Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd

What a beautiful sunrise this morning on Rathlin Island captured by resident and ferry crew member Tom McDonnell @ Northcoast Nature ­¤śŹ There are few sites more breathtaking!

Friday 26th October - All sailings today have been cancelled due to weather conditions. Office will be open 08.30 to 12.30.

Tuesday 23rd October - All sailings are cancelled today due to extreme sea conditions. Sailings are expected to resume tomorrow. Contact Booking Office on 02820769299 for up to date travel information.

SATURDAY 20th OCTOBER!
This fantastic event is taking place on Rathlin Island with live music, whiskey tastings, poem reading and stew served in McCuaig's Bar. An exciting day not to be missed!
Tickets are available here and get them quick, there is only a few left: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/452106

Check out BBC One tonight at 7pm to catch a glimpse of Rathlin Island on The One Show! Ōø┤’ĖÅ We had the pleasure of taking their crew to Rathlin a couple of months ago and can't wait to see the fabulous footage!
If you miss it, catch up on iPlayer after it airs here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bmdqsk

Sunday 7th October- Spirit of Rathlin will depart Rathlin at 09:00 or 14:00 and depart Ballycastle at 10:30 or 14:40. Rathlin Express will depart Rathlin at 10:00 and depart Ballycastle at 10:30. All other scheduled sailings are cancelled due to weather. Office will close at 3pm.

Tuesday 2nd October- RE will depart Rathlin at 08:00 and depart Ballycastle at 08:30. All other RE & SOR sailings are cancelled today due to weather conditions. Office open 08:30 to 12:30 today.

As many of you will have heard our Fast Ferry Ōø┤ Rathlin Express and her crew were involved in a rescue at sea today. Thankfully everyone got ashore safe and well !! ­¤æī RIFL are extremely proud of our crew Michael and Connor who responded to the distress call. This is never an easy task especially when you have passengers onboard. We thank all our passengers for their patience and understanding, for some their trip to Rathlin Island didnŌĆÖt go as smooth as they imagined. A special thank you to Sebastian who assisted our crew with the rescue it was much appreciated.

Wednesday 19th September - ALL sailings CANCELLED due to adverse weather conditions. For queries contact the ferry office on 02820769299 or info@rathlinballycastleferry.com.

Thank you POferries for making this amazing decision in favour of the animals and not supporting the unnecessary and appaling treatment of animals for slaughter. Humans who enjoy meat, dairy and animal products should want to know where they come from before buying or consuming these products. If you buy these items locally and not imported from other countries or from multinational corporations then you are not only supporting everyday people like yourself, trying to make a ...living by doing something that has in most occasions being handed down through generations, but you should also be able to see where your products have come from and the process it has went through to make its way to being yours. You should care about where your purchases come from instead of going to the cheapest place with the best deals and hoping that it is good quality. Please open your mind to the standards we now accept as ok, which are not, and you will realise how we are being fooled by some huge companies who will do what it takes to manipulate your money from you. Shop local and support your own community. We could no longer have the local Butcher, Baker, Greengrocer etc if everyone buys from a cheap supermarket chain. ­¤É«­¤ÉĘ­¤Éæ­¤ÉÉ­¤”ā­¤Éö­¤É¤­¤”É­¤”Ć
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McCuaig's Bar, Rathlin Island in the winter months when the ferry has been cancelled because of rough seas!! Or every Monday!!

Mmmmm breakfast anyone?? ­¤śŗŌśĢ­¤źÉ

Beautiful. If you have never been then please add to your bucket list. There are many fantastic restaurants, pubs, craft shops and sights to see throughout the area! ­¤śŹ­¤Üś­¤É«­¤É¢­¤Éæ­¤É┐’ĖÅ­¤īĖ­¤ī▓­¤Ź┤Ōś Ģ­¤ŹĘ­¤Ź╗

This debit card with name V M McKinley was found this morning outside the Rathlin Ferry terminal. Would love to find its owner and it does not appear to be anyone that has travelled to Rathlin in the last few days. If it belongs to you please bring ID to collect it.

Unfortunately our last cruise around Rathlin for 2018 which was due to take place tomorrow Saturday 8th September has been cancelled due to weather conditions. There will be no more cruises scheduled until the Spring when we should have improved weather conditions. We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment to anyone but the weather conditions will not be suitable tomorrow evening.

