World Heritage UK 2026 Annual Conference

Dates: Monday 05th & Tuesday 06th October 2026

Venue: Portrush Town Hall, Portrush, Northern Ireland

Theme: Connections through World Heritage

Programme (timings may change):

Sunday 4th October

Delegates arrive into Northern Ireland and make their own way to Portrush

Monday 5th October

9.00am Registration & Refreshments on arrival

9.30am Conference Opening & Welcomes from WHUK’s Chair and President

9.40am Keynote: Hilary McGrady, the National Trust

10.10am Speaker 1: Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes with Prof Mike Robinson at Nottingham Trent University

10.40am Speaker 2: Ireland & World Heritage, with Michael MacDonagh, National Monuments Service, Irish Government

11.00am Refreshments

11.20am Speaker 3: European Network of WH Associations with Kaspar Schürch, Director, World Heritage Experience Switzerland

11.40am Speaker 4: International National Trust Organisation, with Catherine Leonard, INTO Secretary-General

12.00pm Speaker 5: Scotland’s World Heritage Connections with Historic Environment Scotland (speaker tbc)

12.20pm Speakers 6: Ireland and Northern Ireland’s Tentative List Sites, with representatives from all four TNSs:

• The Passage Tomb Landscape of County Sligo, with Robert Hensey
• Royal Sites of Ireland, with Caitriona O’Connor
• Transatlantic Cable Complex, with Jon Clarke, SEE for Economic Development and Tourism, Kerry CC
• Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland, with Michael Burton

1.00pm Q&As

1.15pm Lunch

2.00pm Depart by coach for Giant’s Causeway (~25 mins)

2.30pm Site visit to Giant’s Causeway WHS

5.00pm Leave Giant’s Causeway WHS to Portrush (~25 mins)

6.00pm Conference 3-course dinner at the Atlantic Hotel in Portrush & live entertainment with music from the Causeway Shantymen (ticket required)

Started in Portrush in 2023, the Causeway Shantymen began with the simple aim of singing a few shanties to pass the tide. Now they set sail on every journey buoyed by lasting friendships, bold adventures, and a vibrant passion that echoes the allure of a treasure chest brimming with rum.

The Causeway Shantymen stand as a recognised society dedicated to enhancing mental health and positive wellbeing among adult men. By reviving the age-old tradition of sea shanties, they engage audiences and counter the effects of rural isolation and loneliness. Singing together serves as a time-honoured therapeutic practice, bringing singers and audiences closer and bolstering the collective spirit.

Tuesday 6th October

9.00am Teas, coffees and biscuits

9.20am Welcome from WHUK Chair

9.30am Speaker 1: Frontiers of the Roman Empire; with Dr Nigel Mills

10.00am Speaker 2: Great Spa Towns of Europe – Chiara Ronchini, Secretary General, Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site

10.20am Speaker 3: Moravian Church Settlements with Dr David Johnston from Gracehill and  Steen Rosenvinge Lundbye from Christiansfeld in Denmark (the latter joining online)

10.40am Morning break

11.00am Speaker 4: ‘Culture and Climate Connections: The Preserving Legacies project and working together for sustainable climate action’, Dr Will Megarry, Queen’s University Belfast

11.20am Speaker 5: Footsteps of Giants primary school project with the Slate Landscape of NW Wales WHS’ Ffion Meleri Gwyn

11.40am Speaker 6: Cistercian Abbeys across Europe, with Justin Scully from the National Trust and Ana Pagará, Director Monastery of Alcobaça WHS (the latter pre-recorded)

12.00pm Speaker 7: WHUK’s Ashleigh Taylor, on Realising the Benefits of Community Connections (online)

12.20pm Q&A

12.35pm Lunch

1.15pm Depart by coach for Gracehill Moravian WHS (or delegates can travel straight back to Belfast via train)

2.15pm Site Visit Gracehill Moravian WHS

4.30pm Onward coach transport to Belfast or back to Portrush

5.00pm Arrive Belfast city centre or 5.30pm Portrush

Before – Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th October

Arriving early? Why not pop along to the Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey Festival, at Bushmills just east or Portrush.

