Cafe. White Park Bay, Northern Ireland

July 2021

Cycling along the stunning, if hilly(!), coastal road from Ballycastle to Giant's Causeway, distracted by the arc of white sand against the sparkling turquoise sea that is White Park Bay, I almost didn't spot Bothy.  But something about the cosiness of the word must have registered with my brain so I stopped to investigate.  From the name, I was expecting small and eclectic.  Bothy is surprisingly large, although definitely has the eclectic factor, with a conservatory as well as a covered outdoors, complete with wood fired pizza oven.

Taking inspiration from mountain bothies, they aim to recreate the comfort of "a roof over our heads; a shelter from the weather; a place to rest, eat and warm up; a haven". They want people to be able to "wander in, settle back and unwind. Curl up and read a book, or just enjoy the solitude". I found it a little busy for that - it's definitely a very popular pit stop.

They roast their own coffee (bags of beans can be bought there too) and their cinnamon buns are apparently famous. The breakfast menu is fairly standard, and lunch focusses on salads and toasties. Wood-fired pizza is served some afternoons/ evenings too - check their social media for details.

Find Bothy on the A2, opposite the road down to Portbradden Harbour - a tiny beach and handful of pretty houses, well worth a quick detour.

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