Restored Gobbins pathway opens to the public

Tourism Minister, Jonathan Bell, is pictured with tour guide Robert Stewart at the Gobbins cliff path preview event recently.

A dramatic coastal walkway at Islandmagee has opened to the public again, 60 years after safety concerns forced its closure.

The Gobbins Cliff Path has undergone a £7.5m refurbishment and is proving very popular with visitors, hundreds of whom had pre-booked their tickets even before the path had opened in mid-August.

It’s hoped that as many as 70,000 visitors will use the 100-year-old pathway annually and Tourism Minister, Alister Bell, who has already visited the site, said that he believed the scheme would put the area’s stunning coastline “back on the tourist map”.

“With the creation of 21 full and part-time jobs, this project represents a significant boost to the local economy, the tourism industry here in Larne, Islandmagee and the wider east-Antrim area,” he said recently.”

The restored Gobbins Cliff Path takes visitors along a series of metal bridges not far above the surface of the sea. They can see steps, caves and tunnels in the cliff face and get close to a diverse range of local flora and fauna.

The new Gobbins Visitor Centre offers an interpretation and exhibition area, a tourist information point and a shop with local crafts and souvenirs.

Caption: Tourism Minister, Jonathan Bell, is pictured with tour guide Robert Stewart at the Gobbins preview event recently.