Overview
The name is misleading: nothing about the Six Mile Water is six miles long. The river runs almost 26 miles (42 km) across eastern County Antrim, rising in the hills west of Larne and north of Carrickfergus and winding past Ballynure, Ballyclare, Doagh, Templepatrick and Dunadry before it empties into Lough Neagh at Antrim town.
For visitors it’s a quiet alternative to the coast. If you’ve time for just one stretch, make it the lower river through the grounds of Antrim Castle, where it runs alongside restored 17th-century canals and Victorian pleasure gardens – free, level, and open dawn to dusk all year.
A river with a story
Accounts of the name vary. The most common is that the crossing here lay six Irish miles from Antrim on the road to Carrickfergus, and soldiers used the ford to mark their progress – though even the sources disagree on the details. Older still is its earlier name, the Ollarbha, known in Irish as Abhainn na bhFiodh, ‘river of the woods’, anglicised as Owenaview.
The river also lent its name to a piece of religious history: the Six Mile Water Revival of 1625, a Presbyterian revival that ran on for close to a decade. In more workaday terms it powered the local economy, and you can still trace the ruins of mills among the trees along the Upper Town stretch. Its grandest historic neighbour is Antrim Castle Gardens, a 400-year-old estate where a 12th-century motte rises beside the water.
Walking the banks
The routes are flat, well-signposted and largely traffic-free – no hiking experience required.
Mill Race Trail
The main walk is the Mill Race Trail, a roughly 10 km riverside route running out from Antrim town centre with no entrance fee. It threads past old mill sites and into the Antrim Castle grounds, and shorter marked loops branch off it. Much of the lower section, through the gardens and along the Lough shore, is wheelchair accessible with frequent resting points.
Six Mile Water River Park, Ballyclare
Upstream, the Ballyclare loop is an easy 2.3 km circuit from the Mill Road car park, following the riverbanks past a small duck pond and out across open fields – about half an hour at a stroll. Dogs are welcome on leads on both routes.
Fishing
This is one of Northern Ireland’s better-known rivers for wild brown trout and, above all, dollaghan – the big Lough Neagh sea-trout that run up from the lough and have been caught here to 21lb. Salmon come too. The Antrim & District Angling Association manages the water from Doagh Bridge down to the Lough Neagh mouth, and sells day permits online at their dedicated site.
Know the rules before you cast. The season runs 1 March to 31 October; it’s fly-fishing only until 1 September, with spinning and worming allowed in September and October. Anglers are asked to keep to the footpaths and carry a valid permit at all times. If you’re after the spring salmon or the dollaghan run, arrive early to claim a spot on the productive lower stretches near Clotworthy House.
Wildlife
The slow sections are good for a quiet half-hour of watching. Kingfishers flash along the willows, grey herons stand in the shallows, and otters work the lower reaches, leaving spraints on the muddy banks.
Practical information
- Opening hours: The gardens and river walk are open dawn to dusk, year-round. Clotworthy House keeps set hours – Monday to Friday 09:30–17:00 and weekends 10:00–17:00 for the 2026 season.
- Admission: Free entry to the gardens, river walk and public footpaths.
- Parking: Free parking at several points, including Paradise Walk, Muckamore Church, Kirby’s Lane and Antrim Forum, plus the Lough Shore car park off Randalstown Road. Disabled bays and EV charging are available.
- Accessibility: Accessible toilets and 2-metre-wide paths in the Sensory Garden. A detailed access guide is available here.
- Camping: The Six Mile Water Caravan Park on the riverbank is open February to November (weekends only in February and November), with hard-standing pitches and electric hook-ups.
- Dogs: Welcome on all public footpaths, on a lead.
- Facilities: Toilets, picnic areas and a café within the Antrim Castle Gardens complex.
- Getting there: The main gardens entrance is on Randalstown Road (BT41 4LH). From Belfast, take the A26 north to Antrim and follow signs to Randalstown Road. For the Ballyclare loop, take the A26 to Ballyclare and follow signs to the Mill Road car park.
Ranger-led tours of the gardens run through the year and often tie in with seasonal events; check the official Antrim Castle Gardens listing for dates.