Gobbins Two

Why is it called The Gobbins? "Shut yer gob” means shut your mouth. The Gobbins is near the mouth of Belfast Lough. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British isles--Ben meaning sharp rocks. Our guide thinks “ben” became “bin,” denoting the sharp rocks at the mouth of the lough.

Our guide George (above) told us that, back in the day, you had to buy a ticket at Wise's Eye, the hole behind him. The engineer who designed the path in 1901, Berkeley Deane Wise, had a soft spot for the working classes of Belfast. As Chief Engineer to the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway, he came up with the idea of a third class rail ticket for lower income workers. When they got to Gobbins, a third class ticket meant they could enter at no cost.

This bridge is one of the trail’s icons. It is oval-shaped to let people know Wise was a tunnel builder. He was responsible for some impressive railway tunnels in different parts of Ireland.

Part of The Gobbins was closed last year after a rock slide. The contractor hired to scale the cliffs (capturing any loose rock) had to stop because of several thousand puffins arriving for breeding season. The full trail will reopen next year.

In addition to sailboats going by, there was a grey seal who kept popping up. George said the fishermen feed him, so he goes up and down the coast looking for handouts.
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