Giant's 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. Giants' Causeway is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site.
An 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 was in contact with the Cretaceous layers, forming a lava plateau. As the lava cooled quickly, 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 a rival, a Scottish giant named Benandonner. Since there was no boat big enough to take the huge Finn across the sea to confront Bennandonner, he built his own step ladder from Ireland to Scotland.
However, when he crossed the sea, he saw how great Bennandonner was. He ran back to Ireland before Bennandonner saw him, but the causeway was built and Bennandonner came into action. Fionn climbed into the crib, and when Bennandonner came to the door to fight him, his wife told him not to wake the baby. Seeing how big "baby" Fiona was, Bennandonner got scared and ran back to Scotland.
Although the phenomenon of basalt columns is relatively rare, there are several such examples of rock formations found throughout the world, including in Scotland, Los Prismas Basalticos in Mexico, and Devil's Postpile in California.
As soon as they call this place in Northern Ireland! path of the giants, Pavement of giants, Road of giants... It looks as if someone's powerful hands have driven many hexagonal piles into the Causeway Coast to build a huge bridge across the sea.
Looking at this miracle of nature, one involuntarily asks the question: weren’t aliens marked at the tip of the Emerald Isle?
STONE FORTRESS
The scale of this mysterious building is amazing. If you look at it from above, it really looks like a stone-paved road that stretches along the coast for 275 meters and goes into the Atlantic for another one and a half hundred meters.
The columns sometimes rush up, reaching a height of 12 meters, and sometimes fall down to 6 meters. Their total number is about 40 thousand. Most of them are hexagonal in section, but four-, five-, seven- and nine-angled columns can also be found. The diameter of the pillars ranges from 30 to 60 centimeters, all of them have even tops.
From above, the stone pillars are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb, they are so tightly pressed against each other. Even a thin knife to stick between them is impossible.
Absolutely all the pillars are dark in color, and they are all incredibly hard. According to scientists, they consist mainly of basalt rich in magnesium and iron, which at the same time has a small amount of quartz. Thanks to this composition, the columns are able to successfully withstand the destructive effects of winds and stormy waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
THREE HEROES
The columns form three groups of platforms. One group - the so-called Big Trail - is the largest pillars, starting near the rocky mountains. At first they look like a cluster of huge stone steps, some of which reach 6 meters in height. Closer to the water, the steps gradually level off until they begin to form a stone-covered road, the width of which is from 20 to 30 meters.
The second group of stones is the Middle and Small paths. These paths are located near the Great Path and in shape they are more like mounds rather than a road. Since each column has a flat top, it is possible to carefully (especially near the water, because there they are extremely wet and slippery) to move from one pillar to another.
This is what tourists use, who, for the sake of such an attraction, come here to distant lands.
Finally, the third group of stone giants lives on the island of Staffa (in translation - "island of pillars"). The island is located at a distance of 130 meters from the coast and, as it were, continues the main theme of the Causeway Coast. There, on the island, is the main attraction - the huge Fingal's cave.
This is the real Lost World. Firstly, you still need to get to the island, and the sea there is northern, restless, unpredictable. Secondly, the island is uninhabited, there are no benefits of civilization there. Thirdly, climbing the island is also not easy, because it consists of high basalt columns, similar to Viking houses. The height above sea level at the highest point reaches 42 meters.
The entire coast is heavily indented and consists of numerous caves. Only in one place, in the south, the coast is more or less gentle. Fingal's cave is just there. The height of the cave reaches 30 meters, its length is 75 meters. The acoustics of the cave is unique, the sounds of the surf echo throughout the cave, creating live music, as if in a concert hall, which is why Fingal's Cave is also called the Singing Cave.
By the way, the Isle of Staffa is considered a territory of Scotland. For visitors, a wooden flooring has been built here, along which you can go around the cave. There is no other way to visit it. Despite the fact that water splashes at the bottom of the cave, the entrance to the cave is so narrow that boats cannot enter it.
The "columned" halls of the Island of Staffa and the coast of the Causeway Coast, despite the distance from each other, appear to be a single architectural ensemble. It seems that some intelligent creature wanted to build a huge stone bridge from Staffa Island to the Causeway Coast, but either it didn’t calculate its own strength, or the weather let it down. In general, the mystery of nature.
