It is a stunning,breath taking natural formation of volcanic rocks right on the shore line.The most characteristic and unique feature of the Giant Causeway is the exposure of about nearly 40,000 large polygonal shaped columns,that are regularly shaped of basalt in perfect horizontal sections,together forming a pavement.It is one of the World’s Great Wonders’ that brings the combination together being most amazing man made structures and natural creations from across the globe.It is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of TripAdvisor’s 10 most dramatic landscapes on the planet.From the cliff-top Giant’s Causeway Coastal Path overlooking the iconic pillars of the Causeway,this geological wonder suddenly seems smaller than the shadow it casts in heritage and culture.

Giant’s-Causeway

History:

During the year 1693 an academic paper by Richard Bulkeley from Trinity College,Dublin,revealed the Giant’s Causeway to the world.Around 60 million years ago the land in this place was different from what we are seeing now.The climate was warmer and vegetation thrived.Tectonic plates were moving between Europe and North America were moving apart.At that time the Magma from deep inside Earth spewed through cracks in the surface and Lava flowed through these mountain slides.After that the Magma cooled when it came into contact with air and rock, hardening into basalt.After several years has passed again the earth cracked opened and more lava forced its way out.But this time,the lava cooled slowly and evenly in a deep pool.Cracks traveled through the cooling rock, creating the columns we see stretching up and making the honeycomb pattern that we can see today.It took about millions of years of erosion for the columns to get revealed.The sea level use to fell and rose again and again.

Drury_View_of_the_Giant’s_Causeway

Giant’s_Causeway,_County_Antrim,_Ireland,_1890′s

Location and approach:

The Giant’s Causeway is located in Antrim Country on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland,about 4.8 km northeast of the town of Bushmills.The Giant’s Causeway and Visitor Center is located on the B147 Causeway road.It is 11 miles from Coleraine and 13 miles from Ballycastle.There is a service called park and ride that runs every 20 minutes from Bushmills village and that facility is available to the visitors only during the months of March to October.There are also many bus services available for the tourists to reach their favourite destination.Train services are also available,regular train services operate from Belfast or Londonderry to Coleraine.From there we have to catch a bus to Giant’s Causeway.Few of the tourists like to travel their destination by cylce they can catch the route no.93 of the National Cycle Network in Northern Ireland that runs round the coast from Newry to Ballycastle via Bangor and Belfast.

cycling to Giant’s causeway

Gaint’s Causeway map

Causeway_Coaster_bus_Giants_Causeway_Visitor_Center

Attractions:

Along with the Causeway coast the Giant’s Causeway is now rated as a UNESCO World heritage site and is recognized as an area of exceptional natural beauty.The sea with huge swells roll in from the Atlantic,and pockets of sunshine highlight the changing navy blues and emerald greens of the coastal waters.The polygonal shaped rocks vary from 38 to 51 cm in diameter and measure up to 25 meters in height.Before the famous coast road was built the visitors used to complain about the ruggedness of the trip.But apart from their complain there was one shining compensation on the journey to Giant’s Causeway,the town where tourists made their last stop was Bushmills.Since 1608 saddle-sore travelers had been revived with magnums of the King’s whiskey at the world’s oldest distillery, which is still in business.This dramatic sight has inspired legends of giants striding over the sea to Scotland.The cliff exposures and Causeway stones,which are key attributes of the property,are being protected by The National Trust.

This is a best stop to anyone who wish to travel northern Ireland.The walk down through the Giant’s Causeway is gorgeous and the formations are just so cool and it will be fun to walk over.The ocean waves crash down on the rocks leaving spray that looks spectacular and it will make kids laugh and scream!

Highlights:

Here we can find around fifty resident and thirty migrant species,including species of the auk and cormorant families.Not only bird species but also we can find about two hundred plant species including seashore, cliff, grassland, scrub, heathland and marsh types.During the year 1883,the first hydro-electric tramway was opened between Portrush and Bushmills and was extended in 1887 to the Causeway Head,so that it became the attraction of the area and providing easy access to the Causeway.

