The Giants' Causeway is about 40 thousand basalt pillars closely standing to each other on the northeastern coast of Northern Ireland. Their tops, like cobblestones of a pavement, lead in steps from the foot of the coastal cliffs and gradually disappear into the sea. Most of the pillars are in some incomprehensible way in the form of almost perfect hexagons. They, like the details of a giant stone puzzle, stretch along the seashore for three kilometers.
For fifteen thousand years, the Giant's Causeway has been resisting the unbridled storms of the North Atlantic here. For many centuries, the strange regularity of its stone columns forced local shepherds and fishermen to compose legends about it. They came up with their own story of its origin long before this secret was really revealed by science.
Giant interethnic conflict
According to legend, the pillars going into the sea are the remains of a road built by the Irish giant Fin McCool. He decided to build it after being challenged by a giant from Scotland named Benandonner.
To get to a rival who lived overseas, McCool began to tear huge stones from the coastal rocks and throw them into the sea. This is how the 25-mile road leading to Benandonner's lair, a cave on the Scottish island of Staffa, was created. Now Fin could cross the North Strait along it and teach the insolent a lesson.
However, the construction of the road tired him so much that he decided to rest first - he returned home and went to bed.
The next morning, while Fin McCool was still sound asleep, his giantess wife was awakened by the sound of menacing footsteps. It was the huge and terrible Benandonner who was the first to use the new road. Seeing him, she thought: “My husband will never be able to handle this,” and quickly threw a blanket and a baby cap over the sleeping man.
- Where is Fin? Roared Benandonner, walking up to their house. - Where is this coward hiding?
- Quiet, you will wake up our baby! - answered the wife, pointing to the sleeping husband.
Benandonner glanced at the "child" and immediately panicked. If Fin's son was so big, what would his father be? The Scotsman decided not to find out, and hastily retreated to his cave. On the way, he destroyed the road that Fin had built so that he could not catch up with him.
Legendary riddles and scientific answers
The legendary Fin McCool built his road to the small island of Staffa for a reason. Popular legend chose this tiny piece of land because it is built of the same basalt pillars as the Northern Ireland Giants Causeway. The external similarity of the two places gave rise to a single explanatory myth.
Interestingly, scientifically, Staffa's basalt columns and the Giant's Causeway do have a common origin. It, of course, has nothing to do with the "showdown" of the legendary giants, and is due to the unity of their geological history.
Basalt Pillars of the Giant's Causeway descend from the foothills of the coastal hills and disappear into the sea.
The scientific world first became aware of the Giant's Causeway in 1693, when Sir Richard Bulkeley of Dublin Trinity College announced it to the Royal Society of London. The news caused considerable confusion in the educated circles of the time. This was the first time that science dealt with basalt pillars, and there was heated debate about the reasons for their appearance. Some considered the Giants' Road to be the creation of human hands, others - the result of unknown natural processes, and some even seriously inclined towards the "giant" theory.
The first correct thought about the origin of the Road appeared on the pages of the scientific press in 1768 in one of the volumes of illustrations for the epoch-making French "Encyclopedia". As a commentary on the engraving depicting her, the French geologist Nicolas Demaret (1725 - 1815) suggested a volcanic reason for its appearance. Later research has confirmed his correctness.
The true story of the Giant's Causeway
Today it is known that the Giant's Causeway originated about 60 million years ago, when the division of Europe and North America began.
At that time, as a result of the divergence of the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates, breaks began to form in the earth's crust, through which basaltic lava was repeatedly poured onto the surface. Freezing, it formed a huge lava Tulean plateau, the area of which scientists estimate at least 1.3 million km 2.
Subsequently, it was torn apart and hidden by the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Today, its remains are scattered over vast areas from Norway, Scotland and Ireland to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern Greenland. The Giant's Causeway and the basalt pillars of Staffa Island are the most famous results of its formation.
In total, three phases of volcanic activity were noted in the area of the Giant's Cause during the emergence of the Tulane Plateau. These are known as lower, middle, and upper basalts and are separated by two long periods of relative calm, when the surface of the erupted and solidified lava has been eroded. The erosion of the oldest, lower basalt layer created the conditions for the formation of the Road.
During the first of these "erosion" periods, water currents cut numerous valleys in the lower basalts. Later, when the lava of medium basalts poured out, its huge masses accumulated in these valleys and began to cool very slowly there. It was the low cooling rate that became the key factor in the appearance of the stone pillars of the Giants' Road.
The Road of the Giants, which goes into the sea. The same basalt pillars are found on the Scottish island of Staffa on the other side of the North Strait. Scientists have found that basalt begins to crack as it shrinks during slow cooling. In most cases, cracks form at an angle of 120 °, since this releases the greatest amount of excess surface energy at the interfaces. This is how the hexagonal horizontal sections of the future basalt pillars are formed.