THE SHAME OF SPAIN
Let's go back to the Causeway Coast. The columns are located around the cliffs, the names of which are more bizarre than one another. For example, two of them were named after musical instruments: Harps (columns from this cliff descend to the coast in a curved line) and Organ (straight and high pillars that are located near it, very much resemble this musical instrument).
There are cliffs with such interesting names as the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannons, the Giant's Eyes. Here you can also look at the Giant's Shoe - a two-meter cobblestone that really resembles a shoe. It was even calculated that a giant who wore such shoes must be at least 16 meters tall.
And another interesting place on the Giant's Road is the Chimneys, which frightened the already defeated Invincible Armada several centuries ago.
It happened for a simple reason. Some pillars of the Giant's Road in Ireland do not just rise on the coast, but from the sea they look like the chimneys of a huge castle. The Spaniards confused him with him and fired cannons at enemy territory, that is, absolutely desert land.
In a word, screwed up completely. This battle for the Spaniards ended in failure: their ship crashed on the rocks, many people died. Artifacts in the Ulster Museum, which is located in Belfast, speak of that unfortunate episode in Spanish history. They got there after being raised from the bottom of the sea.
STONE BABY
The Irish have noteworthy legends regarding the origin of the Giant's Path. One of them was composed by the Celts. In their opinion, the Irish giant Finn McCool built the giant stone road. On it, he wanted to cross the sea and fight with his old rival, the Scottish giant Ben Benandonner. When he reached the enemy, he saw that Ben was bigger and stronger, and gave a tear.
But it was too late. The Scot had already noticed him, got angry and set off in pursuit. Apparently, out of fear, Finn figured out how to take a powerful opponent by cunning. He asked his wife to wrap him up like a baby and leave him to sleep on the beach.
Seeing such a huge child, the Scot thought: what then is the father? And he ran away in fear. And out of impotence, he decided to destroy the path behind him in order to somehow harm the overseas giant. It is noteworthy that until the 17th century this legend was considered completely fictional, until the Bishop of Derry rediscovered the Giant's Path, which immediately became an Irish landmark after that.
ARISING FROM LAVA
Giant's Road is a one-of-a-kind structure. There are no analogues in the world. There is nothing surprising in the fact that scientists have long discussed how exactly the trail arose. Some experts assured that the giant pillars are actually huge crystals that arose a long time ago at the bottom of the ancient sea. The sea receded, and the pillars were on the surface.
Others have said that the pillars are actually a petrified bamboo forest. Allegedly in ancient times it was so warm here that exotic plants grew. Then the climate changed, it became cold, and the trees turned to stone. An alien version was also considered, but only by esotericists, scientists rejected it. In the end, everyone agreed that the volcano was to blame.
About 60 million years ago there was a powerful eruption. Lava broke out through a thick layer of limestone and covered the ground with a layer of 180 meters. After some time, cooling, the lava began to slowly decrease in volume, and thanks to the basalt, hexagonal cracks formed on its surface. When the inner layers of magma began to cool, these cracks began to deepen and formed hexagonal columns.
This theory was confirmed by a group of scientists from Toronto, who, after experiments, were able to prove that the slower the magma cools, the larger the columns are. The secret of the emergence of such an amazing natural phenomenon as the Giants' Trail in Ireland has been revealed ... Or not?
Natalia BYKOVA
The path of the giants is known as the Pavement of the Giants or the Path of the Giant. This is a natural monument in Northern Ireland, which is a geological rock formation of about 40,000 closely adjacent columns, mostly basalt. Flat-topped columns with a diameter of 30 to 50 cm, mostly having 6 faces each (although there are also 4, 5, 7 and 8-sided ones), reach a height of 6 to 12 m and resemble huge honeycombs from above.
The Road of the Giants is located 3 km from the settlement of Bushmills and 100 km from Belfast on the Causeway Coast, with which it became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986, and a year later - a national reserve of Ireland.
