A place you must put on your bucket list, is the iconic World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland. Myth and mystery surround the creation of the hexagonal basalt rocks, and whichever you believe, in person they are a sight to behold.
The myth will lead you to believe that two giants, Finn Mac Caumhail, whose home was in Northern Ireland was a mythical warrior who was challenged by Benandonner, a Scottish giant to a battle. Finn grabbed parts of the Antrim coastline and hurled them into the water, forming the stepping stones.
Geologically speaking the formation of the Giant’s Causeway began approximately 60 million years ago when a flood of lava oozed. As it cooled, the contraction formed the basalt columns.
As Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site, it is an extremely popular visitors’ site. Both times I have visited, I have driven and been able to park in the car park, but really the best way to get there is either a bus from the nearby town of Bushmills. There are also tours from Belfast which takes approximately 90 minutes, or if you’re in Dublin and don’t want to miss out on the magnificent Northern Irish coastline, you can take a tour which will take about 3 hours to reach the Causeway.
However you do it, make sure you have your walking shoes on. From the visitors centre, you can walk the kilometre down to the stones. This is my favourite way of doing it, with plenty of photo opportunities to stop both on the way down and back up. If walking isn’t your thing, there is a shuttle bus which for a small fee will take you both ways. To access the Giant’s Causeway itself is free and plan to be there for a couple of hours.
If you want to stay overnight, there’s the Causeway Hotel, overlooking the famous stones with all rooms offering views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Giant’s Causeway
Bushmills
County Antrim
For more things to do in Northern Ireland, check out
Titanic Quarter, Belfast
The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
