In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Magherafelt
Machaire Fíolta
One night, not three: Magherafelt is a market town with a bus centre, a handful of restaurants and Seamus Heaney's Homeplace 8 km away in Bellaghy.
Magherafelt sits on the old Belfast–Derry road in County Londonderry, now bypassed by the A6, and works as a low-cost base for the Sperrins, Lough Neagh and the Heaney country around Bellaghy. There is no railway station; buses run every two hours on weekdays and barely at all on Sunday, so the town suits travellers with a car or a flexible schedule rather than a tight rail itinerary.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Machaire Fíolta
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (wet, dark by 16:00)Dec–Feb (wet, dark by 4:00 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 £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (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 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- 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 |
| Restaurant main, town centre | £15–25 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Taxi, town centre to Bellaghy | £12–18 |
| Heaney Homeplace adult ticket | £7 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BFS · Belfast International
- About 40 min by road via the M2 and A6; buses from the airport run to Antrim for connections
- BHD · George Best Belfast City
- About 1 h by road; train from Belfast to Antrim, then Ulsterbus 110/210
- LDY · City of Derry
- About 1 h by road; small airport with limited routes
Typical fares
- Ulsterbus Antrim → Magherafelt
- about 50 min, every two hours Mon–Fri (check)
- Ulsterbus Magherafelt → Cookstown
- about 20 min (check)
- Taxi, town centre → Bellaghy
- £12–18 (check)
Get around
The town centre is small enough to walk. Ulsterbus 389 serves the west-side estates and Mid-Ulster Hospital hourly Mon–Fri. For Bellaghy, Ballyronan, Moneymore and the Sperrins you need a car or a taxi; buses are infrequent and Sunday service is minimal.
See and do
Known for
- Seamus Heaney Homeplace in Bellaghy
- Slieve Gallion and the Sperrins
- Ballynahone Bog
- Lough Neagh at Ballyronan
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Seamus Heaney Homeplace, Bellaghy | Car or taxi via the A6 and B182, about 15 min; no direct bus | About 30 min |
| Ballyronan and Lough Neagh | Car via the B160, about 20 min; no useful bus | About 35 min |
| Slieve Gallion and the Sperrins | Car via the B162; a paved lane climbs the south side to the transmitter | About 30 min |
| Cookstown | Ulsterbus 110/210 from Magherafelt Bus Centre, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Derry | Car via the A6, about 1 h; bus connections are slow and indirect | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Magherafelt town centre
- Church Street and Broad Street: walkable to the bus centre, restaurants and pubs. Best for one night without a car.
- Bellaghy and Castledawson
- Village B&Bs and the Taphouse; closest to the Heaney Homeplace and the A6 for Derry.
- Ballyronan and Lough Neagh
- Marina camping and caravan pitches Mar–Oct; lakeside, 20 min by car from town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
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
- No railway station: Antrim is the usual railhead, then a 50-min bus.
- Sunday buses are very limited — check the timetable before you commit.
- Rural roads are narrow and unlit; drive with dipped headlights and watch for tractors.
- Some rural sights (Bellaghy Bawn, Kilcronaghan Old Church) have had long closures: check before travelling.
A quiet market town and generally safe for visitors; the real risks are rural roads at night, wet weather on the Sperrins and the lack of late buses back from Belfast or Derry.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Magherafelt yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Seamus Heaney Homeplace in Bellaghy
- Slieve Gallion and the Sperrins
- Ballynahone Bog
- Lough Neagh at Ballyronan
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Northern Ireland — Mid-Ulster: discovernorthernireland.com/
- Seamus Heaney Homeplace: seamusheaneyhome.com/
- Translink — Ulsterbus timetables: www.translink.co.uk/
- Mid Ulster District Council: www.midulstercouncil.org/
- Wikivoyage: Magherafelt, revision 5038714 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5038714
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
MagherafeltMachaire Fíolta
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Magherafelt; the US Consulate General is in Belfast, and most other countries have embassies in London or Dublin.
English is the everyday language; Irish (Gaeilge) appears on signage but is not needed to get around.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/magherafelt). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.