Carnlough Harbour: A Game of Thrones Filming Location

Written by Murat Yilmaz · Last updated: 26 September 2026

Carnlough Harbour is one of the prettiest small harbours on the Antrim coast, and for Game of Thrones fans it is something more. The worn stone steps running down into the water are the ones Arya Stark hauled herself up after being stabbed in the canals of Braavos. The scene lasts seconds on screen. The harbour has been there since 1854.

It was never built for tourists. It was built to ship limestone to the iron furnaces of Scotland, and the village grew around that trade. Today it is a quiet working quay with boats, gulls, the Glens rising behind it and the open sea in front.

This guide covers the story behind the harbour, exactly which scene was filmed here, what you will see when you arrive, and the practical details: parking, facilities, how long to allow and what else is worth stopping for within a few miles. Carnlough sits right on the Causeway Coastal Route, so it costs you almost nothing to stop.

Carnlough Harbour, a Scenic Village Stop on the Antrim Coast Road

Carnlough stands at the foot of Glencloy, one of the nine Glens of Antrim, about 14 miles north east of Ballymena. The village wraps around a small limestone harbour, and the harbour is the reason the village looks the way it does.

In the 1850s the Londonderry family held coal interests in County Durham and saw an opening in the iron furnaces then multiplying along the Clyde in Scotland. Those furnaces needed limestone flux, and the hills above Carnlough were full of it. The harbour, the quarry and the railway joining them were all built as a single commercial scheme.

What survives is the harbour itself, two stone railway bridges that still cross the streets of the village, and a flight of steps down to the water that a television crew found a century and a half later.

The history of Carnlough Harbour

Work began late in 1853. The scheme was commissioned by Charles Stewart Vane, Marquess of Londonderry, and finished by his wife Frances Anne Vane, Marchioness of Londonderry, in 1854. The engineer was a man named Hunt, brought over from the family’s own harbour at Seaham in County Durham, and the contractor was Patrick Mahon.

The clever part was the railway. Limestone travelled three quarters of a mile from the quarry down to the quayside on an inclined plane, and by May 1856 the engineer Robert Watson had made the system self acting: the weight of the loaded wagons running down hauled the empty ones back up on a steel cable, with no horses required. Stone went straight from wagon into the hold of a ship at the quay, with no carting and no lighters in between. That is what made the whole operation pay.

The same family had already built the Londonderry Arms Hotel on the main street in 1848, six years before the harbour. It went up as a coaching inn for Frances Anne, who was Winston Churchill’s great grandmother, and Churchill inherited it in 1921. The building is still there, reopened after a redevelopment under a new name, the Harbourview Hotel.

What you see today

The harbour is small, and that is the charm of it. A curve of limestone quay, a scatter of boats, the hills of the Glens behind and open water in front. Local boats still work out of it and there is no visitor berthing, so what you are looking at is a harbour rather than a marina.

Walk along the quay and you will find the steps. They are unremarkable in themselves, worn stone dropping into green water, which is exactly why they worked so well on screen.

Close by there is a memorial to Paddy, a racing pigeon from Carnlough who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It is easy to walk past, and it is the sort of detail that turns a five minute stop into a ten minute one.

Above the village, the Cranny Falls walk follows the line of the old limestone railway, built around 1853, up past the disused Gortin Quarry to the waterfall. It runs about 2.7 miles or 4.3 km there and back with roughly 86 metres of climb, which most walkers do in a little over an hour. Interpretation panels along the way explain the quarry and the railway, and the falls themselves sit in a shaded, ferny ravine that is the only known site in Ireland for the scarce Wood Barley plant. The walk is free.

The limestone quay at Carnlough, built in 1854 to ship stone across to Scotland.

Need to know

Parking at the harbour is free, but the spaces fill quickly in summer. Come early, or park in the village and walk down.
The steps are unfenced, often wet and slippery, and they go straight into deep water. Take the photograph from the quay rather than from halfway down.
Allow 20 minutes for the harbour on its own, or around two and a half hours if you add the Cranny Falls walk, which takes a little over an hour on its own.