The road of giants is also called the road to nowhere, because in appearance it resembles a springboard that starts at the foot of a cliff, stretches 275 m along the coast and goes 150 m into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Platforms and cliffs
The Road of the Giants consists of three sites: the Big Trail and the mounds of the Middle and Small Trails. The columns are located around the cliffs, which received the original names because of the shape (Cliffs of the Harp and Organ, the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Eyes, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannons). Also here you can find the Giant's Shoe - a cobblestone 2 m high.
Geological version of origin
According to geologists, the Bridge of the Giants, like, was formed without human intervention. The miracle of nature appeared as a result of the eruption of an ancient volcano about 50-60 million years ago. From the molten basalt, wide lava plateaus were formed, which contracted and cracked as they cooled rapidly.
It took more than one million years for it to rise from the earth. Due to the hardness of the volcanic basalt rock, rich in iron and magnesium, the soil is resistant to the damaging effects of waves and wind.
Mythic version of the origin
According to one of the legends, the Road of the Giants is a bridge between Ireland and Scotland, built by the legendary Celtic hero Finn MacCool to confront the one-eyed gigantic monster Goll. At that time, when Finn, tired of the construction of the bridge, fell asleep, Goll moved to the other side with the aim of reprisal against his sleeping rival.
His wife came to the aid of McCool, swaddled her husband and passed him off as her little son, who supposedly only grew to his father's waist. The monster imagined what size and strength the father of this child could be, and fled in horror, destroying the bridge so as not to be caught up.
It is noteworthy that similar basalt columns are located off the coast of Scotland on the skeleton of Staffa, surrounding the cave of Fingal (second name of Finn McCool). The landmark became known in the 18th century. thanks to the watercolors of the artist Suzanne Drari.
Antiquity + Modernity = Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four parts of the UK, and quite an interesting part of it. It was founded in 1921, and before that, there were wars and powerful conflicts over the territory for many years.
On an area of \u200b\u200balmost 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 combined in an original way with modern buildings, as well as with unique nature - Ireland is rich in forests, water bodies, including 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, there is quite warm winter and not very hot summer season. 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 when Ireland traditionally has the most tourists.
The public holiday in Northern Ireland is St. Patrick's Day, the patron saint of the country, who expelled snakes from the island and brought Christianity. Once on this holiday, one is surprised by the huge number of people on the streets dressed in national green. Everyone on this day walks, attends beer parties and indulges in the world-famous dark Guinness beer.
Northern Ireland
In terms of food, Northern Ireland is famous for its Ulster breakfast - scrambled eggs with sausages, soda cakes and potato bread. Also here you can taste the amazing taste of meat and oysters, delicious food here as in expensive restaurants, there and in small cafes.
What else is remarkable about Northern Ireland is its numerous legends and myths. Tourists who have visited Ireland should definitely visit the "Giant's Road" - 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. The locals believe in the legend, according to which one hero specially drove large columns into the bottom of the sea to fight the monster and built a bridge out of them. But the giant monster tricked himself into the city over this bridge, and subsequently, being frightened by cunning deceit, he fled back from the city in horror and broke the bridge. As a result, only bizarre columns resembling fragments remained of it.
What else is worth visiting? Shipyard Harland & Wolff Shipyards - it was here that the Titanic, famous for its sad fate, was built at one time. Fans of a quiet holiday can be advised to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle, and alcohol connoisseurs can take an excursion to the Old Bushmills Distillery. Here you can see with your own eyes how the best whiskey is made. Since Ireland is famous for its natural beauty, visiting Ratlin Island, you can admire many different species of birds that live in natural conditions. But extreme people will appreciate the Carrick Red Rope suspension bridge between two rocks: walking along the 24-meter long bridge, 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 singularity of this place, as well as feel the true Irish culture.
Road of the Giants in Northern Ireland
Giant's Road is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. This unique coast appeared due to volcanic intervention. Thanks to an eruption that occurred many centuries ago, about 40,000 basalt columns were formed here, going into the sea, like steps for a real giant.
Once here, it will also be interesting for you to climb up and survey the picturesque panorama. In this area, it is possible to rent (or come on an already rented) bike and ride along the equipped route around the area.
