Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a tiny bridge connecting mainland Northern Ireland to a small island, built by fishermen in 1755 to reach a better fishing spot. The rope bridge dangles over the rocks, sways in the wind, and looks pretty intimidating.

Will you dare cross it?

 

explore northern ireland - carrick a rede rope bridge

 

In this travel guide about Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Northern Ireland, you’ll find in the table of contents below everything that we’ll see. Simply click on the table to expand it, then click on any part you’d like to jump to.

 

Where is Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge?

Carrick-a-Rede is located on the north coast of Northern Ireland.


The rope bridge is part of County Antrim, one of the 6 counties of the country, that is also home to the Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle.

 

carrick a rede rope bridge in northern ireland

 

Carrick-a-Rede Facts

Are you fond of facts? I know I am! I love learning more about a place and its history with some quick & interesting facts, so I’ve gathered a few about Carrick-a-Rede for you:

  • the name comes from the Gaelic “Carraig a Rade“, meaning “the rock of the road”. The island of Carrick-a-Rede was an obstacle -a rock- in the road -the river- used by migrating salmons to return home
  • the bridge was built in 1755 by fishermen, as a way to reach the island (a salmon fishing paradise) without relying on boats
  • Carrick-a-Rede pronunciation: it’s pronounced “carrikareed“. You might hear a few locals pronounce it as “carrikareedee”
  • even though it seems scary, there has been no deaths and no accidents on Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge since it was properly opened to the public in 2004
  •  the bridge is 20 meters long (66 feet), and it’s 30 meters (100 feet) above the sea

 

Exploring Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Before visiting the main attraction of the area, The Giant’s Causeway, I stopped to what is probably the second most visited place on the Causeway Coast and one of the best things to do in Northern Ireland: an epic rope bridge, between Northern Ireland mainland and a small island.

 

would you dare cross carrick a rede rope bridge?

 

I first went to a car park, located on the coast, to have the best view of the rope bridge: Portaneevy Car Park. After parking the car, I walked a grand total of 1 minute (lol) to reach the viewpoint. From the viewpoint, Carrick-a-Rede island and the rope bridge are quite far, but you will still have a grand view of the island, and the rope bridge connecting it to the land. You can even see people walking on the bridge!

 

carrick a rede northern ireland zoom on the bridge

 

carrick a rede and the fisherman house

The view from Portaneevy car park

 

I loved the view from the car park, because it really gives you a sense of scale of how small the bridge is, and you get a full view with the coast, the bridge and Carrick-a-Rede island. If you look at the image above, there is the fisherman house on the island, that you can see from the car park.

 

lone walker on the carrick a rede rope bridge

 

Best View of the Rope Bridge

As you saw with the images above, the view from Portaneevy car park is pretty good. However, it’s pretty far from Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge; don’t worry, there is another spot where you’ll have the best view of the rope bridge!

Look at the image below: on the left of the rope bridge, if you follow the path that goes along the cliffs, you’ll see 2 people standing. See them? (you might have to zoom on the image they look very tiny!).

 

carrick a rede rope bridge from the sky

 

Well, this is the viewpoint, where you’ll have the best view of the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. You don’t have to pay to go to the viewpoint, the trails on the cliffs are open, and you can simply walk to the viewpoint.

 

best viewpoint of carrick a rede rope bridge

View from the viewpoint. Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board

 

If you park your car on the main parking lot, it’s a 20 minutes walk to reach the viewpoint. You can see the directions on the map below:

Once you’re ready to move on, and to cross the bridge, it’s a short 3 minutes walk to get to the bridge.

 

Crossing Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

If you feel confident enough, you can cross the bridge! Walking on the bridge feels amazing, suspended high above the sea, and you can feel the bridge moving under your feet.

 

crossing the carrick a rede rope bridge

Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board

 

As you can see on the image above, the bridge is very sturdy. Unless you have an extreme fear of heights, you should be fine crossing it.

Make sure you don’t look below, it can feel quite intimidating! (or do it, I’m not your mom)

 

zoom on carrick a rede rope bridge

 

When you’re on the bridge, you’ll have a stunning view of the Antrim coast.

 

the antrim coast in northern ireland

 

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge back in the days

Today, the rope bridge is completely safe, and feels very secure. This comes from a massive renovation in 2004, for a cost of more than 20,000 dollars.

