Your goal is the tiny island of Carrick-a-Rede, which translates to ‘the rock in the road’, the road being the sea route by which salmon migrate back to their home waters. The island is reached by crossing a rope bridge swinging 30 metres above steep cliffs and crashing waves, and spanning some 20 metres to the stack cliff of Carrick-a-Rede. For 350 years, the locals have fished the salmon in these waters, originally traversing the deep chasm using a single rope hand rail and widely spaced wooden slats. Nowadays, since the demise of salmon fisheries along the coast, the bridge is more widely used by passing tourists. The present, safer two-handrailed caged bridge was installed by The National Trust during Easter of 2000. It remains, however, an exhilarating crossing. The easily followed coastal path takes you through an area of exceptional natural beauty, across the limestone headland and past an old quarry, offering breathtaking views of the north coast and Rathlin and Scottish islands. In all, well worth the rope bridge challenge.