As it cools, the cracks leave the surface deep into the massif. Their length depends on the thickness of the basalt layer: the thicker it is, the longer the pillars are formed. The maximum height of the columns of the Giants' Causeway is 12 meters, and this is far from a record. In exceptional cases, as, for example, in the American state of Wyoming, they can reach a hundred or even more meters in height.
The thickness of the columns is also mainly determined by the cooling rate: the lower it is, the larger the diameter of the columns occur. The average thickness of the pillars of the Giants' Causeway is 30 cm.
Approximately two million years after the formation of the pillars, new eruptions occurred in the area of the future Giant's Causeway. Their result - a layer of upper basalts - was not massive enough to generate its own stone columns, but it was quite enough to hide the existing ones for a long time.
The hexagon is the most common cross-sectional shape for basalt pillars, since the angle between its adjacent sides is exactly 120 °. Columns with a different number of faces are less common. Glaciers helped to see the light again on the future Giant's Causeway. During the last glacial maximum, they “scraped off” the later geological layers that covered it and exposed basalt pillars. Then, when the glacier began to recede about 15 thousand years ago, the ocean level rose, and the Causeway of the Giants took on its present form.
World heritage site
Because Giants Causeway is an exemplary example of processes related to the geological evolution of the Earth, and at the same time is also associated with the cultural heritage of Northern Ireland, it is protected by numerous protection statuses.
The most significant of these is the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, awarded to the Causeway of the Giants and the adjacent Causeway Coast in November 1986. In addition, the Road, together with the coast, is a state reserve, and is also part of one of the so-called "areas of special scientific interest".
On the road to the Road
Over the past 300 years, Giant's Causeway has become one of the symbols of Northern Ireland and its most popular tourist attraction. The first tourists began to appear here almost immediately after the "discovery" of Sir Bulkeley. In the 19th century, their flow became massive, especially after the construction of a hydroelectric tram line in the 1880s that connected the Road with the resort town of Portrush.
Today on the Road of Giants every year a huge number of tourists click the shutters of their cameras. In 2014 alone, 788 thousand visitors from all over the world visited it.
Getting to the famous basalt pillars is not difficult. Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim, 3.2 km from the village of Bushmills. The journey here by private car from Belfast will take 1 hour 25 minutes, from Derry - 1 hour 10 minutes, from Dublin - 3 hours 45 minutes.
You can use public transport: take the train in Belfast or Derry and go to Coleraine. Further - 17.7 km by bus.
Another close-up of the basalt pillars of the Giants' Road. The Causeway Coast is open all year round with no time limit. Four convenient hiking trails lead to the faceted pillars from the official entrance. Walking along them, as well as along the coast itself, is free. If you wish, you can pay for a triple additional service: a visit to a new tourist center (opened in July 2012), an audio guide in 9 languages (including Russian) and a schematic booklet.
For many centuries, the rough symmetry of the basalt pillars of the Causeway of the Giants never ceases to intrigue and inspire visitors. Walking along it is like traveling back in time. Its steps lead simultaneously to the creative cataclysms of the million-year past, and to the foggy legends of Irish antiquity. No trip to Northern Ireland can be considered complete without a visit here.
A river bent into an arc
At the first glance at this steep bend in the Colorado River in northern Arizona, USA, it becomes clear where its name comes from - Horseshoe. With its almost perfectly symmetrical 270 degrees of turn, this river meander is indeed very reminiscent of a horse's "shoe". Its unusual shape, picturesque cliffs over 300 meters in height and comparative accessibility have made Horseshoe an extremely popular tourist destination. Today it is one of the most recognizable and frequently photographed natural attractions in the Southwest of the United States of America.
How to bend an entire river into an arc
Geologists believe that the Arizona Horseshoe arose about 5 million years ago, when, as a result of the tectonic rise of the Colorado Plateau, the ancient Colorado River on the border of the future states of Arizona and Utah was forced to adapt to the new terrain. Following the faults in the local sandstone massifs, she gradually carved a whole canyon into them. Today it is known as the Glen, and the Horseshoe is its most bizarrely curved section.
The color of the rocks and water at Horseshoe changes during the day. Some of the best shots are taken at sunset. In 1963, the canyon was almost completely flooded by the vast Powell Reservoir. It retained its original appearance only in the southernmost part with a length of about 24 km (where, in fact, the Horseshoe is located).
By the way, Glen is the northern neighbor of the famous Grand Canyon, which has a very similar geological history.
