The Giant's Gate and Causeway Coast Circular and Carrick-a-Rede to Rope are the 'best walks in Northern Ireland' according to new research.
The study, conducted by online fashion retailer Damart, explored Northern Ireland’s top walking trails, revealing routes that a seasoned hiker or leisurely ambler could enjoy.
The walking trails were ranked using AllTrails and Ramblers data which looked at their top 100 rank.
Read more: Things to do across Belfast when the sun comes out
From this, a weighted rank was created, using the rating, ease of walk (each walk was given a rating of 1-3 with 1 being the easiest and 3 the hardest), length of walk-in minutes, Instagram hashtags and Google search volumes. Each factor was weighted 20% to make up the total score of 100%.
The top walks in Northern Ireland are:
1. Giant's Gate and Causeway Coast Circular - Bushmills, Antrim
2. Carrick-a-Rede to Rope Bridge - Ballycastle, Antrim
3. Ormeau Park Circular - Belfast, Antrim
4. Castlewellan Lakeside Circular - Castlewellan, Down
5. Blackhead - Carrickfergus, Antrim
5. Dunseverick to Port Moon - Bushmills, Antrim
7. Cavehill Circular - Newtownabbey, Antrim
7. Ballyboley Forest and Kilylane Reservoir Circular - Ballyclare, Antrim
9. Tollymore Forest and Drinns Circular - Castlewellan, Down
9. Glenariff Scenic Trail Circular - Cargan, Antrim
9. Cregagh Glen and Lisnabreeny - Belfast, Antrim
9. Portballintrae To The Giants Causeway - Bushmills, Antrim
Alyson Taggart, product and publications director at Damart, said: “Northern Ireland is well-known for its wealth of extraordinary natural landmarks, beautiful countryside, and landscapes – all of which make for an enjoyable walk and a perfect, low-cost way to spend a day, even more so on those rare occasions when the weather is on our side.
“With appreciation for the outdoors skyrocketing during the pandemic lockdowns, we wanted to provide a guide to help Brit’s choose from the abundance of Northern Ireland-based walks, hikes and scrambles available to us.
“We hope our research has highlighted well-known rambles and some hidden gem trails that are ripe for exploration, no matter if you’re a hiking pro or a novice.”
READ NEXT:
- Ice cream shops across Northern Ireland to visit for a sunny day treat
Northern Ireland's lesser-known beaches to check out this summer
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What's On newsletter here
