Glenarm Castle, a privately owned estate on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast in the village of Glenarm, County Antrim, combines a working country estate, an award-winning walled garden, and a range of visitor experiences.
Location
Glenarm Castle is about 30 miles north of Belfast - roughly 30 minutes from Ballymena, 20 from Larne, and 35 from Carrickfergus by car - with on-site parking.
Visiting
Opening hours: 10am-5pm, Monday to Sunday, last admission 4:15pm.
Admission covers the Walled Garden, Woodland Walk, Heritage Centre, and Coach House Museum together as a single combined ticket, not separate products: Adult £10.00, Youth (4-17) £5.00, Concession £8.50, Family (1 adult + 3 children) £17.50, under-4s free. Children under 12 currently get free entry to the Walled Garden, Woodland Walk, and Heritage Centre - a real, current promotional change rather than a standing policy, worth confirming is still running before a visit.
The Walled Garden
Opened to the public in 2005 following a full restoration begun by Lord and Lady Antrim in 2001, the award-winning Walled Garden - dating in its original form to the 18th century, with today’s layout created in the 1820s - features a 56-metre sloping Victorian glasshouse along the north wall (still growing peaches, apricots, and grapes), traditional double herbaceous borders, water features, and a rose border. The Old Mushroom House, a 19th-century building within the garden originally believed to have been a children’s playhouse or ornamental dairy, now operates as a tea room. The garden’s Annual Tulip Festival runs each May.
Castle Tours
Guided tours cover the castle’s history and its Georgian, Gothic, Baroque, and Palladian architectural influences, along with the story of the McDonnell family, Earls of Antrim, who still call Glenarm home. Glenarm Castle is the private family home of Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim, and his wife Aurora, Countess of Antrim - visitors can access it only on selected guided-tour dates.
Glamping
On-site glamping pods with sea views sleep up to four (a double bed plus bunks), each with an en-suite shower room, charging points, and Wi-Fi.
Nearby
Glenarm Forest and the Glenarm Coastal Walk are right on the doorstep, with the wider Causeway Coastal Route (allow 3-5 days to explore properly, or a single day if pressed for time) running past the estate. A short drive away, Glenariff Forest Park - at 1,185 hectares, one of Northern Ireland’s largest forest parks - offers waterfalls, woodland trails, and lake walks.
Events
Glenarm Castle hosts an annual Tulip Festival in May, a summer family music and food festival, and a Christmas Experience each December.