Easily accessible beauty
Horseshoe is one of the few phenomenally beautiful places that travelers of almost any physical ability can reach. It is located just 6.5 km southwest of the Arizona town of Page, from which Highway 89 leads to the bend. A dirt road turns from it between milestones No. 544 and No. 545, and then almost immediately there is a special parking lot and the beginning of a hiking trail. A short ascent to a small gazebo on the hill, then a gentle descent - and the mighty bend of the Horseshoe opens before your eyes.
In general, a walk back and forth with a distance of about a couple of kilometers takes about 45 minutes.
You can go to Podkova all year round, no permits or separate tickets are required to visit it. You only have to pay for access to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where the Horseshoe is located. Access costs $ 25 per private car and is valid for up to seven days.
It is forbidden to litter in the National Recreation Area, as well as to disturb the wildlife in any way and leave inscriptions. You can walk dogs on a short leash (no longer than 1.8 m).
Going to the Horseshoe, it is recommended to take with you more water (at least 1 liter per person), as well as sunglasses and a hat, since there is no shadow on the trail except for the gazebo halfway. For those who are fond of photography, a wide-angle lens is required - without it, the Horseshoe scale simply cannot be covered. Of course, you should be careful on the observation deck - there are no railings or fences on it.
The height above sea level at the Horseshoe observation deck is 1285 m. The height above the Colorado River is just over 300 m. There are no fences, so you need to be careful. In July 2010, a tourist from Greece broke and died here. In terms of the beauty of the landscape, the best time to visit Horseshoe is from about 9:30 am (when the river gets rid of the thick shadow) until noon. At noon itself, due to the lack of shadows, the view of the famous bend will be somewhat flat. Evening before sunset is also a good option, but in this case the sun will shine in your eyes.
There are several other first-class attractions in the vicinity of Horseshoe. For example, directly north of Page is the imposing 220-meter high Glen Canyon Dam, beyond which Reservoir Powell begins. The famous Arizona Wave lies 45 km west of Horseshoe - a sandstone rock formation of absolutely incredible beauty. And 12 km in the opposite direction (that is, to the east) is the equally famous Antelope Canyon.
And finally, southwest of the bend downstream of the Colorado River, begins the Grand Canyon - one of the most unusual and impressive geological features in the world.
Interesting svezhachok
At the top of one of the mountain ranges covered with taiga in the Gremyachinsky region of the Perm Territory, there is a powerful rock mass cut by deep cracks. Large and not very large crevices crossing it crosswise form a bizarre labyrinth, reminiscent of the streets, lanes and squares of some long-abandoned settlement. This is the so-called Stone Town, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the modern Kama region.
Three names of one place
Today Kamenny Gorod is widely known not only to Perm people, but also to many guests of the region. Despite its remoteness, there is a constant flow of travelers all year round. However, this was not always the case: a couple of decades ago, only a few local residents knew about the Stone City, and even then under completely different names.
Cracks in the rocky massif of the Stone Town form a network of large and small "streets". The fact is that this place was already called the Stone City by modern tourists, and earlier for half a century it was called "Turtles". This name was given to him in the middle of the 20th century due to the characteristic shape of the two highest outlier rocks, given by residents of the neighboring mining villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny, founded in 1953 and 1957, respectively. However, this name was not the original one: the old residents of the most "age" settlement of these places - the village of Usva - have long known these rocky outcrops as the Devil's fortified settlement.
Such a name is not uncommon for the Uralic toponymy. Not far from Yekaterinburg, for example, there is a spectacular mountain of the same name, which is very popular among tourists and climbers. In addition, objects with a similar name are found in other regions of Russia, since it was customary to call rock massifs and stone ridges of an unusual shape as devilish settlements. Obviously, people, not knowing the true geological reasons, attributed their construction to evil spirits.
History of appearance
How did the Perm Stone City actually appear?
Scientists have established that 350 - 300 million years ago there was a delta of a large river at this place. Its mighty streams brought with them large masses of sand, which over time turned into powerful sandstone deposits. Later, as a result of the displacement of tectonic plates that caused the formation of the Ural Mountains, the territory of the future Kamenny City was raised high above sea level and began to undergo weathering.
Quartz sandstone of the Stone Town. The brown color is due to the admixture of iron hydroxides. Over the course of many millions of years, water, wind, temperature changes and chemical processes deepened and widened the cracks in the rock that had arisen during tectonic uplift. This led to the emergence of the current "streets" and "lanes", the width of which at the moment can reach eight, and the depth - twelve meters. In other words, from a scientific point of view, the Permian Kamenny Gorod is an accumulation of weathering remnants composed of fine-grained quartz sandstones.
Road to Stone Town
Considering the current great popularity of the Stone Town, it is difficult to believe that it is not even mentioned in the old guidebooks for the Kama region. Nevertheless, this is so - the exuberant demand for the Gremyachinsky outliers appeared among the Perm travel lovers only in the last one and a half to two decades, and before that, due to poor transport accessibility, they were practically unknown to the mass tourist.
