"Puffins and Seals" Rathlin Island by scanos

We took the speed boat option from Ballycastle to the harbour in Rathlin Island. A spectacular journey of just 15 minutes. We were lucky on arrival that the weather was sunny with little wind. Taking advantage of this , we decided to walk the 4 miles to the Western tip of the island at Bull Point to see the sea bird colonies. It was a tough walk but we encountered some interesting bird life, including a male pheasant which screamed out of the fern as we passed it.

As well as walking we could have taken the erratic bus service, every hour on every randomly selected hours for 4 pounds return ( 3 pounds single) or hired a bike for a daily rate of 7 pounds. Walking or cycling requires a high degree of fitness due to the steep hills. The roads are steep, with lots of bends - so be extra careful.

Bull Point from the Sea Bird Viewpoint

Bull point the home in July to a huge population of sea birds - gulls, guillemots and in particular puffins. The look out point is absolutely breathtaking and well worth the walk. Royal Society of Birds (RSB) volunteers are on hand to answer questions or assist in using the free to view telescopes. The puffins are quite hard to spot as there are fewer of them and they congregate around the base of cliffs.

After returning to the harbour, we took a short walk to Mill bay to see the seal colony. Ignoring the presence of tourists the seals persisted in their sun bathing throughout the day.