Overview
On the afternoon of 13 September 1902 a meteorite fell in a field near Crumlin. Its fragments spent more than a century on loan to museums in England and only came back to Northern Ireland in February 2023 – a long way round for a village that most people now pass on the way to somewhere else. Crumlin sits near the eastern shore of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in Britain or Ireland, 20 miles (32 km) west of Belfast in County Antrim. It is a quiet place of around 5,366 people, and its most useful feature to a visitor is plain geography: it lies just three miles from Belfast International Airport, which makes it a sensible first or last night rather than a destination in its own right.
History & origins
The name Crumlin comes from the Irish Cromghlinn, ‘crooked glen’, for the bend the river cuts through the ground here. The earliest settlement record dates to 1306, in the Taxation of the Dioceses. The village grew through the 19th century as a market and mill settlement on the river, and the aristocratic estate landscape survives best a few miles north at Antrim Castle.
What to see & do
Crumlin is not a town of attractions so much as a base beside a few good ones. Take the glen and the lakeshore as the reasons to stop; treat everything else as a short drive away.
Crumlin Glen
This is the one to do in the village itself. The Camlin River has cut a deep, wooded glen on the edge of Crumlin, with a riverside path of roughly 2 km (1.3 miles) that runs past a waterfall and through mature woodland loud with birdsong. The trail starts from the glen car park and is well kept, though the steps get steep in places, so it is better in dry weather than after heavy rain. Somewhere in the trees, if you can find it, is a small domed stone folly locals call the Cockle House. (This is a woodland glen, not one of the coastal Glens of Antrim further north.)
The Lough Neagh shore
The lakeshore near Crumlin is one of the more accessible stretches of Lough Neagh. The water is calm and shallow at the edge, the bank suits an easy walk or cycle, and the Crumlin river holds salmon and dollaghan for anyone who fishes. Early or late in the day the stillness is often broken only by a lapwing or a passing swan.
Antrim Castle Gardens
About 10 km (6 miles) north, Antrim Castle Gardens is the bigger draw: 400 years of formal gardens, Dutch-style water canals, a Victorian pleasure garden and the motte and ruins of the old castle, with Clotworthy House as a visitor centre. It is usually free to wander, though hours and any charges are worth checking before you travel. There are two enclosed dog parks, one for small breeds and one for large.
Oxford Island
A short drive brings you to Oxford Island on the southern shore of Lough Neagh, a wetland reserve of reed beds and open water with a network of boardwalks and hides. It is one of the better birdwatching spots on the lough, with a visitor centre for context on the habitat and its wildfowl.
Practical information
Crumlin is easy to reach and easy to leave, which is much of its appeal.
- Getting there: the M1 runs close by; from Belfast the drive is around half an hour. Translink Ulsterbus services link the village to Lisburn, Antrim, the airport and Belfast city centre. The nearest railway station is in Antrim town, roughly 10 km away.
- Parking: there is a free car park off the main road, and more at Antrim Castle Gardens.
- Accessibility: the lakeshore path and the castle gardens are largely level; the glen has steps and can be slippery after rain.
- Dogs: leashed dogs are welcome on most paths, and the two dog parks at Antrim Castle Gardens are a rare treat for anyone travelling with a pet.
- When to go: spring and early summer for birdlife at Oxford Island and the gardens in bloom; autumn for colour and quiet.
Nearby
- Aghalee: a neighbouring lakeside village with canal locks and the Broad Water walk.
- Antrim town: about 10 km away, with shops, cafés and the castle grounds.
- Antrim Coast and Glens: the scenic route north toward the Giant’s Causeway.
If you are flying in or out of Belfast International, Crumlin Glen is the walk to fit in – twenty minutes from the runway to a waterfall in the woods is a better start or end to a trip than the terminal car park.