Fortunately, the situation has changed since then, and today Kamenny Gorod can be easily reached by car. The general route is as follows: first the road to Usva (188 kilometers from Perm, 383 - from Yekaterinburg), then another two kilometers along the highway towards Kizel. Then turn right to the villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny and five kilometers along a forest dirt road to the parking lot. Further, turning to the left from the road, about one and a half kilometer march along a well-visible path and among the trees, the first remnants of the Stone City will begin to be seen.
At the top of the Rudyansky singing
Since Kamenny Gorod is located not far from the main peak of the Rudyansky Spoi mountain range (526 meters above sea level), the path from the dirt road to the outliers goes up a small slope. The ridge begins on the outskirts of the village of Usva and stretches 19 kilometers north to the town of Gubakha. It was named Rudyansky because of the Rudyanka river flowing in its southern part, in the basin of which iron ore was mined at the beginning of the 19th century. Singing in the Perm Territory used to be called long forest-covered mountain ranges without pronounced peaks.
Rocky outlier Turtle is the main symbol of the Perm Stone City. The stone city (not counting the numerous single stones scattered around it) is divided into two unequal parts. The first rocky outcrops, to which tourists come out, belong to the so-called Big City. It is in it that two of the largest local outliers rise - the Big and Small turtles, because of which the Devil's settlement changed its name in the 1950s.
The smaller of these outliers, due to its similarity in shape to a sitting bird, is today better known to tourists as the Feathered Guardian. The larger, accordingly, is now more often referred to simply as the Turtle. Between him and the Feathered Guard is a vast and almost horizontal platform - the so-called Square. Tourists get to it along the Avenue - the widest (up to four meters) and longest crack of the Stone Town. The almost sheer walls of the Prospekt in some places reach eight meters in height.
The feathered guard, like the Turtle seen behind him, often becomes the object of the annual climbing competitions held in Kamenny Gorod between rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, mountain tourists and speleologists of the Perm Territory. To the right and to the left of the Prospect, narrow cracks-streets go off. One of them (the one that goes around the Turtle) has the highest - up to 12 meters - walls in the city. On the other two, you can climb above the rock mass and from there, in all its glory, you can see in front of you both the Stone Guard and the Turtle.
Small town is located about 150 meters north of the Bolshoi. Despite the much smaller area compared to its neighbor, it is also very interesting and picturesque. Its main "street", for example, is even more spectacular than the Prospectus described above. In addition, there is a curious stone ridge with a through hole in the base. The only problem is that there is no clear path to the Small Town, and it is not always easy to find it.
You can come to Kamenny Gorod at any time of the year, but it is especially beautiful here on sunny autumn days. At this time, you can wander endlessly along its streets drowning in bright colors. That is why at the end of August and at the beginning of autumn, Stone Town has the largest influx of visitors.
However, many tourists come here in winter, when both the outliers themselves and the trees growing directly on them are effectively covered with snow-white caps of snowdrifts. Therefore, when going to Stone Town in the winter months, you should not be afraid that the local paths will turn out to be impassable due to deep snow. They will surely be perfectly trodden by groups of previous visitors.
Stone Town is located immediately west of the main peak of the Rudyansky Spoi ridge. From here, unforgettable views of the endless ocean of the Ural taiga open up. Before visiting the Stone Town, you need to stock up on water, since there are no large water sources in it. Also, since since 2008 this landscape natural monument of regional significance has received the status of a specially protected natural area, certain rules of behavior should be adhered to.
Firstly, it is possible to make fires in Stone Town only in specially equipped places, using only dead wood and dead wood for this (cutting down living trees and shrubs is prohibited). Secondly, you must not litter and leave behind unextinguished fireplaces. Thirdly, it is forbidden to disturb animals and make inscriptions on rocks, stones and trees. Violation of these rules may result in a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles.
The Stone Town is not the only natural attraction in the vicinity of the village of Usva. Not far from it is, for example, such a "flagship" of the tourism industry of the Perm Territory as Usvinskie pillars - a huge and extremely photogenic stone ridge with a picturesque outlier Devil's Finger. Rafting on the Usva River is also very popular among the Permians.
In general, remnants of weathering, similar to Kamenny Gorod, associated with the selective destruction of mountain ranges, are one of the most spectacular geomorphological objects of the Kama region. There are especially many of them on the flat tops of the Northern Urals, such as the Chuvalsky Kamen, Kuryksar, Listvennichny ridges and on the Kvarkush plateau.
At the exhibition, where you can see in a photo the most beautiful places in Europe or even the most beautiful places in the world, a photo of the Path of the Giants in Ireland will be a must.