Visitor information

Opening times. Open access all year round for pedestrians. There is no visitor berthing for boats.

Guide prices. Free. There is no admission charge, no ticket office and no booking.

Facilities. Toilets and parking at the harbour. Cafes, shops and the hotel are a short walk up into the village.

Where it is. Harbour Road, Carnlough, County Antrim, BT44 0EU. On the Antrim Coast Road, 27 miles from Belfast and 14 miles north east of Ballymena. Driving time from Belfast is 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the traffic and which route you take.

What is nearby. Cranny Falls, a 2.7 mile return walk starting in the village. Glenarm, the next village south along the coast. Glenariff Forest Park and the Cushendun Caves, both a short drive north on the same coast road.

The Game of Thrones scene filmed at Carnlough Harbour

The scene comes at the end of season six, episode seven, The Broken Man, which first aired on 5 June 2016. Arya Stark has bought passage back to Westeros and believes she is free of the House of Black and White. The Waif, disguised as an old woman, finds her on a bridge in Braavos and stabs her. Arya escapes by throwing herself into the canal, and hauls herself out of the water badly wounded.

The water she climbs out of is Carnlough Harbour, and the Arya Stark steps are the ones still standing on the quay today. If you have been hunting for the Carnlough Harbour Game of Thrones location, this is it, and the Braavos canal is a small limestone harbour on the Antrim Coast Road. The production dressed the surrounding quay to read as the Free City of Braavos, but the steps themselves needed nothing done to them.

It is worth knowing what to expect. This is not a built set and there is no signage, no visitor centre and no ticket. It is a working harbour where a famous minute of television happened to be shot, and half the pleasure is standing on an ordinary Antrim quay and recognising it.

Carnlough is one of several filming locations packed into a short stretch of this coast, which is why it usually appears alongside the Dark Hedges and the Cushendun Caves on a Game of Thrones tour from Belfast rather than as a destination on its own. We have mapped out every Game of Thrones filming location in Northern Ireland if you want to build a whole day around them.

The Village Around the Harbour, and What We Do Here on Tour

Carnlough had a population of 1,512 at the 2011 census, and it still feels like a village rather than a resort. The main street runs parallel to the shore, and two stone bridges cross it. Those bridges carried the limestone wagons from the quarry down to the quay, and they are the clearest surviving trace of the industry the place was built on.

The old Londonderry Arms, now the Harbourview Hotel, anchors the street. There are cafes and a shop or two within a couple of minutes of the water, which makes Carnlough a natural coffee and toilet stop on a long coastal drive whether or not you care about television.

The beach is a short curve of sand and shingle beside the harbour. It is not a swimming beach for most visitors, but it is a pleasant place to stretch your legs while somebody else finishes their photographs.

Here is what we actually do at Carnlough on tour. There is a car park at the harbour with toilets, so we pull in there first and anyone who wants the facilities uses them before we set off. Then we walk down to the harbour itself and let everybody take their time over the steps, the boats and the view back up the glen.

On the way to the vehicle we stop at Twilight Coffee on Harbour Road. They grind and make it fresh, and it is some of the best coffee on this coast. Everybody gets back in with a cup in their hand and we carry on up the Antrim coast. It is a small thing, and it is one of the stops people mention afterwards.

What Else to See Near Carnlough on the Same Drive

Cranny Falls. The walk starts in the village and follows the old mineral railway up past the quarry to a waterfall. Around 45 minutes to an hour there and back, easy going, and free.

Glenarm. The next village south along the coast, with a walled garden and a castle estate. Glenarm is about 25 miles from Belfast, so it makes a natural pairing with Carnlough on the way up or down.

Glenariff Forest Park. The Queen of the Glens, with the waterfall walkway through a wooded gorge. There is a vehicle charge. We have a full guide to Glenariff Forest Park.

Cushendun Caves. Further north, and another Game of Thrones location: the cove where Melisandre gave birth to the shadow in season two. Free and open at any time.

Galboly. An abandoned stone clachan between Carnlough and Waterfoot, used as Runestone in season six. It sits on private land among grazing livestock, so it is viewed from the path and treated with respect.