After – Wednesday 7th October

Staying another day and looking for an optional something extra to do? Why not visit Armagh to see the two sites associated with Ireland’s World Heritage Tentative List – Armagh Observatory and Navan Fort.  These will be transnational nominations between the UK and Ireland.

       

Travel:

There are flights to Belfast International (BFS) and George Best Belfast City (BHD) airports from London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted), Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Exeter, Southampton, Inverness and Aberdeen. Airlines include easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, British Airways and Loganair. Book early!

If you wish to go by sea, Stena Line operate ferries to Belfast from Cairnryan and Liverpool (Birkenhead), and P&O Irish Sea operates between Cairnryan and Larne.

Travel from Belfast to Portrush:

Grab a bus (# 300) from the International Airport to Belfast City Europa Bus Centre (~25 mins); then walk to Yorkgate (~10 mins) and take the train to Portrush (~90 mins); no need to prebook trains as prices don’t change. Try the Rome2Rio app for help.

Accommodation: 

Prices as of November/December 2025 and based on single occupancy with breakfast; delegates are recommended to book their room early.

Elephant Rock Hotel – Boutique Hotel, Portrush (can only accommodate Sunday 4^th October)

1x ambulant twin room £99 B&B (please note this is an accessible room, it is on the ground floor beside reception with an internal window that looks into the atrium, this room also has a wet room style bathroom suitable for wheelchair users);

3x single rooms £135.90 B&B per room; 3x classic double rooms £160.20 B&B per room; 1x classic double/twin rooms £169.20 B&B; 1x classic triple £217.80 B&B (3x occupancy);

3x superior double/twin rooms £193.50 B&B per room (please note only two of these can be configured as a twin); 2x executive sea view double rooms £216 B&B per room;

4x executive sea view double/twin rooms £229.50 B&B per room

Quote “World Heritage Conference” when booking

The Marcus Portrush, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

40 x Rooms; £150 pp/per night with breakfast

Quote “UNESCO26” when booking; guests should call Lauren Fleming on 02870531233 > Option 1 > Option 2 Monday- Friday 9am-5pm or email Lauren at [email protected]

Portrush Atlantic Hotel | Causeway Coast | Northern Ireland

Sunday 4^th October £272 (B&B Single Occupancy); Monday 5^th October £183; 15% discount on these prices (B&B Single Occupancy)

Promo code is WORLD26; booking links: Atlantic: Portrush Atlantic – World Heritage Delegate Rate

Portrush Adelphi | Boutique Golf Hotel in Portrush, Northern Ireland

Sunday 4^th October £347 (B&B Single Occupancy); Monday 5^th October £347 (B&B Single Occupancy); promo code is WORLD26

Booking links: Adelphi: https://marineandlawn.com/portrushadelphi/#/booking/step-1?promo=WORLD26&adults=2&arrive=10.10.2026

Royal Court Hotel Portrush (out of town- transport would be required to get to the conference venue, dinner and meeting points each day)

3x Premier (sea view) rooms £130 per night; 9x Deluxe (non-sea view) rooms £105.00 per night; quote “World Heritage Conference” when booking

Link to Accommodation Guide for the Causeway Coast and Glens area – CCG Download – Accommodation Guide 2025.pdf

Download Visit Causeway Coast & Glens‘ latest accommodation guide by clicking here. The team there also offer an accommodation booking service with a £2 booking fee and they take 10% deposit as a commission.

***Airbnb is also available in the town

Do Your Bit for the Environment – we invite attendees of the Annual Conference to support the Flow Country Partnership’s mission to restore the world’s only Peatland World Heritage Site – inscribed for being the world’s largest intact blanket peat bog. This vital ecosystem stores over 400 million tonnes of carbon, playing a crucial role in combating climate change. If you are travelling to the conference, please consider a donation to help facilitate future carbon sequestration. Your donations will directly aid in the restoration efforts, enhancing the peatland’s capacity to sequester carbon and support biodiversity. Please note, this initiative is not currently structured as a carbon offset programme; however, there is potential for it to evolve into one in the future, subject to interest from the World Heritage community and feasibility.  Your support today contributes to meaningful environmental impact and may pave the way for future carbon offset opportunities.

Click here to donate…thank you.