So pretty! Don't fall. (Derek Lebowski/Getty Images)

It’s strung like a smile, maybe. But oh it’s not kidding.

Meet the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland, the famed swaying pathway that connects a cragged cliff on the mainland with a cragged cliff on the Carrick-a-Rede Island. Some form of this rope bridge has been around for more than 350 years — swinging in the wind above the 98-feet-deep (30-meter) chasm below. In olden times, the bridge was the only way fishermen could reach Carrick-a-Rede Island to catch salmon migrating from the Bush and Bann rivers. In recent times, the bridge has become more of a tourist attraction. After all, frightening as the trek may be, who doesn’t at least want to dare the precarious 65-feet-long (20-meter) bridge?

A new, safer rope bridge was constructed by the National Trust and opened for crossing in 2008. But no worries;  it’s still pretty scary — what with the wind and the waves crashing against the rocks below. And the fact that the bridge is made of flexible materials. (Someone on TripAdvisor mentioned that when you grab onto its railings, they give, which is a little unnerving.)

But this isn’t just about facing your fear of falling. This place is gorgeous! Just look at it. Rippling tall grass. Cliffs overlooking a vast ocean. Take a picnic, breathe the salty air, and hope you don’t break your leg. Yeah, that’s what I said. Just today, a woman broke her leg on Carrick-a-Rede Island, and she had to be airlifted via helicopter from the island, according to the BBC. ‘Cause who was going to carry her on a stretcher back across that bridge?

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