Any collection of photos of beautiful places on the planet cannot do without the view of this mystical road made of basalt polygons laid out into the sea by an unknown person.
Giant's Road ( Giant's Causeway)- so this natural phenomenon is also called, located not far from the city of Bushmills on. The British Causeway Coast, where the Giant's Causeway is located, was declared by UNESCO (along with the Road, of course) a World Heritage Site at the end of the last century, in 1986.
One of the most beautiful places in Europe is a set (about forty thousand) densely standing next to each other, mostly hexagonal basalt pillars up to twelve meters high. However, some of these natural columns have less - from four or more - to eight corners, and the columns can also be of andesite.
Scientists believe that this form of education arose during a volcanic eruption fifty to sixty million years ago. The incandescent basalt then broke to the surface through the waters of the river, so the outer layers of lava instantly froze, as if by multifaceted majestic columns driven into the ground.
But the ancient Celtic legend explains this natural phenomenon, of course, differently. The coast of huge stone slabs and the stone pavement going into the sea are the most unusual and most beautiful places in Europe, according to many, this is the handiwork of ancient giants. Rather, one of them, the warrior Finn McCumal, who lived on the Irish coast. Across the strait from him, on the Scottish coast, the one-eyed giant Goll Mac Morn settled, constantly insulting the Irish hero. The Irishman decided to take revenge on the giant and began to build a bridge across the strait, driving stone pillars tightly to each other into the seabed. For seven days and nights he built this bridge. Tired after hard work, Finn McKumal decided to rest and gain strength for the decisive battle with the giant.
The giant, finding this bridge at his side, ran to the Irish coast and began to break into Finn's house. The warrior's wife, frightened by the giant, conceived a trick: she swaddled her husband like a baby and gave him a soft, freshly baked cake. And she also ate the one-eyed giant Goll with fresh flat cakes, but only baked flat iron pans inside. The giant who broke off his teeth on the iron looked in amazement at the "baby" Finn, devouring such a "delicacy" and with horror introduced the father of this child. Realizing that he could not cope with such a giant, the giant Goll fled back to his home, destroying part of the stone bridge on the way.
Therefore, only the beginning of the Giants' Road has survived to this day ...
Antiquity + modernity = Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four parts of Great Britain, and a rather interesting part of it. It was formed in 1921, and before that there were wars and powerful conflicts over the territory for many years.
On an area of almost 14 square kilometers, there are 6 counties at once, the capital of this area is the beautiful city of Belfast. In this country, ancient buildings are originally combined with modern buildings, as well as with unique nature - Ireland is rich in forests, water bodies, among which is its own sea, and World Heritage Sites.
The population of Ireland is very interesting, here you can meet both native Irish Catholics and British Protestants, there are also Anglo-Irish and Scotch-Irish. Accordingly, they speak two languages here - English and Irish.
The climate of this country is temperate with quite warm winters and not very hot summer seasons. At the same time, a lot of precipitation falls throughout the country, the air is almost always humid. In summer, the average temperature is about +15 degrees, and in winter +5. July is the hottest month with the traditionally the highest number of tourists in Ireland.
A public holiday in Northern Ireland is St. Patrick's Day, the patron saint of the country who drove the snakes from the island and brought Christianity. Once on this holiday, a huge number of people on the streets, dressed in the national green color, amazes. Everybody walks on this day, attends beer parties and indulges in the world famous dark beer "Guinness".
Northern Ireland
When it comes to food, Northern Ireland is famous for its Ulster breakfast - scrambled eggs and sausages, soda cakes and potato bread. Also here you can taste amazing taste of meat and oysters, delicious food here as in expensive restaurants, there and in small cafes.
What else is notable for Northern Ireland is its many legends and myths. Tourists who have visited Ireland should definitely visit the "Giants' Causeway" - this is the main attraction, which is included in the list of UNESCO sites. The unusual embankment consists of countless columns, the largest reaching up to six meters in height. Locals believe in the legend that one hero, to fight the monster, specially drove large columns into the bottom of the sea and built a bridge from them. But the giant monster fraudulently made his way into the city across this bridge, and later, being frightened by the cunning deception, he fled back from the city in horror and broke the bridge. As a result, only bizarre columns, reminiscent of fragments, remained from it.
What else is worth visiting? Shipyard Harland & Wolff Shipyards - it was here that the famous Titanic, famous for its sad fate, was built. Fans of a quiet holiday can be advised to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle, and alcohol lovers should take an excursion to the Old Bushmills Distillery. Here you can see with your own eyes how the best whiskey is produced. As Ireland is renowned for its natural beauty, visiting Rathlin Island offers many different types of birds that live in the wild. But extreme lovers will appreciate the Carrick-Red-Rope suspension bridge between two rocks: walking along the bridge 24 meters long, you will see only the endless sea below you.
