BEAUTY & THE BIRDS
National Geographic Traveller (UK)|UK and Ireland 2023
Northern Ireland's Rathlin Island feels lost in time, with its incredible birdlife the highlight of its many attractions.
Pól Ó Conghaile
BEAUTY & THE BIRDS

During the 4.5 mile bus journey from Rathlin Island's harbour to its Seabird Centre, a recording plays facts and figures about the island. The modest, boomerang-shaped outpost has a pub, a small seasonal hotel, a few B&Bs and a post office. It has a population of around 150 and three lighthouses - one of them 'upside down', with its light at the base of the tower. The island is encircled by fast tides and deep seas popping with plankton. These combine with the craggy cliffs to create perfect conditions for passing whales, basking sharks and seabird colonies.

Rathlin has its share of legends, too. On clear days, you can see the Mull of Kintyre (just 11 miles away), and Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) is said to have fled across the sea here during the fight for Scottish independence. Hiding himself in a cave, he watched a spider trying and failing to make a web, before eventually succeeding. Inspired to carry on, he returned to Scotland.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة UK and Ireland 2023 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة UK and Ireland 2023 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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