Fiery Sky

I've just realised that this blog began life over a year ago - 7th October 2008, to be precise.

Both its name and its purpose were different at the start, so it has evolved over the year. My original intention was to post a photo every day. And the photo had to be taken on the day.
I soon realised I had set myself an impossible task. I simply didn't have the time to get a decent photo every day.

Now the posting is irregular. The photos usually show the coast - so the one below just about qualifies for inclusion.
It was taken one evening a couple of weeks ago when I was on my way home from Limavady to Coleraine. I noticed the colour of the sunset in my rear-view mirror, so I stopped to get some photos.
Binevenagh mountain is to the right, with Lough Foyle in the middle distance and the Donegal hills beyond that.

Crossing the Bridge

The rope bridge is about 80 feet above the sea.
It is only around 60 feet long but, for some people, that short distance from the island to the mainland might as well be 1,000 miles. These unfortunates have to be rescued by boat.

The bridge is a much more robust structure to-day than it was thirty years ago when I first ventured across.
It now belongs to the National Trust and is heavily promoted as a tourist attraction. Around 250,000 people visit each year between the beginning of March and the end of October. The bridge structure is taken down in the wintertime.

I haven't been across for some years because the Trust now charge an admission fee to all visitors to their properties. This charge is very necessary to help with the cost of essential maintenance.
All the same, I think there should be a concessionary rate for local people who may want to visit on a regular basis rather than as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Rope Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede is famous because of the rope bridge which joins it to the mainland.

The original purpose of the bridge was to allow salmon fishermen to cross to the island during the spring and summer months. It is thought that a bridge has been in use for several hundred years.
The little house which can be seen on the island was used by the fishermen.

The bridge is now an important tourist attraction.

(Clicking on the photo will enlarge it, allowing you to see the bridge more clearly)