Bushmills is a small village on the Causeway Coast, named for the mills that once lined the River Bush — at one point at least seven of them, grinding corn, flax, paper, and more. It’s best known today for the Old Bushmills Distillery, but it’s worth more than a drive-through on the way to the Giant’s Causeway.
Getting there
About 6 miles east of Portrush along the Causeway Coastal Route, past Royal Portrush Golf Club and Dunluce Castle — roughly 15 minutes by car, though the viewpoints along the way (White Rocks, Magheracross, Dunluce Castle) are worth stopping for.
By bus: Translink 172 or 402 from Dunluce Avenue in Portrush, about 20 minutes. By train: Belfast to Portrush is around 1.5 hours; from there, bus or taxi on to Bushmills. On foot: the Causeway Coastal Way footpath from Portrush via Whiterocks Beach and Portballintrae is about 7 miles, roughly 2.5 hours.
A bit of history
Bushmills traces back to Norman times under the name Portcaman, split either side of the River Bush into the parishes of Portcaman and Billy, which merged in the mid-1600s. Water power built the village — corn mills, flax mills, a paper mill, a spade mill, and several distilleries were all recorded running on the Bush at once. When the Giant’s Causeway started drawing curious visitors from the 1690s onward, Bushmills became the natural stopping point on the way.
The village’s Victorian character owes a lot to the Macnaghten family of Dundarave Estate, who built much of what you see today — the Clock Tower (1874) and Market Square, the Courthouse (1834), and Shell Row, a terrace of seven cottages (1820) built for estate workers, each with a lintel cut from hexagonal Causeway stone. A hydro-electric tramway — the world’s first public one — connected Portrush and Bushmills from 1883, later extended to the Giant’s Causeway; it closed in 1949 and reopened in 2002 as a heritage tourist line running Bushmills–Causeway only.
Worth a look if you’re wandering the village: the Alphabet Angel bronze sculpture (2004, by Ross Wilson) behind the visitor centre, the first public artwork anywhere celebrating the Ulster-Scots dialect; the War Memorial in Market Square, unveiled in 1921, with a later plaque honouring Robert Quigg VC; and Klondyke Terrace, a row of houses built around 1900 and named for the Yukon gold rush that funded them.
Old Bushmills Distillery
The oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world — Sir Thomas Phillips was granted the licence to distil here by King James I in 1608, though distilling on the site likely predates that. It’s had a genuinely eventful history since: a fire destroyed much of the original buildings in 1885, and the distillery survived American Prohibition in the 1920s because its then-owner, Samuel Wilson, gambled on buying up and stockpiling whiskey ahead of the ban to sell once it lifted. Ownership has passed through several hands since — Isaac Wolfson, Irish Distillers, Pernod Ricard (1988), and Diageo (2005). Since 2008, Bank of Ireland sterling banknotes issued in Northern Ireland have carried an illustration of the distillery. Tours run year-round. Find out more.
Where to eat
Bushmills gets passed by more than it should on the way to the Giant’s Causeway — there’s genuinely good food here.
- The Bushmills Inn, 9 Dunluce Rd — a 4-star boutique hotel and restaurant in a former coaching inn dating to the 1600s, open fires, and traditional music sessions in the bar.
- Mick’s Coffee Shop, 65 Main Street — a full Ulster fry, plus genuinely good Thai food from one of the owners.
- The Copper Kettle, 57a Main St — a proper Ulster fry (soda bread, potato bread, the lot). Popular with cyclists on Saturday mornings; go before 10am or you may not get a seat.
- The French Rooms, 45 Main St — French-inspired café/restaurant opposite the visitor centre.
- Tartine at the Distillers’ Arms, 140 Main St — the chef, Gary Stewart, has won Restaurateur of the Year and is a past all-Ireland chowder champion.
- Mini Maegden — a converted campervan near the Giant’s Causeway, run by two ex-teachers, serving grilled cheese sandwiches with local artisan fillings.
- Coopers Deli, 57a Main St — sandwiches and paninis, family-run for four generations of Bushmills Distillery coopers; pizza and pasta served 5–9pm evenings.
- Ground Espresso, 64 Main St — coffee behind the clock tower, easy to miss, worth finding.
- Broughgammon Farm, just outside the village towards Ballycastle — weekends only, farm shop and café known for goat meat products; multiple food award wins including Great Taste Awards.
Food tours: Caroline at Irish Feast runs walking food tours around Bushmills (and Ballycastle and Rathlin), visiting six local eateries. Find out more.
Nearby
- Giant’s Causeway — 2 miles.
- Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge — 4 miles, National Trust.
- Ballintoy — one of the most scenic stretches of the coast road, near Whitepark Bay and Ballintoy Harbour (a Game of Thrones filming location).
- The Dark Hedges.
- Portballintrae — a small fishing village just outside Bushmills, near the Giant’s Causeway.
- Dunluce Castle.