This Saturday 8th September is the last of this season's Island Cruises! If you would like one last chance to experience the great views and stories Rathlin Island has to offer then this is for you ­¤śā There will be on board commentary by the fabulous Kevin from Nine Glens Walking Tours and you will have the chance to experience many sights not accessible from land! Booking is essential by telephone on 02820769299 or email at info@rathlinballycastleferry.com - be quick, spaces are selling out fast Ōø┤’ĖÅ

*FOUND* Santander bank card has been found on Rathlin yesterday evening. If you think it may be yours please contact us by telephone on 02820769299 or email info@rathlinballycastleferry.com ­¤æŹ

Please take the time to read this post. If you can then please share it. Even if it is not something you feel strongly about, by sharing it you could bring it to the attention of those that do. Many people around the world rely on the tireless efforts of volunteers who fight for their cause every day because those in power who should be doing it do not. Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd are so proud of our selfless crew members and islanders who have felt strongly about this and have done something. Not everyone is capable of it but to those that can and do it, you are all very special people and the qualities you have that make you do something, no matter how small, are qualities that we should demand from our world rulers who are supposed to be ensuring care and hope for humanity. ŌØż’ĖÅ­¤īŹ

We booked the ferry by telephone for 7 of us. When we arrived there was a mix up over the day we had booked. Amazing customer service from Rathlin Ferry staff in the ticket office. They did everything they could to rectify the situation and got us on the ferry. Even rang us on Rathlin to update us on our return journey. Outstanding service. Thank you!

This was our second time to Rathlin and were not disappointed. We had not booked the ferry and as we expected the one we went for about 10 minutes before sailing time was fully booked but was no problem getting on the next one an hour later. The last time we took the bus ride to the bird sanctuary which was lovely to see. This time we decided just to walk to where the seals bask, but as soon as we got off the ferry the seals were on the beach at the slipway, so we just went for a lovely walk and had lunch in the cafe. The island is so beautiful and peaceful

The Ferry was a bit choppy loved the island & the RSPB bird sanctuary

Ten out ten fab boat ride awe caught bus to the bird sanctuary very interesting info given on the bus trip about the history of the island. RSPB on site with telescopes and very helpful staff who Hav binoculars you can borrow cuppa tea for a pound!! Seals in the bay will definitely go back !!!!! Great walks as wel

My grandchildren and I just have such a fantastic time on rathlin. We went to church and were made to feel so welcome. In fact the girls rang the church bell and lifted the collection!!! Ferry people are so good too.

My friend and I had made plans to visit the Antrim Coast in early September, 2015 and we included a day trip to Rathlin. Our trip over and back on the ferry was great, but even more amazing were the staff in the ferry ticket office! Since this was our first trip to N. Ireland, we were traveling by rail and bus. As we were waiting for our ferry crossing to Rathlin, we were chatting with the ferry ticket office staff, when they mentioned that the bus service on the Eastern coast is curtailed after Sept 1. Our plans to go around the Eastern Antrim Coast by bus were not to be ! The hard working staff in the ferry office starting making phone calls and searched the internet for us, to see how we could still travel by public transport around that part of N Ireland. They spent over 30 minutes helping us, and printed off bus and train schedules so we could make our last day in Antrim a success! Thank you for your amazing customer service ladies! Not only did we greatly enjoy Rathlin and our ferry crossings, but our minds were at rest about our land connections for the following day. It's not often we encounter such professional service combined with neighborly kindness to go the second mile and assist with travel unassociated with their own business! Thanks again!

My favourite place to be

It was our first trip to Rathlin island and we really liked it. Very peaceful and relaxing. We had our little dog with us though and were very disappointed we couldn't get on the bus to see the other parts of the island. We felt a bit like 2nd class citizens. A big thank you to the waitress at the hotel who did her best to make us welcome with Benji too. We'll be back though. Thanks for a brilliant ferry ride too.

I had originally booked on the 10.00 sailing with my family, returning on the 17.30 (booked via the website). On reflection, we decided that, with a three-year-old the day may be too long for him and I phoned the booking office the next morning to see if we could change to the 11.30 sailing from Ballycastle instead. I spoke to a friendly girl (Shauna, I think) and she kindly changed our booking with no fuss at all.

We had a great day, visiting Rathlin and found the people to be friendly and welcoming. Big shout out to the lovely lady (sorry, I didn't catch her name) who drove us to the RSPB bird sanctuary and back. The trip there was made even more entertaining by her commentary on various sights of the Island. I would thoroughly recommend Bert's Puffin Bus as a way to see the sights of Rathlin without walking the whole way!

