Things We Love: Great Attractions in Northern Ireland – The Gobbins

Here at The Inside Trek, we were always going to like a great local attraction here in Northern Ireland that involves a decent walk too. So it’s no surprise The Gobbins is something we absolutely love.

The Gobbins, not goblins

First opened in 1902, The Gobbins is a cliff-face path that runs along the bottom of cliffs on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland, crossing bridges, going past caves and diving through a tunnel. This fantastic tourist attraction was the brainchild of fabulously-named Irish railway engineer, Berkeley Deane Wise.

Berkeley Deane Wise

Born on 2 October 1855 in County Wexford, and brought up in Dublin, Berkeley started his civil engineering career in 1872, where he quickly advanced. As Chief Engineer of the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway Company, Wise created innovative new paid-for attractions to encourage people to use his new railway routes from Belfast. The Gobbins is his tour de force.

But alongside his civil engineering prowess, Wise also had a keen marketer’s eye, for he gave the features names like Sandy Cave, the Man O’War stack, Otter Cave and even a Trump Cave. Most striking of all was the engineering marvel of the Tubular Bridge, which spanned 70 feet in length with 12 impressive elliptical stiffeners.

“Perfect Marvel of Engineering”

The path gave visitors paying 6d the chance to enjoy a ‘perfect marvel of engineering’. And thousands would do so in the first part of the 1900s. The Gobbins drew worldwide acclaim, with newspapers declaring that ‘the varied beauty of this cliff path baffles all description’. Wise put Islandmagee on the map & got thousands onto his trains.

However, given its location, the Gobbins required constant maintenance to cope with the impact of waves and storms. And in the 30s, following the Great Depression and increasing competition from a growing road network, the railway company got into financial difficulties. Upkeep slipped and the path was closed in 1954 for what seemed like the last time.

Up steps our Council

But here’s where we give a massive hat tip to our local council, Mid & East Antrim, for they refused to give up on The Gobbins. After a lot of blood, sweat, tears and fundraising, they constructed series of 15 replacement bridges & galleries along the side of the cliff in 2014-15, including the iconic Tubular Bridge and a section that runs below sea level! Once again, visitors can enjoy Wise’s genius creation.

We love our council for making that happen. And yep, we LOVE the Gobbins.

Let us know if you love it too

We’d also love to know what you think of The Gobbins. When you visit, send us an email to andrew@theinsidetrek.com with your thoughts