Northern Ireland is very rich in vibrant places and pleasant experiences. It is quite colorful and constantly attracts tourists from all over the world. Looking here, you can appreciate all the attractiveness and uniqueness of this place, as well as feel the true Irish culture.
Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland
Giant's Causeway is the most popular attraction in Northern Ireland. This unique coastline has emerged due to volcanic intervention. Thanks to an eruption that took place many centuries ago, about 40,000 basalt columns were formed here, going into the sea, like steps for a real giant himself.
Once here, it will also be interesting for you to climb up and observe the picturesque panorama. In this area, there is an opportunity to rent (or come on an already rented) bike and ride along an equipped route through the surrounding area.
The road of giants is a real miracle of nature
The Giant's Causeway (Giant's Causeway or Giant's Causeway) is a unique coastal area that represents several tens of thousands of interconnected basalt columns formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
Located in the northeast of Northern Ireland, about 3 km north of the Irish whiskey town of Bushmills. The road, as well as the Causeway Coast on which it is located, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a National Wildlife Refuge in 1987 by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment. The tops of the columns form a springboard, which begins at the foot of the cliff and disappears below the surface of the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven, and eight corners. The highest is about 12 meters.
The Giant's Causeway amazes not only with its size, but also with mysterious legends of origin. This impressive place deserves popularity and admiration.
60 million years ago, powerful volcanoes shook the island's territory.
About 60 million years ago, powerful volcanoes shook this area. They raised columns of ash into the sky, and threw large amounts of magma onto the surface of the earth. This event left a legacy of the mysterious Giant's Road to the Irish. According to another legend, the giants themselves actually walked on it.
Once a warrior from Irish mythology, Finn Mac Kumalo was going to compete with a one-eyed giant named Hall. The latter lived across the sea. Finn decided to build a bridge to the other side to keep his feet from getting wet. With his sword he hewed and drove into the bottom of the sea a number of stone columns. When he was tired, the warrior lay down to rest and fell asleep.
At this time, the formidable rival himself came to him over this very bridge. But they could not compete. It turned out that Finn had a very cunning wife. She passed off her sleeping husband as a little son. Pretending that she was waiting for her husband, she began to treat Hall to cakes with iron pans baked in them.
When Finn woke up, his wife gave him the same cakes, only without the pans. Hall was very scared when he saw how quickly the child eats the loaves. He imagined what the father of such a child should be like. Hall started to run. And the bridge could not stand it from his terrible blows and broke.
Giants trail in Ireland
In ancient times, the good giant Fin McCool lived in Ireland with his wife Una, and across the strait from him, in Scotland, lived the evil giant Benadonna. The Scotsman constantly hurt and offended the Irishman. One day Fin McCool shouted to Benadonna: "If I could swim, I would have swum across the strait in a couple of minutes and would have piled on you, don't play around!"
But the Irishman could not swim. Then he decided to build a bridge across the strait. For seven days and seven nights he did not close his eyes, dragged huge stone rods into the sea and built a bridge across the strait.
At the end he was very tired and thought: "Before fighting Benadonna, I must have a good rest" and went to bed. At this time, the Scottish giant saw the bridge and ran across it to Ireland.
He began to knock on the giant's door, but Fin McCool was fast asleep. His wife Una got scared and came up with a trick: she swaddled him like a baby. Opening the door, she said to Benadonna: “Shhhhh! My baby is sleeping! "
The Scotsman looked at the “baby” and thought: “If Phin McCool has such a big child, what is he?” Frightened, Benadonna fled back to Scotland, breaking the entire bridge behind him.
Trail of the Giants - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Only the very beginning of the Bridge of Giants has survived to this day, consisting of hexagonal basalt columns, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the wonders of nature.
Carrickfergus Castle.
One of the few examples of medieval fortifications in Northern Ireland, which has survived to this day in almost its original form. The castle is the main and only attraction of the city of the same name, located nearby. Today Carrickfergus Castle is one of the largest centers for the study of the Middle Ages in the country.
The castle arose in the XII century, its appearance became a certain stage in the development of the British Isles. The castle was built by the Anglo-Norman tribes, hence the very unusual name for the fort and the city that arose years later. According to the hypotheses of historians, the founders of the castle were faced with the task of making it as impregnable as possible, which was embodied during the years of construction. A castle was built on a steep cliff, which at that time completely excluded seizure from the sea, and Belfast Lough became the most defensive bay in the country. All the towers of the castle were built from the strongest basalt and sandstone mined nearby, the relatively high walls of 20 meters at that time reached a thickness of up to four meters, which made the castle invulnerable even to cannon fire. A kind of pride of the castle was the unique defense against ground attacks, nicknamed by the enemies "the hole of death". The hole is a sluice above the main gate of the castle, disguised in the color of the wall.