We found the RSPB staff to be very welcoming and helpful during our trip to the Lighthouse. It was amazing to see all the different types of birds on the Island.



This was our second trip to Rathlin and we'll definitely be back! ’┐Į

I had booked the 11:30 sailing to Rathlin as I had to drive from Belfast and was afraid of missing an earlier one, but arrived at 9.50. The nice staff member asked if I would like to go on the 10:00 ferry which was great as it gave me longer to look around the island. The ferry trip there and back was great but I preferred the slow boat as it gave me more time to photograph the seabirds. Would do it again in the future.

Helpful staff , booking so easy and staff are responsive and helpful

Had a fabulous time last year on the Rathlin Island Easter Bunny hunt. And our daughter got a wonderful surprise in the post as she won the treasure hunt bunny. Fantastic family memories made xx

Good service, on time and staff very friendly

First time over and it could not have been easier. The staff were helpful, the ferry was clean and I definitely would use it all again.

Excellent service, well organised, runs on time & pre-booking means no disappointment at peak times ie.weekends/good weather! Friendly & helpful staff. A very enjoyable experience, thanks!

An excellent service to and from the island. It is regular and reliable. When the new ferry comes on duty it will be more comfortable than the present Canna. The Rathlin Express is very good.

Absolutely superb as ever. I was taking part in the Rathlin 10 run and staff were working really hard to manage the large number of visitors, the boats were clean, safe, well maintained and right on time. Best of all was the dolphins swimming along with the fast ferry on the way to Rathlin, the captain took time to ensure everyone got a chance to have a look and even circled round to see them again. I will savour the photos and videos for a long time. Overall, one of Northern Ireland's prize possessions, get over to Rathlin and enjoy every minute.

It was a glorious day weather wise and the views are spectacular. We shared the 10am crossing with the refuse truck which was a little pungent depending on the breeze. We returned on the 3pm passenger boat which was a faster and more exciting ride especially with the bigger waves leaving Rathlin. The Puffin Bus driver was friendly and entertaining and the volunteers at the RSPB friendly and knowledgeable.

Enjoyed our time on Rathlin even if the weather wasnt the best but had lunch in the Manor House and it was lovely also ferry trip and only took 25 mins all good would do it again

We booked the ferry by telephone for 7 of us. When we arrived there was a mix up over the day we had booked. Amazing customer service from Rathlin Ferry staff in the ticket office. They did everything they could to rectify the situation and got us on the ferry. Even rang us on Rathlin to update us on our return journey. Outstanding service. Thank you!

This was our second time to Rathlin and were not disappointed. We had not booked the ferry and as we expected the one we went for about 10 minutes before sailing time was fully booked but was no problem getting on the next one an hour later. The last time we took the bus ride to the bird sanctuary which was lovely to see. This time we decided just to walk to where the seals bask, but as soon as we got off the ferry the seals were on the beach at the slipway, so we just went for a lovely walk and had lunch in the cafe. The island is so beautiful and peaceful

The Ferry was a bit choppy loved the island & the RSPB bird sanctuary

Ten out ten fab boat ride awe caught bus to the bird sanctuary very interesting info given on the bus trip about the history of the island. RSPB on site with telescopes and very helpful staff who Hav binoculars you can borrow cuppa tea for a pound!! Seals in the bay will definitely go back !!!!! Great walks as wel

My grandchildren and I just have such a fantastic time on rathlin. We went to church and were made to feel so welcome. In fact the girls rang the church bell and lifted the collection!!! Ferry people are so good too.

My friend and I had made plans to visit the Antrim Coast in early September, 2015 and we included a day trip to Rathlin. Our trip over and back on the ferry was great, but even more amazing were the staff in the ferry ticket office! Since this was our first trip to N. Ireland, we were traveling by rail and bus. As we were waiting for our ferry crossing to Rathlin, we were chatting with the ferry ticket office staff, when they mentioned that the bus service on the Eastern coast is curtailed after Sept 1. Our plans to go around the Eastern Antrim Coast by bus were not to be ! The hard working staff in the ferry office starting making phone calls and searched the internet for us, to see how we could still travel by public transport around that part of N Ireland. They spent over 30 minutes helping us, and printed off bus and train schedules so we could make our last day in Antrim a success! Thank you for your amazing customer service ladies! Not only did we greatly enjoy Rathlin and our ferry crossings, but our minds were at rest about our land connections for the following day. It's not often we encounter such professional service combined with neighborly kindness to go the second mile and assist with travel unassociated with their own business! Thanks again!