The road of giants is a real miracle of nature
The Giant's Causeway (Giant's Path or Giant's Causeway) is a unique coastal area that consists of several tens of thousands of interconnected basalt columns formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
It is located in the north-east 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 lies, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site 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 starts at the foot of the cliff and disappears under the surface of the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven or eight corners. The highest is about 12 meters.
The Road of the Giants impresses not only with its size, but also with mysterious legends of origin. This impressive place rightfully deserves popularity and admiration.
60 million years ago, powerful volcanoes shook the island.
About 60 million years ago, powerful volcanoes shook the area. They raised columns of ash into the sky, and threw a large amount of magma onto the surface of the earth. This event left the Irish a legacy of the mysterious Road of the Giants. According to another legend, the giants themselves actually walked along it.
Once upon a time, 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 so as not to get his feet wet. With his sword, he carved and drove into the bottom of the sea a whole series of stone columns. When tired, the warrior lay down to rest and fell asleep.
At this time, a formidable opponent himself came to him precisely along this bridge. But they still couldn't compete. It turned out that Finn had a very cunning wife. She gave her sleeping husband as a little son. Pretending to be waiting for her husband, she began to treat Hall with cakes with iron pans baked in them.
When Finn woke up, his wife gave him the same cakes, only without pans. Hall was very frightened when he saw how quickly the child was eating loaves. He imagined what the father of such a child should be like. Hall started to run. And the bridge from his terrible blows could not stand it 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 Scot constantly hurt and offended the Irish. One day, Fin Mak Cool shouted to Benadonna: “If I could swim, I would swim across the strait in a couple of minutes and would pile on you for the most not indulge!”
But the Irishman did not know how to 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.
In the end, he was very tired and thought: “Before I fight 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 knocking on the giant's door, but Fin MacCool was fast asleep. His wife Una was frightened and came up with a trick: she swaddled him like a baby. Opening the door, she said to Benadonna, “Shhh! My baby is sleeping!”
The Scot looked at the “baby” and thought: “If Fin McCool has a child that big, then what is he like?” Frightened, Benadonna fled back to Scotland, breaking the entire bridge behind him.
The Giants' Trail - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Only the very beginning of the Bridge of the 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 a medieval fortification 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 country's largest centers for the study of the Middle Ages.
The castle appeared 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. The castle was built on a sheer cliff, which at that time completely excluded capture 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, relatively high for that time walls of 20 meters 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 a unique defense against ground attacks, nicknamed by the enemies "death hole". The hole is a gateway above the main gate of the castle, disguised as the color of the wall.
At the moment of breaking through the gates or deliberately deceiving the enemy, unsuspecting infantrymen received a stream of boiling resin, oil or a pile of sharp stones on their heads. The path to retreat was cut off by a slamming secret grate. The principle of operation of the "hole of death" is shown to all sightseers, which causes regular applause. In addition to a sightseeing visit to the castle, you can book a walk along the bay, which allows you to view the walls of the fortress from different angles. Also inside the castle, costumed performances on the theme of life in the Middle Ages are very often held. Anyone can take part in them, as well as be in the role of 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 of the city and the castle, which forced local entrepreneurs to create printed materials in Russian in souvenir shops - guides, booklets, memorable books about the city and the history of the castle.
Enniskillen Castle is one of the Northern Irish castles that has survived almost in its original form. The castle is located in the county of Fermanagh, which is on the border with Ireland, and is the main sightseeing attraction of this region. Despite a fairly rich history, Enniskillen Castle does not have an exact date of its foundation - all ancient documents were destroyed during numerous military operations in the county. Nevertheless, it is officially accepted that the castle was founded at the very beginning of the 15th century by the Scottish Maguire clan.
The construction of the castle ensured the protection of the whole county from the attacks of hostile neighbors, and for this purpose, strong walls and high lookout towers did an excellent job. In the 16th century, the territory of the castle became the epicenter of political intrigues that 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 that moment, the strategic importance of the castle has increased, and it was rebuilt several times, expanding the arsenal and the number of barracks for military personnel.
