On the north end of Ireland, not too far eastward from Giant's Causeway along Larrybane headland, is a much-beloved tourist site known as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This slender strand, suspended at least 80-feet above the tidewaters below, is the latest reincarnation of a bridge that has been used by local fishermen for some 400 years.
The name of the bridge, "Carrick-a-Rede" ("Carraig-a-Rade") means "rock in the road," with the road in question being the route that the salmon migrate along the north coast. The seas here are quite rough at times, often too rough for small craft, so the bridge allows fishermen to cross to the smaller island, which sits firmly in the midst of the migratory area. The bridge is open from mid-March through the end of September; fishermen can still be found here, as well as birdwatchers and many tourists.
The bridge itself is a half-mile walk from the parking lot. The path is of good quality to the viewpoint (approximately 300 yards); after that, you will definitely want sturdy footwear, especially for the flights of stairs down to the bridge. I highly recommend bringing along a bottle or two of water, especially in warm weather; there is a small tearoom in the parking lot if you have not thought to bring your own. If you are not in shape for a mile walk and a bit of climbing up and down stairs, you may find the walk long.
The walk to and from the bridge is quite pretty, with lush green hills, lots of cows on one side, and the dramatic limestone cliffs on the other. On clear days, you can easily see across the North Channel to Scotland. It should be noted that Larrybane headland was once much more prominent, and a fort dating to approximately 800 A.D. once stood atop it. Unfortunately, due to limestone demand, much of the head was quarried and blasted, thus removing a sizeable chunk of land - as well as destroying the fort. The views are still stunning, however, and you can take a walk down to some of the quarry caves if you like.
The bridge itself is not the riskiest version of the bridge to have existed; at one time the bridge was little more than a string of planks and a single rope for a guard rail. The current "caged" version of the bridge was installed in 2000 and is quite safe in comparison, although crossing it still requires sensibility and paying attention to where you walk – although there are no known casualties to have happened here.
It’s quite fun to watch folks daring each other to take the walk, but the best thing to look at here is the scenery, and it’s quite lovely. If you don’t mind the walk, then I highly recommend taking the time out to take in this attraction!