At the moment of breaking through the gate or deliberately deceiving the enemy, unsuspecting infantrymen received a stream of boiling resin, oil, or a pile of sharp stones on their heads. The retreat was cut off by a slamming secret lattice. The principle of operation of the "hole of death" is shown to all sightseers, which causes regular applause. In addition to an excursion visit to the castle, here you can order a walk along the bay, which allows you to see the walls of the fortress from different angles. Also, inside the castle, costumed performances on the theme of life in the Middle Ages are often held. Anyone can take part in them, as well as be a spectator. The city of Carrickfergus is currently completely focused on the tourism business, the flow of tourists from all over the world cannot be called colossal, but due to inexpensive prices for local infrastructure, there is a certain demand. There are many Russians among the visitors to the city and the castle, which forced local entrepreneurs to create printed materials in Russian in souvenir shops - guidebooks, booklets, memorable books about the city and the history of the castle.
Enniskillen Castle belongs to the Northern Irish castles that have survived almost in their original form. The castle is located in County Fermanagh, on the border with Ireland, and is the main sightseeing attraction in this region. Despite its rather rich history, Enniskillen Castle does not have an exact date of its foundation - all ancient documents were destroyed during numerous hostilities in the county. Nevertheless, it is officially accepted that the castle was founded at the very beginning of the 15th century by the Scottish clan of the Maguires.
The construction of the castle provided protection for the entire county from the attacks of hostile neighbors, and for this purpose the strong walls and high lookout towers did an excellent job. In the 16th century, the territory of the castle became the epicenter of political intrigue, which resulted in the so-called Nine Years War, when the confrontation between Elizabeth I and the Spanish crown reached its climax precisely on the territory of Ireland, which was used by Spain as a military base. Since then, the strategic importance of the castle has increased, and it was rebuilt several times, expanding the arsenal and the number of barracks for the military personnel.
Starting from the 17th century, the castle completely belonged to the British crown, and it began to be used against numerous clashes with the French, the stables and barracks built during that period can be seen today. Now Enniskillen Castle is a huge museum complex dedicated to the centuries-old history of County Fermanagh. Among several dozen exhibition halls, you can see exhibitions devoted to both the military affairs of Ireland, starting from the 15th century, and the private life of people who lived in the castle and its environs. In addition to weapons, uniforms and armor, you can see household items, furniture, clothes and much more.
Dunluce Castle is one of the oldest castles in Great Britain, located five kilometers from the small town of Portrush. Currently, the territory of the castle consists of ruins in a relatively safe state for visitors, which, in turn, are included in the list of historical monuments specially protected by the state. Founded in the 13th century, this castle for many centuries served as an impregnable border that protected the coast from attacks from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the scarce data that have survived to this day, this castle belonged to several of the richest families, but the last recorded owners are the Scottish clan of McDonald's. The castle belonged to this clan until 1690. Not long before this, very tragic pages in his history began.
In 1639, the owners of the castle arranged a dinner party with guests and musicians, in the midst of the fun, the kitchen yard could not withstand the mass of guests and collapsed right into the sea, not everyone managed to escape. The rest of the kitchen courtyard is now fenced off from visits for security reasons, but it can be viewed from several points of the castle. Half a century after this tragic incident, the McDonald's clan was completely ruined, and the castle was taken away as debt repayment. They did not begin to restore the majestic medieval building, it was decided to gradually dismantle it in order to obtain high-quality building materials, from which some other buildings in the vicinity were later created.
The castle was included in the list of historical and architectural monuments of Northern Ireland only at the end of the 19th century, since that time it has become a popular excursion site. Currently, guided tours of the castle are held regardless of the season, but you can only get here with a guide, whose services can be ordered in the city of Portrush. An excursion minibus will take you to the castle in a matter of minutes, and after the overview lectures, guests can go for a free walk around the surrounding areas.
Craigmore Viaduct
This is an old railway bridge, which is located near the village of Bessbruck, in the county of Armagh. Local residents call their bridge "18 arches", it was built in 1852. At the height of a 14-storey building, the Craimore Viaduct is an excellent platform from which to admire the surrounding area. And the granite arches themselves are very beautiful.
Marble Arch Caves
These caves were opened to tourists relatively recently - in 1985. There are many caves in Northern Ireland and usually they are not of much interest to travelers. However, the Marble Arch Caves are a different matter! Under their arches you can sail by boat, which is much more interesting than just walking.
Lough Ney is the largest lake in the UK, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe. In fact, Northern Ireland owns only 90% of the lake's area, its southern part is already on Irish territory. Lough Ney is called the main freshwater area near Belfast, although the city is distant at a fairly decent distance of 30 kilometers. Despite the shallow depth - a maximum of 31 meters - there are a lot of wells for the intake of drinking water, which is used, including for industrial purposes. As for tourism, travel to the lake is consistently popular among guests from other countries.