Starting from the 17th century, the castle became completely owned by the British crown, and it was already used against numerous skirmishes 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 dedicated 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 the UK, located five kilometers from the small town of Portrush. Currently, the territory of the castle is 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 served as an impregnable frontier for many centuries, protecting the coast from attacks from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the meager data that have survived to this day, this castle belonged to several of the richest families, but the last recorded owners are the Scottish McDonalds clan. The castle belonged to this clan until 1690. Shortly before this, very tragic pages began in his history.
In 1639, the owners of the castle hosted a dinner party with guests and musicians. At the height of the fun, the kitchen yard could not withstand the mass of the gathered guests and fell right into the sea, not everyone managed to escape. The remaining part of the kitchen yard is now fenced off from visits for security purposes, but it can be seen from several points of the castle. Half a century after this tragic incident, the MacDonalds clan completely went bankrupt, and the castle was taken as a repayment of debts. The majestic medieval building was not restored, 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 sightseeing object. Currently, tours of the castle are held regardless of the time of year, but you can get here only with a guide, whose services can be ordered in the city of Portrush. A sightseeing minibus will take you to the castle in a matter of minutes, and after the overview lectures, guests can go on a free walk around the surrounding areas.
Viaduct Craigmore
This is an old railway bridge, which is located near the village of Bessbrook, in County Armagh. Locals call their bridge "18 arches", it was built in 1852. As tall as a 14-story building, the Craymore Viaduct provides an excellent vantage point for taking in the surroundings. And by themselves, its granite arches are very beautiful.
Marble Arch Caverns
These caves were opened to tourists relatively recently - in 1985. There are many caves in Northern Ireland and usually they do not arouse much interest among travelers. However, the Marble Arch Caves are a different matter! Under their arches you can sail on a boat, which is much more interesting than just walking.
Lough Neagh 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 area, its southern part is already on Irish territory. Lough Neagh is called the main freshwater area near Belfast, although the city is remote 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 also used for industrial purposes. As for tourism, trips to the lake are consistently popular among guests from other countries.
For a walk along the shore, it is advised to choose a clear day, because 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 to start the tour, this place will be distinguished by stunning views of both austere and in its own way unique Irish nature. In spring, on the shores of the lake, you can see white swans that have arrived from wintering. The local legend about the origin of the lake again refers us to the national hero of Ireland - Finn, also known as Fingal.
The action of the legend refers to the period of regular battles between the Irish and the Scottish tribes. Finn, as in most legends, appears here as a powerful hero, able to control nature. According to an old legend, Loch Neagh appeared on the spot where Finn took a piece of land to bring it to Scotland. The earth did not fly to Scotland, but fell in the place where the famous Isle of Man is now located, and this explains its occurrence. In addition to national legends, Lough Neagh has become famous for much darker stories.
Over 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 is documented that in the Middle Ages, priests executed 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.
Residents of the surrounding towns and villages are not too fond of such a reputation for the lake and try not to give rise to stories in dubious magazines.
About 40 thousand huge stone columns adjoin each other so closely that it seems that some giant, the hero of Irish myths and legends, installed them here. The diameter of these pillars is from 30 to 50 centimeters, they have even tops and several faces (a quarter has five, the rest has four, seven and even nine corners). The Path of the Giants (or, as it is also called, the Road of the Giants) is located in Northern Ireland, not far from the small town of Bushmills. It encircles the cliffs that are located on the coast of the Causeway Coast, and then gradually goes under water towards Scotland.
The scale of this amazing place is amazing. If you look at the Road of the Giants from above, then it really is extremely similar to a stone-paved road that stretches along the coast for 275 meters and goes into the Atlantic for another one and a half hundred meters.
The average height of the pillars is about six meters, although it is not uncommon to see columns twelve high. If you look at them from above, they are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb, since they organize hexagons among themselves, so closely spaced in relation to each other that it is quite difficult to insert even a thin knife between them.
