When I went to visit the Giant’s Causeway, we were very late because we had missed one of the buses and we had to get a taxi from the bus station but it was so worth it!
It is quite expensive to get in, currently over £10 to see something that is a natural phenomenon. It is made up of 40,000 basalt columns like the ones below, left behind after volcanic eruptions 60 million years ago. Similar columns can be found in Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa in Scotland.
Legend has it that an Irish giant named Finn McCool built the Causeway to order to fight Scottish giant Benandonner. Ben went after Finn before bottling out of the fight and ripping it up, leaving piles of rocks on each side.
The Spanish Armada actually attacked the Causeway in 1588 as they thought it was the nearby Dunluce Castle, one of the wrecked galleons called Girona actually sank in the water here.
The Causeway was voted as one of the world’s worst tourist attractions by readers of The Irish Times. It was up there with Niagara Falls and The Mona Lisa for them. I do disagree with what I can only assume is a small group of people that were asked on social media by the newspaper.
My bugbear would be that it does get really crowded especially as we got there late. I would love to go when the sun is rising as I think that would be a spectacular sight. Spring and Autumn are apparently the best seasons to take photographs.
In 2017, it attracted 1 million visitors that this mythical place still has a great pull for many people, especially those that can’t afford to go abroad. However, 70% were from overseas so Northern Ireland is clearly becoming more of a destination in itself.
Giant’s Causeway was the first and only UNESCO Heritage Site in Northern Ireland and I still think it holds a great deal of charm.
My trip to Belfast was one of my favourite long weekends away and that was down to visiting this place. There’s also a reason the production team from Game of Thrones chose to film here. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision fantastical things happening here. My advice is come early, bring a thick coat, and avoid the crowds!