For a walk along the coast, it is advised to choose a clear day, since during the period of rains and strong winds, the smooth surface of the lake can become the site of a real storm. Regardless of the choice of the vantage point for the start of the excursion, this place will be distinguished by stunning views of both austere and unique Irish nature. In spring, on the shores of the lake, you can see white swans arriving from wintering grounds. The local legend about the origin of the lake again refers us to the national hero of Ireland - Finn, also known as Fingal.
The legend dates back to the period of regular battles between the Irish and Scottish tribes. Finn, as in most legends, appears here as a powerful hero, able to control nature. According to an old legend, Lake Lough Ney arose on the spot where Finn took a piece of land to bring it to Scotland. The earth did not reach Scotland, but fell in the place where the famous Isle of Man is now located, this explains its origin. In addition to national legends, Loch Nei became famous for much darker stories.
Over the decades of study, archaeologists from all over the world have found confirmation that there were several dozen pagan altars around the lake, where the ancient inhabitants of this land worshiped a variety of deities. In addition, it has been documented that in the Middle Ages, priests carried out executions of heretics on the shore of the lake, which could not but affect the reputation of this place. Paranormal lovers from all over the world come here to record something unusual.
Inhabitants of the surrounding towns and villages do not favor such a reputation of the lake too much and try not to give reasons for stories in dubious magazines.
Giants Causeway is an impressive rock formation on the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland. The site consists of about 40,000 basalt columns rising from the sea. Causeway of the Giants is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.
The unusual formation arose as a result of natural processes during the Paleogene (65-23 million years ago), when Northern Ireland was subjected to powerful volcanic activity. During this period, molten basalt came into contact with the Cretaceous strata, forming a lava plateau. As the lava cooled rapidly, the plateau shrank and cracked, forming 40,000 hexagonal columns of varying heights that look like giant steps. The height of the largest of them is almost 11 meters.
Legend
Popular mythology attributes the creation of the dam to an Irish giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn MacCool). To prove his superior strength and status, Fionn decided to take on his rival, a Scottish giant named Benandonner. Since there was not a boat big enough to carry the huge Finn across the sea, to confront Bennandonner, he built his own stairway from Ireland to Scotland.
However, when he crossed the sea, he saw how big Bennandonner was. He ran back to Ireland before Bennandonner saw him, but the dam was built and Bennandonner came into battle. Fionn climbed into the crib, and when Bennandonner came to the door to fight him, his wife told him not to wake the baby up. Seeing how big "baby" Fiona is, Bennandonner got scared and ran back to Scotland.
Although the basalt column phenomenon is relatively rare, there are several such examples of rock formations found throughout the world, including in Scotland, Los Prismas Basalticos in Mexico, and the Devil's Postpile in California.
The trail of the giants is the name of an unusual place on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Ireland. Here there are 40 thousand huge basalt columns tightly pressed against each other. Their surface seems to form a giant path leading from the ocean to a large volcano.
It is thanks to the eruption of this volcano several tens of millions of years ago, according to scientists, that an unusual natural structure appeared. The unusual shape of the columns is due to the chemical composition of the lava, which shrank as it solidified. Hexagonal stone pillars are the strangest structure generated by solidified lava. For a long time, scientists puzzled over why the breed took on the form of polygonal pillars. Currently, it is considered a proven hypothesis that this type of them is associated with an extremely slow cooling of the molten substance, and its gradual compression. Scientists call the drying of wet mud or clay similar to this process, which also cracks and forms a bizarre pattern.
Most of the columns have six, seven or eight faces, and only one or three. Their average height is about 6 meters. The pillars are so tightly pressed against each other that it is difficult to even slip a thin knife between them. The total area of the unusual object, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland, is 4.5 thousand square meters (300 by 500).
However, the name "Path of the Giants" tells us that the history of its appearance is described in local legends. According to them, the road in ancient times, when the Earth was inhabited by huge people, was built by the Irish giant Finn McKumal from his home on the coast to the fortress of his enemy, located in the Hebrides. Coming to him, he found that his opponent was much larger and, therefore, stronger than him. Finn had to flee. Returning home, he asked his wife to swaddle him like a baby and put him on the shore. Seeing such a "giant child", his enemy thought that it was better not to meet with the father of such a huge baby, and returned home, simultaneously destroying a stone road across the ocean.
Whatever the origin of the Giant's Trail, this place has long been considered one of the most picturesque in the world. It inspired more than one writer and artist to create romantic works. In 1986, the Giant's Trail was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and a year later it became a national park in Northern Ireland.