Carnlough works best as one stop on a longer coastal day. If you want the whole stretch in one go, our guide to the Causeway Coastal Route runs from Belfast to Derry, and the Giant’s Causeway sits at the far end of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Game of Thrones scene was filmed at Carnlough Harbour?

The harbour steps stood in for a canal in the Free City of Braavos. It is where Arya Stark drags herself out of the water after the Waif stabs her. The quay around the steps was dressed for the shot, but the steps themselves are exactly as you see them today.

Which season and episode is the Carnlough scene from?

Season six, episode seven, The Broken Man, first broadcast on 5 June 2016. Arya is stabbed on a bridge, escapes into the canal and climbs out badly wounded. The aftermath carries into the following episode.

Can you visit the Arya Stark steps at Carnlough?

Yes. The steps are on the public quay, so there is nothing to book and nobody to ask. Walk out along the harbour wall and they run down into the water from the quayside.

Is there a charge to visit Carnlough Harbour?

No. The harbour has open access all year round for pedestrians and there is no admission charge. There is no visitor berthing for boats.

Where do you park at Carnlough Harbour?

There is parking at the harbour itself, and it is free. It is a small area and it fills quickly on summer weekends, so it is worth arriving early or parking up in the village and walking down.

How long do you need at Carnlough Harbour?

Twenty minutes covers the harbour, the steps and the Paddy the Pigeon memorial. Allow about two hours if you want to add the Cranny Falls walk above the village.

Are there toilets at Carnlough Harbour?

Yes, there are public toilets at the harbour, along with the car park. Cafes and shops are a short walk up into the village.

What else is there to see in Carnlough?

The two stone railway bridges over the main street, the beach beside the harbour, the Harbourview Hotel which was built as the Londonderry Arms in 1848, and the Cranny Falls walk up the old quarry railway.

Is Carnlough worth visiting if you are not a Game of Thrones fan?

Certainly. It is a handsome Victorian harbour in one of the Glens of Antrim, with a genuine industrial story behind it, toilets, parking and a coffee within a minute of the water. On a long coastal drive that is a good stop on its own terms.

What to see in Carnlough?

The harbour and the Arya Stark steps, the two stone railway bridges over the main street, the Paddy the Pigeon memorial, the beach beside the quay, and the Cranny Falls walk up the old quarry railway. Allow half a day if you want all of it.

Where is Carnlough in Ireland?

Carnlough is on the Antrim Coast Road in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, at the foot of Glencloy in the Glens of Antrim. It is 27 miles from Belfast and 14 miles north east of Ballymena.

Follow us for travel inspiration, local insights, and real moments from our private tours across Northern Ireland. Stay updated with new experiences, seasonal highlights, and guest stories.

Let Ireland Inspire You

Carnlough is one stop on a coast that keeps giving you reasons to pull over. If this has you planning a day along the Glens and up towards the Causeway, these guides cover the places we take people next, with the same practical detail on times, parking and what is actually worth your time.

Belfast Cruise Port Guide

A practical guide to Belfast Cruise Terminal, covering the distance into the city centre, taxi and shuttle options, Titanic Belfast, and private shore excursions timed to your ship.

White Park Bay beach on the Causeway Coast in County Antrim

White Park Bay Beach: The Quiet Beach on the Causeway Coast

White Park Bay Beach: The Quiet Beach on the Causeway Coast Written by Murat Yilmaz · Last updated: 26 September 2026 White Park Bay Beach is the one the tour

Northern Ireland Road Trip

The Ultimate 5-Day Northern Ireland Road Trip Itinerary 5-Day Journey Curated by Belfast Tours NI For Northern Ireland Self Drive Written by Murat Yilmaz Last updated: January 12, 2026 Table of

Connect with Us

Belfast Tours NI offers a range of resources to help visitors plan a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Our blog post highlights the best things to do in the area and provides insider tips to ensure visitors have an unforgettable experience.

We encourage you to explore our social media channels as well, where you can find additional information and travel inspiration. Trust our team of experts to guide you through the planning process and provide you with the tools you need to fully immerse yourself in the culture and attractions of Ireland.