From Wikipedia: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede (from Irish: Carraig a' Ráid, meaning "rock of the casting"). It spans 20 metres (66 ft) and is 30 metres (98 ft) above the rocks below. The bridge is mainly a tourist attraction and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. In 2009 it had 247,000 visitors.
It is thought salmon fishermen have been building bridges to the island for over 350 years. It has taken many forms over the years. In the 1970s it had only one handrail and large gaps between the slats. A new bridge, tested up to ten tonnes, was built with the help of local climbers and abseilers in 2000. Another was built in 2004 and offered visitors and fishermen alike a much safer passage to the island. The current wire rope and Douglas fir bridge was made by Heyn Construction in Belfast and raised early in 2008 at a cost of over £16,000.[3] Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat.
The bridge is well made and was not really scary for either of us. You walk about a kilometer to get to the bridge, and then the bridge itself is only about 60 feet long. But the views are breathtaking, and worth the effort.
We spent the rest of this final day in Northern Ireland exploring along the coastal road, learning along the way how to open the gas cap on our car, and that 'Champ' is mashed potatoes. We looked and tried everything we could think of to put some gas in the car... a nice man working in the petrol station finally came out and showed us what to do. In our defense, we did remember to put diesel instead of gasoline in the car! Ireland was reminding us of New Zealand in that the people are downright friendly and will go out of their way to help people.
We found a beautiful little harbor, Ballintoy Harbor, off the beaten track and ended up coming back later in the day for an early dinner before heading back to our lodging to get ready to hit the road again the next day.
I guess it's no small wonder that it took us so long to find what is touted as the smallest church in the world. It IS tiny! But we got rather obsessed with finding it, and were finally successful. Herewith St Groban's Church in Ballintoy, Northern Ireland.
on the morrow...
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