Glenariff, Queen of the Glens

The A43 up the glacial Glenariff valley, Thackeray's 'Switzerland in miniature'.

The A43 runs up Glenariff from the coast at Waterfoot through the U-shaped glacial valley that Thackeray dubbed 'Switzerland in miniature', the grandest of the nine Glens of Antrim with waterfalls feeding the river along the floor. It is a steady scenic climb onto open moorland rather than a technical road, but the glen itself is the spectacle, and it pairs naturally with the Causeway Coast. Mind farm traffic and slow sightseers in the lower glen, sudden moorland weather on the top, and forest-park visitor congestion in summer.