Natural Heritage of Antrim Coast & Glens AONB

The Coast

Alternating sandy bays, rocky shores, high cliffs and forbidding headlands combine to produce dramatic coastal scenery. It has been shaped both by the flow of ice and by the sea, which has fluctuated in level relative to the land. The release of pressure on the land as the ice retreated allowed the land to rise. This is marked by raised beaches seen along the coast notably at Southbay, Glencloy. Other features were cut by wave action: sea stacks such as the White Lady north of Garron Point, and caves in the red sandstone cliffs at Red Bay are now left high and dry above present sea level.

Many features of geological interest are exposed at the coast - the cliffs of basalts overlying limestone from Larne to Red Bay, the great sill of Fair Head, the North Star dyke at Ballycastle, red sandstones around Cushendall and caves of conglomerate at Cushendun to name but a few. Fossils exist in both the limestone and underlying clays and the observer may find remains of marine creatures 180 million years old. This extensive shoreline is a rich marine environment for plant, animal and bird life. The sea stacks of Rathlin are the breeding grounds for hundreds of thousand of sea birds - guillemots, razor bills and puffins, while fulmars soar off the cliffs near Glenarm.

In fine weather, when visibility is good, views from the coast include the Mull of Kintyre and Ailsa Craig off the Scottish Coast, while northwards the islands of Arran, Islay and Jura may be seen. At Torr Head, the narrowest crossing point, the sea is no more that 12 miles wide; little wonder there exists a long record of communication between Scotland and NE Antrim.

Moorland

The plateau top, rising to 550m at Trostan, its highest point, forms a series of rugged hills, shallow valleys and bogs. It is exposed and desolate with a wild beauty appreciated by those seeking solitude and tranquility. High rainfall, exposure to strong winds, poor soils and a short growing season create a harsh environment for vegetation. Heathers and grasses tolerant of these conditions carpet the hilltops along with a unique group of plants and animals. In some places, specialised plants like butterwort and sun-dew supplement the low nutrients of poor soils by trapping and absorbing insects. In the wettest hollows mosses dominate bog pools. The plant debris, unable to decompose fully in waterlogged conditions, has accumulated for thousands of years to form thick blanket bog. These are internationally important for conservation. They contain within their deposits evidence of climates, vegetation and human activities of the past. They have practical significance, acting as water-holding sponges and alleviating extremes of flood and drought. The peat or turf, long used as a source of fuel, is still hand cut in the traditional way in many of the glens and the scars of peat banks are clearly evident. Mechanised cutting is increasingly used now and is more damaging to this fragile habitat. Some of these areas have been protected as National Nature Reserves or Forest Nature Reserves, for example at Slieveanorra and Beaghs. Much of the upland area is extensively grazed by sheep, while large tracts have been planted with coniferous forest, as at Slieveanorra, Breen, Glenariff, Ballycastle, Ballypatrick and Ballyboley.

Woodland

Off the high ground, on steep hillsides, alongside rivers and in valley floors trees and woodland add greatly to the beauty of the area and support rich wildlife and bird populations. Below 150m only 4.5% of the land area is woodland but its impact is important. Glenarm, Glendun, Glenshesk, Glenariff, Cleggan, Garron Point, Murlough and Ballygalley are the most wooded areas. Ash and hazel are abundant. Birch, beech, alder, rowan, holly, willow and thorn are all common. Oak is found, especially at Breen National Nature Reserve where a remnant of once extensive oak forest survives.

At Straidkilly (on the slopes of Glencloy), Glenariff and Glenarm, hazel woods are protected as nature reserves and are important for the rich flora they contain. Elsewhere, hedgerow trees reinforce the patch-work appearance of the farmed landscape and are important for wildlife, while shelterbelts around isolated buildings may provide the only trees in remote areas.