so bucolic and extreme, that spurs the creativity of their minds.
A NATURAL PARADISE FOR BIRDS AND SEALS
Rathlin's ranchers roam the green pastures with their cattle and sheep, but most of the island's animals are found in the wild.
You can check it as soon as you arrive at the port, where several harbor seals often wait for crumbs from fishermen . Other different seals, grays They swim out to sea and patrol the rugged and beautiful coastline of Rathlin in search of food and shelter. No one bothers them, because in this nature reserve they are totally protected.
And if in the sea the seals are the queens, in the air things are much more competitive.
Each year, hundreds of ornithologists from around the world travel to Rathlin to enjoy a bird population numbering in the hundreds of thousands. With their powerful telephoto lenses, they take pictures of common guillemots, fulmars, gulls and dozens of other species, but, above all, to the curious and adorable puffins.
The happiness of a seal on Rathlin Island
The colony of puffins that inhabits the walls of the shears rathlin cliffs It can have tens of thousands of individuals. The best time to admire them is between april and july , coinciding with their mating and breeding season.
Puffins, with their striking orange beak and expressive eyes, are monogamous birds and both parents care for the single egg the female lays. The best place on the island to observe this wonderful natural phenomenon is in the West Light Seabird Center . East old lighthouse, converted into a bird watching center and museum , is located in the heart of the bird colony.
Basaltic columns near the West Light Seabird Center full of seagulls and different birds
From some perfectly located viewpoints, you can admire tens of thousands of birds in constant motion between the sea, the sky and the cliff walls.
This natural spectacle is also perfectly complemented by a visit to the lighthouse in which it is shown what the hard life of the lighthouse keepers of the island was like. Rathlin Lighthouse is included in the Route of the Great Lighthouses of Ireland.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
To explore Rathlin and its beautiful secrets, you can choose to take one of the bus tours that depart from the port of Church Bay and go up to the West Light Seabird Center , or walk along the 8 paths that pierce the island. In addition, during the summer you can also rent bicycles at the Soerneog View Hostel.
Especially interesting is the Roonivoolin Trail Hike , which takes you through the less visited area of Rathlin (just on the opposite side of the Seabird Center ) and allows you to enjoy, almost alone, extensive green meadows, dramatic cliffs - the highest on the island reach 70 meters high - covered with vegetation, ruins of old sheds and stone houses and an animal life that here hardly comes into contact with humans.
If you visit Rathlin in spring or summer, add to all the above attractions a colorful blanket of wildflowers that stretches across the island, a spectacular festival of music and traditions (the Rathlin Festival, held in July ) and some beaches where only the bravest decide to take a refreshing swim.
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DIVING SPOTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Beneath the surface of those dark blue waters, there is a remarkable underwater life , so diving activities are also organized. Although there are dolphins and other colorful fish, the treasure most coveted by divers traveling to Rathlin is none other than the HMS Drake , one of the flagship armored cruisers of the British Grand Fleet who participated in the First World War.
HMS Drake
The ship was torpedoed, in 1917, by a German submarine and the remains of it are found in Church Bay , sunk less than 20 meters from the surface and in waters that allow really good visibility.
Since June 2017, the sinking of the Drake is considered National hystoric monument . Although, really, the bravery and authenticity of the locals of Rathlin, well deserve a monument.
Rathlin's Island