Altagore Cashel

The walk up to Altagore Cashel from Ballycastle is half the appeal. It's a proper slog through moorland and rough ground, but you're rewarded with the remains of a stone fort that's got to be over a thousand years old. What you'll actually find up there is a circular rampart - thick walls that once enclosed an ancient settlement, though there's not much standing to write home about now.

This is one for history types and keen walkers rather than people expecting a visitor centre with interactive displays. You get the raw thing: wind-whipped hilltop, crumbling stones, and a view across the Glens that makes the climb worthwhile. Allow a couple of hours from Ballycastle if you're taking it leisurely, longer if you're scrambling about trying to work out where the entrance would have been.

It's completely free and you can visit anytime, but go in decent weather - it's exposed up there and you need proper footwear. The landscape's moody rather than pretty, which has its own charm. If you're staying at Watertop Farm nearby, this is a solid half-day excursion that won't eat into time you'd spend exploring the better-known Causeway Coast attractions. Don't expect crowds. You might not even encounter another soul, which is either brilliant or isolating depending on your mood.