But back in the days, the bridge wasn’t nearly as safe. There was only one safeguard rope, and the walkway was very tiny. Look at the images below and you’ll see how bad it was:

 

carrick a rede rope bridge 1890

 

carrick a rede rope bridge in 1900

 

carrick a rede rope bridge northern ireland history

 

Would you have crossed the bridge back then?

 

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Game of Thrones

Northern Ireland is home to a lot of Game of Thrones filming locations.

At the time that I write this guide (March 2019), Carrick-a-Rede has not been used as a Game of Thrones filming location.

However, there has been a lot of sightings of the HBO crew filming near Carrick-a-Rede, which means it could be featuring in the new season coming soon…

 

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge Entry Fee

Do you have to pay for Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge? Yes, you do have to pay, but only if you want to cross the bridge. You can walk on the trails around and access the viewpoint for free.

You can find below the prices to walk on Carrick-a-Rede:

  • Adults: £9
  • Children: £4.50
  • Family (5 members max, and 3 adults max): £22.50

 

carrick a rede from the sky

 

Carrick-a-Rede is an extremely popular spot to visit, and the number of visits has exploded in the past years. It went from 243,000 visitors in 2011 to 424,000 visitors in 2017.

The bridge is only wide enough for 1 person, and a maximum of 8 people can be on the bridge at the same time. To allow for the best experience for everyone visiting, and to regulate the flow of people, the National Trust limits the amount of visitors that can cross the bridge each hour.

I highly recommend booking your tickets in advance to make sure you’ll be able to cross the bridge.

 

Book your Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge tickets here

 

Carrick-a-Rede Opening Times

The rope bridge is open every day of the year, except for Christmas (24th, 25th and 26th of December).

Opening times:

30th October to 26th February: 9:30am to 3:30pm

27th February to 25th June & 4th September to 29th October: 9:30am to 6pm

26th June to 3rd September: 9:30am to 7pm

Be aware that the latest you can cross the bridge is 45 minutes before the closing times above.

 

carrick a rede island from above

 

How to Get to Carrick-a-Rede

You can either get to Carrick-a-Rede by car, or by train.

 

Get to Carrick-a-Rede by car

Carrick-a-Rede is at the very north of Ireland. You’ll find below the travel times from nearby major points:

 

carrick a rede from the parking lot

 

Get to Carrick-a-Rede by train

If you don’t have a car during your Ireland trip (I strongly recommend renting one), you can still visit Carrick-a-Rede, by taking the train and a bus.

  • From Derry/Londonderry: 2 hours travel time
  • From Belfast: 2h30 travel time

 

Book your train tickets here: Ireland Trains

 

Tips for Visiting Carrick-a-Rede

To help you make the most out of your trip, you can find below a few tips:

  • dogs can’t cross the bridge, so keep that in mind if you visit with your canine companion
  • plan at least 2 hours to visit, including the 20 minutes walk from the car park + the possible queue
  • book your tickets in advance
  • if you’re afraid of heights, don’t look down when crossing the bridge

 

lone walker on the carrick a rede rope bridge

 

Where to Stay near Carrick-a-Rede

If you’re visiting Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant’s Causeway Coast, you have several options for where to stay:

Budget: Finn McCools Giant’s Causeway Hostel. Very cheap accommodation, around 18€ per night for a bed in a 6 beds dorm room. Voted #1 hostel in Northern Ireland by ratings on Hostelworld.com, it’s right next to the Giant’s Causeway, and it also comes with a free breakfast!

Comfy: The Castle Bed & Breakfast. Comfy room for around 86€ per night, it comes with a private bathroom, free parking, free wifi, and breakfast is included. It’s the closest you can get to Carrick-a-Rede, 24 minutes walk and 3 minutes drive.

Luxury: Bushmills Inn Hotel & Restaurant. The best hotel in the area. It’s often used by pro US golfers when they come to play on Royal Portrush Golf Club. In an old inn from the 17th century, the Bushmills Inn is simply the best of the best. A night starts at around 230€. Be aware that it’s hard to book a room there, so book in advance!

 

Visit Northern Ireland

Planning a trip to Northern Ireland? You can find below several other articles about this wonderful part of the United Kingdom to help you plan your trip:

 

 

I hope you enjoy your trip to Carrick-a-Rede and Northern Ireland!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below, I always reply.