There are four stunning walking trails at the Giant’s Causeway.Recently upgraded,all are colour coded and awash with breathtaking views of jagged cliffs and bays lashed by wind and waves.There is a new accessible cliff top walk for families and people with disabilities.

Eating and shopping:

In Giant’s Causeway we can enjoy a selection of local tasty food and refreshments in the new Visitor Centre cafe.We can have a quick cappuccino and a muffin or a more wholesome bowl of traditional Irish stew or the delicious North Coast Seafood Chowder,we can also check the vegetarian specials.the menu is sure to have something to tempt you.There we can have free accessible wifi too.

The Giant"s Causeway

Understand [ edit ]

The Causeway was created over 60 million years ago following a volcanic eruption. The formation of the Giant"s Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity.

The Giant"s Causeway has a "twin" at Fingal"s Cave on the Isle of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides off Scotland (near the island of Mull), approximately 150km to the north east across the Atlantic. The close proximity of the two sites is what gave rise to the Myth of Finn MacCool - described below.

Myth [ edit ]

Popular mythology attributes the creation of the Causeway to an Irish giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn MacCool). To prove his superior strength and status, Fionn decided to fight against a rival Scottish giant named Benandonner. As there was no boat large enough to carry huge Finn across the sea to confront Bennandonner, he built his own pathway of stepping stones from Ireland to Scotland. He then was able to walk across the sea without getting his feet wet.

When he crossed the sea, however, he saw just how large Benandonner was. He ran back to Ireland before Bennandonner saw him, but the causeway was built and Bennandonner came to fight. Fionn crawled into a crib and when Bennandonner came to the door to fight him, his wife told him not to wake the baby. Seeing just how large Fionn"s "baby" was, Bennandonner grew afraid and ran back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway as he went to prevent Fionn following him.

Get in [ edit ]

Entry to the Giants Causeway is free, however there are lots of extras that will cost you. Firstly there is a Visitor Center which costs £9. This is a museum about the geology of how it was built. You can visit the causeway without visiting the museum.

Parking in the official car park is only available to people who visit the Visitor Center. To avoid this, either take the free park and ride from Bushmills, or park in the Causeway Railway Car park (£6), on the left as you approach the Visitor Center.

Getting from the Visitor Center to the Giants Causeway is about 1km, and there is a bus that can drop you down and back £1 each way. This is an easy walk for most people.

By bus [ edit ]

• From Bushmills : There is a free bus that runs from the Park and Ride at Bushmills . But using this bus means you will have no choice but to pay £7.50 per person at the Giants Causeway. This bus runs frequently during the day.

• From Coleraine : There is a Bus from Coleraine Via Portrush its called the Causeway Rambler service number 402 this departs from and returns to Coleraine Bus and Train station (which is all in the same building) the service can also be accessed from Portrush dunluce avenue (near medical centre)

• Please note that the 402 Causeway Rambler runs only from start of summer until late September. At other times during the year take the 172 bus that goes to Ballycastle from Coleraine Bus/Train station but always check at the station the bus stops at the Giants Causeway (Marked " aird giants causeway the Nook" on timetables). find the 402 timetable below (Causeway rambler

Causeway coast rambler timetable link can be found . Fare is £6.00 this is a hop on hop off service

• From Belfast : Bus 221 runs directly from Belfast Europa bus centre to the Giant"s Causeway. There are day trips to the Giant"s Causeway which also include stops at Bushmills whiskey distillery and the Glens of Antrim . Allens Tours , Finn McCools Tours , McCoomb"s coach travel are run tours.

• From Dublin : Either take daily direct express or take a train by Irish Rail/ bus by Bus Eireann from Dublin to Belfast first, then follow the above instruction.

By car [ edit ]

From Belfast, follow the signs for the "Giant"s Causeway Coastal Route" for a beautiful scenic route to the Causeway. It takes longer (around 2 hours depending on traffic) but it is worth it for the views.