My favourite place to be

It was our first trip to Rathlin island and we really liked it. Very peaceful and relaxing. We had our little dog with us though and were very disappointed we couldn't get on the bus to see the other parts of the island. We felt a bit like 2nd class citizens. A big thank you to the waitress at the hotel who did her best to make us welcome with Benji too. We'll be back though. Thanks for a brilliant ferry ride too.

I had originally booked on the 10.00 sailing with my family, returning on the 17.30 (booked via the website). On reflection, we decided that, with a three-year-old the day may be too long for him and I phoned the booking office the next morning to see if we could change to the 11.30 sailing from Ballycastle instead. I spoke to a friendly girl (Shauna, I think) and she kindly changed our booking with no fuss at all.

We had a great day, visiting Rathlin and found the people to be friendly and welcoming. Big shout out to the lovely lady (sorry, I didn't catch her name) who drove us to the RSPB bird sanctuary and back. The trip there was made even more entertaining by her commentary on various sights of the Island. I would thoroughly recommend Bert's Puffin Bus as a way to see the sights of Rathlin without walking the whole way!

We found the RSPB staff to be very welcoming and helpful during our trip to the Lighthouse. It was amazing to see all the different types of birds on the Island.



This was our second trip to Rathlin and we'll definitely be back! ’┐Į

I had booked the 11:30 sailing to Rathlin as I had to drive from Belfast and was afraid of missing an earlier one, but arrived at 9.50. The nice staff member asked if I would like to go on the 10:00 ferry which was great as it gave me longer to look around the island. The ferry trip there and back was great but I preferred the slow boat as it gave me more time to photograph the seabirds. Would do it again in the future.

Helpful staff , booking so easy and staff are responsive and helpful

Had a fabulous time last year on the Rathlin Island Easter Bunny hunt. And our daughter got a wonderful surprise in the post as she won the treasure hunt bunny. Fantastic family memories made xx

Good service, on time and staff very friendly

First time over and it could not have been easier. The staff were helpful, the ferry was clean and I definitely would use it all again.

Excellent service, well organised, runs on time & pre-booking means no disappointment at peak times ie.weekends/good weather! Friendly & helpful staff. A very enjoyable experience, thanks!

An excellent service to and from the island. It is regular and reliable. When the new ferry comes on duty it will be more comfortable than the present Canna. The Rathlin Express is very good.

Absolutely superb as ever. I was taking part in the Rathlin 10 run and staff were working really hard to manage the large number of visitors, the boats were clean, safe, well maintained and right on time. Best of all was the dolphins swimming along with the fast ferry on the way to Rathlin, the captain took time to ensure everyone got a chance to have a look and even circled round to see them again. I will savour the photos and videos for a long time. Overall, one of Northern Ireland's prize possessions, get over to Rathlin and enjoy every minute.

It was a glorious day weather wise and the views are spectacular. We shared the 10am crossing with the refuse truck which was a little pungent depending on the breeze. We returned on the 3pm passenger boat which was a faster and more exciting ride especially with the bigger waves leaving Rathlin. The Puffin Bus driver was friendly and entertaining and the volunteers at the RSPB friendly and knowledgeable.

Enjoyed our time on Rathlin even if the weather wasnt the best but had lunch in the Manor House and it was lovely also ferry trip and only took 25 mins all good would do it again

We booked the ferry by telephone for 7 of us. When we arrived there was a mix up over the day we had booked. Amazing customer service from Rathlin Ferry staff in the ticket office. They did everything they could to rectify the situation and got us on the ferry. Even rang us on Rathlin to update us on our return journey. Outstanding service. Thank you!

This was our second time to Rathlin and were not disappointed. We had not booked the ferry and as we expected the one we went for about 10 minutes before sailing time was fully booked but was no problem getting on the next one an hour later. The last time we took the bus ride to the bird sanctuary which was lovely to see. This time we decided just to walk to where the seals bask, but as soon as we got off the ferry the seals were on the beach at the slipway, so we just went for a lovely walk and had lunch in the cafe. The island is so beautiful and peaceful

The Ferry was a bit choppy loved the island & the RSPB bird sanctuary

Ten out ten fab boat ride awe caught bus to the bird sanctuary very interesting info given on the bus trip about the history of the island. RSPB on site with telescopes and very helpful staff who Hav binoculars you can borrow cuppa tea for a pound!! Seals in the bay will definitely go back !!!!! Great walks as wel

My grandchildren and I just have such a fantastic time on rathlin. We went to church and were made to feel so welcome. In fact the girls rang the church bell and lifted the collection!!! Ferry people are so good too.

