ROPEBRIDGE
Strung across a swirling rocky sound, a trip
across the swinging Carrick-a-Rede
rope-bridge on the north Antrim coast is not
for the faint-hearted, particularly on a
blustery day. A bridge has been used here
by local fishermen since the mid-1600s, the
waters being too treacherous to cross in a
small boat. It links the mainland with a
volcanic outcrop which dissects the seasonal
stream of migrating salmon. Carrick-a-Rede
means rock in the road, the road being the
sea route of the salmon.
The island affords views of Fair Head and the
L-shaped Rathlin Island. It was here that
Robert the Bruce hid when he encountered
the famously persistent spider and resolved
to take another swing at the English whom
he eventually defeated.
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