Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge Tour
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge has connected the mainland to a small island off the north Antrim coast for more than 250 years, originally strung by salmon fishermen. It hangs almost 100 feet above the water, and crossing it is optional.
Two things are worth knowing before you go. Entry is ticketed with timed slots and sells out from June onwards, so it needs booking in advance. And there is a walk of around a kilometre from the car park before you reach the bridge at all.
With a private driver, you travel the Causeway Coast at your own pace, stopping where you want rather than working to a coach timetable.
Experience the Rope Bridge up Close
Tickets and Booking
Carrick-a-Rede is a National Trust site with timed entry slots. In summer, these sell out, often days ahead, and there is no walk-up availability on busy days. National Trust members enter free but still need to book a slot.
We will tell you what needs booking and when, and plenty of guests ask us to advise on timing before they book. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon are the busiest windows, so an early or late slot means considerably more room on the bridge.
The Walk
The path from the car park runs roughly a kilometre each way, on grass and gravel with some uneven ground and steps down towards the bridge. The return is the harder direction.
It is not a difficult walk for most people, but it is longer than visitors expect and worth knowing about in advance if anyone in your party has mobility considerations. The clifftop views along the way are genuinely the equal of the bridge itself.
Crossing the Bridge
The bridge sways. That is the point of it, and it is also why some people get halfway and decide they have seen enough.
On a clear day you can see Rathlin Island and the Scottish coast beyond. Once across, the island has viewpoints, nesting seabirds on the cliffs, and the small fisherman’s cottage that gives the place its history.
If you would rather not cross, the mainland viewpoints give you the same coastline and the same photographs. Nobody minds, and it costs you nothing of the day.
Combining It With the Coast
Carrick-a-Rede sits fifteen minutes from the Giant’s Causeway, which makes the pairing the most common full day we run.
The Giant’s Causeway. Around forty thousand basalt columns and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland. Allow ninety minutes.
Dunluce Castle. A clifftop ruin between Portrush and the Causeway, with a sea cave beneath it.
Ballintoy Harbour. Ten minutes away, down a steep lane, and Lordsport in the Iron Islands for anyone following the Game of Thrones filming locations.
The Dark Hedges. A beech avenue planted in the 1770s, better known as the Kingsroad, and a natural stop on the return.
The Glens of Antrim. Nine valleys running down to the sea, on the outward leg if you travel by the coast road rather than the motorway.
What the Day Includes
Hotel or cruise terminal pickup in Belfast. A Mercedes for your party alone. Flexible timing at every stop, with the route planned around what you actually want to see.
Your driver holds a professional guiding qualification through Tour Guides Northern Ireland rather than simply a licence. Read about our guiding background.
Admission fees are not included, and we will tell you in advance what needs booking.
When to Go
The bridge closes in high winds, which happens more often than people expect on this coast. If it is closed on the day, the clifftop walk is still open and still worth doing.
Summer is the busiest time and needs booking well ahead. Spring and autumn are the best combination of weather and space. Winter is quiet, though daylight is short and closures are more likely.
Bring layers, whatever the forecast says. Conditions on the north coast rarely match Belfast, and the exposure at the bridge is real.
Other Days from Belfast
Our day tours across Northern Ireland cover the alternatives. Closer to the city, the Belfast and Titanic tour and private tours of Belfast work as a half day or in poor weather.
Cruise passengers should see our Belfast shore excursions for what fits inside a port call.
Common Questions
Do I need to book Carrick-a-Rede in advance? Yes, timed tickets sell out from June onwards, and there is no walk-up availability on busy days.
How long is the walk from the car park? Around a kilometre each way, on uneven ground with steps near the bridge.
Do I have to cross the bridge? No. The mainland viewpoints give you the same coastline and the same photographs.
How high is it? Almost 100 feet above the sea.
How old is the bridge? Salmon fishermen have strung a bridge here for more than 250 years. The current structure is modern and inspected regularly.
Can we do Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant’s Causeway in one day? Comfortably. They are fifteen minutes apart, and it is the pairing we run most often.
What happens if the bridge is closed? Closures happen in high winds. The clifftop path stays open, and the views are the reason most people remember the visit anyway.
Is it suitable for children? Yes, with supervision. The walk is the harder part, not the crossing.
How long is the full day from Belfast? Around eight hours, including the Causeway and one or two further stops.