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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Ballymoney
Baile Monaidh
Use Ballymoney as a rail stop, not a base: one night on foot, or a car/taxi day for Dark Hedges. Without wheels, skip it as a base — the coast towns do it better.
Ballymoney is a commuter town of about 11,000 in County Antrim, on the Belfast–Coleraine rail line and the A26. Its one headline sight, the Dark Hedges, is 8 miles (13 km) northeast and needs a car or taxi. Most travellers sleep one night, see the museum and the Joey Dunlop memorial, then push on to the coast. Without a car, the town is a rail stop, not a base.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Baile Monaidh
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (wet, dark by 16:30)Jan–Feb (wet, dark by 4:30 PM)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £65–95 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · Mid £110–170 excl. bed (2026 estimate) · High £200+ excl. bed (2026 estimate) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Non-emergency police 101 · NHS advice 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Fish and chips | £11–16 |
| Pint of beer | £5–6.50 |
| Train Ballymoney → Belfast, one way | £10–15 |
| Taxi across town | £6–9 |
| Ballymoney Museum entry | Free |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BFS · Belfast International (Aldergrove)
- Bus or taxi to Antrim station, then hourly train to Ballymoney; about 1 h 30 min total (check)
- BHD · George Best Belfast City
- Bus or taxi to Belfast Grand Central, then hourly train; about 2 h 15 min total (check)
- LDY · City of Derry
- No rail link at the airport; bus or taxi to Derry station, then train via Coleraine — check connections
Typical fares
- Train Ballymoney → Belfast Grand Central
- about £10–15, 80 min (check)
- Train Ballymoney → Coleraine
- about £5–7, 20 min (check)
- Taxi Ballymoney → Dark Hedges
- about £20 one way (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town centre is walkable in 15 minutes. Bus 373 loops the town five times on weekdays and is of little use to visitors. Dark Hedges, Derrykeighan and Kilrea need a car, taxi or bike; there is no bus to the Hedges.
See and do
Known for
- Dark Hedges beech avenue
- Joey Dunlop Memorial Garden
- Ballymoney Museum
- Road racing heritage
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Hedges | Car or taxi via A26 and B147; no bus | About 20 min by car |
| Ballycastle | Drive A44; by public transport, train to Coleraine then bus — check the connection | About 1 h 15 min by car |
| Portrush | Train to Coleraine, change for Portrush | About 55 min |
| Bushmills and Giant's Causeway | Train to Coleraine, then bus 402; or drive | About 1 h 30 min |
| Belfast | Hourly train from Ballymoney station | About 1 h 20 min |
| Derry | Train via Coleraine | About 1 h 40 min |
Sleep
- Town centre (Main St / High St)
- Walk to the station, pubs and museum; the Manor Hotel is the only hotel in town.
- Dark Hedges / Stranocum
- Hedges Hotel and glamping pods; you need a car for everything else.
- Kilrea and the Bann valley
- 10 km (6.2 mi) south; quiet village base with no rail link, so a car is needed.6.2 mi (10 km) south; quiet village base with no rail link, so a car is needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the station? | Where is the station? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Bregagh Lane at Dark Hedges is closed to traffic; park at Hedges Hotel and pay about £5 by card on exit.
- Road races close nearby highways: Northwest 200 in May, Armoy in late July. Expect diversions.
- Rural lanes have no footpath and poor lighting; walk facing traffic and wear something visible.
- Many town-centre kitchens stop serving by 21:00; the chip shop is the late option.
Low street crime; the real risks are rural lanes with no footpath, wet roads and long dark evenings in winter. Standard UK advice applies.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ballymoney yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Dark Hedges beech avenue
- Joey Dunlop Memorial Garden
- Ballymoney Museum
- Road racing heritage
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council — see and do: www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/see-do
- Discover Northern Ireland — Dark Hedges: discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/the-dark-hedges-p703291
- Translink — Northern Ireland rail and bus: www.translink.co.uk/
- Ballymoney Museum: www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/see-do/arts_museums/museums-services/ballymoney-museum
- Wikivoyage: Ballymoney, revision 5307094 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5307094
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BallymoneyBaile Monaidh
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ballymoney. US citizens: consulate general in Belfast; other countries: embassies in London or Dublin.
English is the everyday language; a few Irish and Ulster-Scots words appear on signs.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ballymoney). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.