AN ICONIC tubular bridge has been installed along a once famous coastal path in Co Antrim as part of a £6 million restoration project. Constructed in 1902, the Gobbins cliff path, built along the base of Gobbins Cliff in Islandmagee, once attracted more visitors than the Giant's Causeway.
Originally built as a commercial venture to attract passengers to use a rail link between Belfast and Whitehead, the path was half-a-mile long and linked by a series of metal bridges. The path was closed to the public in 1954 after it fell into a state of disrepair.
However, a project to restore the bridge and turn it into a visitor attraction is now nearing completion.
The plans include the creation of a visitor's centre and a cliff-top path with accessible viewpoints. There will also be a staircase leading from the path to the foot of the cliffs onto the beach.
It is hope the attraction will draw 50,000 paying visitors on fully-guided 'experience tours', which would interpret the history and heritage of the site, its flora and fauna and its geological features. The project is being funded by the Special EU Programmes Body, Larne Borough Council and the Ulster Garden Villages organisation.
The first visitors are expected in the New Year.