The natural wonder is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the only one in Northern Ireland) and National Nature Reserve. It’s comprised of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns.
Legend has it that the giant Fionn MacCool built the causeway to help him battle his Scottish nemesis Benandonner, who ultimately tore up the causeway so Fionn couldn’t follow him back to Scotland. Science, however, indicates the columns are the production of a volcanic eruption during the Paleogene period. Lava flowing through a valley is what gave the columns their hexagonal shape. They start at the foot of a cliff and disappear into the sea.
What to See at the Giant’s Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway is one kilometer away from the Causeway Visitor Centre and can be accessed on foot, or, for a small fee, by shuttle bus. The hilly coastal walk takes visitors past sea vistas one side and hills on the other, and they can notice the landscape being to subtly change, with columns beginning to appear in a cliff-face (dubbed The Organ), indicating the rest of the causeway in near.
Other rock formations, named because of what they look like (the Giant’s Boot, Chimney Stacks and the Camel’s Hump) are also nearby.
Visitors should dress appropriately for the outdoors, wear comfortable footwear they can walk in, and be careful around the wet rocks, which are slippery.
The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre
The National Trust owns and maintains the Giant’s Causeway and the footpaths along the causeway coastline. The Moyle District Council manages the visitor centre and the parking lot.
The Causeway Visitor Centre is open every day, year round. It provides various visitor services, such as a short video about the origin of the causeway and gift shop.
The parking lot is adjacent to the visitor centre, and there is a fee (around five pounds) to pay upon driving into the lot.
How to Get to the Giant’s Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway can be reached by road. It’s about a two-hour drive from Belfast, and a drive along the scenic Causeway Coastal Route will take visitors there. It’s also three kilometers north of the town of Bushmills and about 15 kilometres west of Ballycastle.
Travellers who are up for more sightseeing after visiting the causeway will find plenty nearby. The Dunluce castle, the Bushmills distillery, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and the town of Portrush are all short drives away.
The Giant’s Causeway has existed for millions of years and today is one of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions. It captures visitors’ imaginations with the story of its construction by a giant, juxtaposed by geology’s hand in its creation.
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