My friend and I had made plans to visit the Antrim Coast in early September, 2015 and we included a day trip to Rathlin. Our trip over and back on the ferry was great, but even more amazing were the staff in the ferry ticket office! Since this was our first trip to N. Ireland, we were traveling by rail and bus. As we were waiting for our ferry crossing to Rathlin, we were chatting with the ferry ticket office staff, when they mentioned that the bus service on the Eastern coast is curtailed after Sept 1. Our plans to go around the Eastern Antrim Coast by bus were not to be ! The hard working staff in the ferry office starting making phone calls and searched the internet for us, to see how we could still travel by public transport around that part of N Ireland. They spent over 30 minutes helping us, and printed off bus and train schedules so we could make our last day in Antrim a success! Thank you for your amazing customer service ladies! Not only did we greatly enjoy Rathlin and our ferry crossings, but our minds were at rest about our land connections for the following day. It's not often we encounter such professional service combined with neighborly kindness to go the second mile and assist with travel unassociated with their own business! Thanks again!

My favourite place to be

It was our first trip to Rathlin island and we really liked it. Very peaceful and relaxing. We had our little dog with us though and were very disappointed we couldn't get on the bus to see the other parts of the island. We felt a bit like 2nd class citizens. A big thank you to the waitress at the hotel who did her best to make us welcome with Benji too. We'll be back though. Thanks for a brilliant ferry ride too.

I had originally booked on the 10.00 sailing with my family, returning on the 17.30 (booked via the website). On reflection, we decided that, with a three-year-old the day may be too long for him and I phoned the booking office the next morning to see if we could change to the 11.30 sailing from Ballycastle instead. I spoke to a friendly girl (Shauna, I think) and she kindly changed our booking with no fuss at all.

We had a great day, visiting Rathlin and found the people to be friendly and welcoming. Big shout out to the lovely lady (sorry, I didn't catch her name) who drove us to the RSPB bird sanctuary and back. The trip there was made even more entertaining by her commentary on various sights of the Island. I would thoroughly recommend Bert's Puffin Bus as a way to see the sights of Rathlin without walking the whole way!

We found the RSPB staff to be very welcoming and helpful during our trip to the Lighthouse. It was amazing to see all the different types of birds on the Island.



This was our second trip to Rathlin and we'll definitely be back! ’┐Į

I had booked the 11:30 sailing to Rathlin as I had to drive from Belfast and was afraid of missing an earlier one, but arrived at 9.50. The nice staff member asked if I would like to go on the 10:00 ferry which was great as it gave me longer to look around the island. The ferry trip there and back was great but I preferred the slow boat as it gave me more time to photograph the seabirds. Would do it again in the future.

Helpful staff , booking so easy and staff are responsive and helpful

Had a fabulous time last year on the Rathlin Island Easter Bunny hunt. And our daughter got a wonderful surprise in the post as she won the treasure hunt bunny. Fantastic family memories made xx

Good service, on time and staff very friendly

First time over and it could not have been easier. The staff were helpful, the ferry was clean and I definitely would use it all again.

Excellent service, well organised, runs on time & pre-booking means no disappointment at peak times ie.weekends/good weather! Friendly & helpful staff. A very enjoyable experience, thanks!

An excellent service to and from the island. It is regular and reliable. When the new ferry comes on duty it will be more comfortable than the present Canna. The Rathlin Express is very good.

Absolutely superb as ever. I was taking part in the Rathlin 10 run and staff were working really hard to manage the large number of visitors, the boats were clean, safe, well maintained and right on time. Best of all was the dolphins swimming along with the fast ferry on the way to Rathlin, the captain took time to ensure everyone got a chance to have a look and even circled round to see them again. I will savour the photos and videos for a long time. Overall, one of Northern Ireland's prize possessions, get over to Rathlin and enjoy every minute.

It was a glorious day weather wise and the views are spectacular. We shared the 10am crossing with the refuse truck which was a little pungent depending on the breeze. We returned on the 3pm passenger boat which was a faster and more exciting ride especially with the bigger waves leaving Rathlin. The Puffin Bus driver was friendly and entertaining and the volunteers at the RSPB friendly and knowledgeable.

Enjoyed our time on Rathlin even if the weather wasnt the best but had lunch in the Manor House and it was lovely also ferry trip and only took 25 mins all good would do it again