Waterloo Bay

The bay curves round Larne like a horseshoe, all shingle and spray when the wind picks up. Waterloo Bay isn't somewhere you go to tick off a list - it's where you end up on a coastal walk and suddenly realise you've found something worth stopping for.

It's a working bay, properly industrial in parts, but the waterfront itself has a raw appeal that beats the overdone seaside spots. The shingle beach stretches out, backed by the town climbing the hillside behind. On a decent day, the light catches the water nicely and you get views across towards the Scottish coast. Worth twenty minutes of your time, easily an hour if you're the type to sit about with a flask.

Families with young kids might find it a bit exposed and windswept compared to more sheltered beaches, but anyone who likes actual coastline rather than amusement arcades will appreciate it. History buffs could do worse - Larne's got proper shipping heritage, and the bay itself tells that story without needing a visitor centre explaining it to you.

It's genuinely free and accessible year-round, though winter storms can make it properly dramatic if you're into that sort of thing. If you're camping at Down to Earth Wild Camping just five miles away, Waterloo Bay makes for a solid evening stroll or morning walk before heading inland. Don't expect facilities - bring what you need.