There is also the more direct route along the A26 from Belfast or the A2/A37 from Derry/ Londonderry if time is a factor.

By sightseeing tour from Dublin [ edit ]

Several Dublin based tour operators offer daily tours from Dublin city to the Giant"s Causeway, often including other areas of interest along the way such as Belfast City, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle and the Antrim Coast. Typically tours depart around 07:00/07:30 in the morning and return at approximately 20:00. Tickets generally cost €60-69. For many travellers such tours can provide the independence they want with the structure and local insight that makes for a relaxing tour.

Get around [ edit ]

Public transportation is scarce over the weekends, especially on Sundays after late September. Getting into Belfast, or even to the local towns and villages can be challenging.

Hiring a car, or making an advance note of a minicab company"s phone number is recommended step to take.

Travellers should be prepared to walk long distances if they miss the daily bus that runs once in each direction on Sundays along the coast (towards Ballintoy/Ballycastle, bus route 172). While it might be worth considering this walk as the scenery alongside the road is neat, it is somewhat dangerous as along the villages and farms, public lighting is non-existent and often dogs are on the loose that are not welcoming towards tourists.

See [ edit ]

The focal point of the area is, of course, the Giant"s Causeway itself. There is no charge for visiting the causeway, although you will find that parking is included in the entry to the visitor center. That being said, this is a free site (eg. no entry fee), so a car with four people works out quite reasonable. Cheaper still, check out the near-by Causeway railway car park (£6) or park on the verge of the main road (free!)

Do [ edit ]

Once parked up or off the bus at the visitors centre, you will find there is actually a further road that gets you down to the Causeway. There is a bus service running constantly back and forth between the visitors centre and the rocks themselves, but walking there will only take around 20 minutes and will give you a chance to take in some more of the coastal scenary.

Feel free to pose for photos on the rock columns, but be aware that waves will be splashing up onto the rocks, meaning that you can be soaked by the sudden swells and waves, or you can lose your footing on the slippery rocks.

Buy [ edit ]

There is a gift shop, selling the typical tourist tat of causeway and themed stationery, kitchenware, etc, and there is also an Information centre and Bureau de Change to change currency. Please be aware that The Giants Causeway Visitor centre Does NOT accept euros only pounds sterling; if you need pounds change your foreign currency into pounds at the exchange bureau

Дорога Гигантов (Giant’s Causeway ) находится в Северной Ирландии, Великобритания . И представляет собой огромное количество соединенных базальтовых колонн, которые образовались в результате извержения вулкана. Это прекрасное природное явление напоминает природную мостовую и является популярной достопримечательностью в Северной Ирландии.

Существует множество версий происхождения Дороги Гигантов. Кто-то считает, что это природное явление, а кто-то, что это дело рук человека. А некоторые верят в творение гигантов, которые обитают в этих краях.

На самом деле Мостовая Гигантов образовалась благодаря извержению вулкана, лава сталкивалась с морским прибоем и застывала в форме невероятно красивых колонн. Напоминают они трамплин, который начинается у подножья скалы и исчезает в морской воде. Колонны торчат прямо из воды и прилегают так плотно друг к другу, что нельзя просунуть даже нож между ними. Они представляют из себя шестигранные и четырехгранные столбы. Самая высокая колонна достигает двенадцати метров в высоту.

Дорога Гигантов — невероятно красивая местность, которая привлекает сейчас многих туристов. Так как таких чудесных конструкций, созданных самой природой, не так уж и много на нашей Земле. Прогулка по Мостовой Дороге Гигантов будет весьма интересной и оставит только прекрасные впечатления о этой достопримечательности Северной Ирландии.

Мостовая дорога Гигантов (Giant’s Causeway).

Изящное и замечательное место, которое открыл епископ Деррийский в 1692 году, вдохновило многих художников и писателей. В особенности любили его романтики 19 века, и называли это творение потрясающим и грациозным «алтарем и храмом Природы».

Дорога Гигантов в Северной Ирландии, видео:

Мостовая дорога Гигантов (Giant’s Causeway ) , видео: