The Gobbins history
In 1902, The Gobbins was designed and constructed by railway engineer Berkeley Deane Wise who was the chief engineer of the Belfast and County Down Railway. Wise was extremely passionate about tourism and he saw that the Antrim coast offered spectacular landscapes and bracing experiences within easy reach of Belfast. He built railway stations with fascinating architectural flourishes, like the mock Tudor building and clock tower in Portrush. He constructed paths, walkways and a tearoom in Glenariff Forest so that people could view its woods and waterfalls. But arguably, his most important contribution was the construction of The Gobbins.
Although Wise's vision of tunnels and bridges spanning the cliffs was challenging to realise, the engineer was determined. The steel girder bridges were built in Belfast, brought to Whitehead on barges and manoeuvred up the coast on rafts. Workers winched them into place on lines dropped from the clifftop. The path became an overnight success, attracting visitors from across Ireland and Britain, many coming on a steamer to Larne. It was said to be busier than Royal Avenue – one of Belfast's central shopping streets – as visitors pushed past each other to see the next sight. The original path at The Gobbins closed in 1954 when the depression of the 1930s and lack of materials post-World War II caught up with this one-of-a-kind visitor experience.
The path reimagined
After extensive renovations, the path reopened in 2016 and is now a hugely popular stop along the stunning Causeway Coastal Route. A tour of The Gobbins is a unique and dreamlike experience, its primal beauty tamed by Edwardian engineering. The 2.5-hour fully guided walking tour offers visitors the opportunity to weave along the basalt cliffs and experience the geology, biodiversity and history that makes this extraordinary place so unique. Local guides, proud of this spectacular place, join you and tell tales of smugglers, young lovers and even witches, as you walk across suspension bridges above the mesmerising waters of the Irish Sea.
In this area of special scientific interest, Northern Ireland’s only mainland colony of colourful puffins dig their burrows here to lay their eggs, and guillemots and razorbills crowd the cliffs during breeding season. Cormorants, with their distinctive necks, hunt from the rocky outcrops. Kittiwakes, smaller cousins of gulls, cry the sound that gave them their name. Offshore, you might be lucky enough to see an inquisitive seal or dolphin raising its head.
The original path was billed as having “no parallel in Europe as a marine cliff walk”. Arriving at The Gobbins and seeing how this network of walkways and bridges hug the dramatic basalt cliff face, that strapline remains true to this day.
In the year of staycations, this is truly one visitor experience in Northern Ireland that you do not want to miss. Tours of The Gobbins are now available seven days a week and must be booked in advance online.
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