# Things to do Beaches and Coast

Source: https://nisocial.com/listing-category/beaches-and-coast/
Part of: https://nisocial.com/
Places listed: 2

Strands, cliff paths and harbours around the Northern Ireland coastline, with honest notes on parking, tides and whether the sea is safe to be near in a swell.

## Places

### Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

A rope bridge to a small island off the Antrim coast, thirty metres above the sea. You must book a time slot, it closes without warning in high wind, and the crossing itself takes about thirty seconds.

Full entry: https://nisocial.com/listing/carrick-a-rede/
Cost: There is an admission charge, with National Trust members free. Check the Trust's page for current pricing rather than a figure from a blog, and note the car park is part of the same arrangement. | How long: Allow an hour and a half. About twenty minutes each way on the cliff path, a short wait at the bridge in season, and as long as you want on the island. | Parking: One car park at the site, on the Whitepark Road, and it is tied to your booking. It fills on summer afternoons. There is no realistic overflow, and the Whitepark Road is not a road to be abandoning cars on.

### The Giant's Causeway

Forty thousand basalt columns where the Antrim plateau meets the sea, and Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. The thing almost nobody tells you: walking down to the stones is free. What the National Trust charges for is the visitor centre and its car park.

Full entry: https://nisocial.com/listing/giants-causeway/
Cost: The stones themselves are free. The causeway sits on a public right of way and you can walk down to it without paying anyone. The National Trust charges for its visitor centre experience, and its car park is tied to that ticket - which is the part people mistake for an entry fee. Trust members go in free. | How long: Two hours is comfortable for the walk down, time on the stones and the walk back. Half a day if you take the clifftop route as well. | Parking: The National Trust car park is the obvious one and is bundled with the visitor centre ticket. If you only want the stones, park in Bushmills or at one of the small pay-and-display options nearby and walk in. Do not park on the Causeway Road verges - it is a busy coach route and you will be moved on.