Absolutely all the pillars are dark in color and incredibly hard - scientists explain this natural phenomenon by the fact that they consist mainly of basalt rich in magnesium and iron, which at the same time has a small amount of quartz. Thanks to this composition, the columns are able to successfully withstand the destructive effects of winds and stormy waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
The columns of the Causeway of the Giants in Ireland form three groups of sites:
- Big trail. The columns of this group are the largest and begin near the rocky mountains. At first they look like a cluster of huge stone steps, some of which reach up to six meters in height. Closer to the water, the steps gradually level off until they begin to form a stone-covered road, the width of which is from 20 to 30 meters.
- Middle and Small trails. The pillars of these groups are located near the Great Path and in shape they look more like burial mounds than a road. Since each such column has a flat top, it is possible to move carefully (especially near water, because there they are extremely wet and slippery) from one column to another.
- Staffa Island. At 130 km from the coast there is a small uninhabited island of Staffa (in translation - "island of pillars"), on which there is, as it were, a continuation of these columns. Between these pillars is the main attraction of the island - a huge Fingal cave, which is about 80 meters long.
cliffs
The columns themselves on the Causeway Coast are located around the cliffs, which people later gave rather original names. for instance, two of them were named after the Harp (the columns from this cliff descend to the coast in a curved line) and the Organ (the straight and high pillars that are located near it are very reminiscent of this musical instrument).
There are cliffs with such interesting names as the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannons, the Giant's Eyes. Here you can also look at the Giant's Shoe - a two-meter cobblestone that resembles these shoes (it was even calculated that the giant who wore such a product must be at least 16 meters tall).
Chimneys of the Giant's Path
There is another interesting place on the Road of the Giants - Chimneys, which frightened the already defeated "Invincible Armada" several centuries ago.
It happened for a simple reason. Some pillars of the Giant's Road in Ireland not only rise on the coast, but also look like the chimneys of a huge castle from the sea. The Spaniards confused him with him, and fired cannons at “enemy territory” - that is, an absolutely deserted territory.
This story ended badly for the Spaniards: their ship crashed against the rocks, and many people died. The treasures found from the ship, after they were raised from the bottom of the sea, can now be seen in the Ulster Museum, which is located in Belfast.
Legend
There is nothing surprising in the fact that the Giant's Road has its own legends and myths that explain its appearance and formation.
The ancient Irish believed that the Giant's Road was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool in order to get to his sworn enemy, the Scot, who lived in the Hebrides, and fight him in order to decide who was stronger.
Further versions are slightly different from each other. According to one of them, seeing that his opponent is bigger and more powerful than him, Finn ran away. And when he saw that the Scot was chasing him, he persuaded his wife to swaddle him like a child and leave him to sleep on the shore. According to another version, while the Irishman was building the road, he was so tired that he fell asleep on the coast, and his wife, seeing that the rival was approaching, swaddled him and passed him off as a child.
In any case, seeing a huge "baby", the Scottish giant decided that it was better not to mess with his father and gave up, and so that the Irishman would not catch up with him, he destroyed the path.
Study of
Interestingly, the Road of the Giants became widely known only at the end of the 17th century, when the Bishop of Derry began to heavily advertise this amazing place. And at the beginning of the 19th century, tourists began to appear en masse here.
Despite the fact that this area is declared a national nature reserve by the Department of the Environment of Northern Ireland, there are absolutely no areas closed to the public, and tourists can walk wherever they want and where they can walk. This fact is quite liked by tourists in this country.
The Road of the Giants is unique in that, despite the fact that something similar exists in other parts of the world, it is here that the largest concentration of such pillars is located. There is nothing surprising in the fact that for many centuries scientists have debated how exactly the Path arose.
Some of them assured that the giant pillars are actually huge crystals that arose a long time ago at the bottom of the ancient sea. Others said that the pillars are actually a petrified bamboo forest.
In our time, most scientists agreed that the largest lava plain in Europe once existed here. It was formed thanks to a huge layer of limestone, which is located under the territory of Northern Ireland. In ancient times, molten lava flowed out through its faults during volcanic eruptions, which covered the earth with a layer of 180 meters, after which it began to cool and harden. And it didn’t become a shapeless mass because it was based on basalt.
After some time, during cooling, the lava began to slowly decrease in volume, and thanks to the basalt, hexagonal cracks formed on its surface. When the inner layers of magma began to cool, these cracks began to deepen and formed hexagonal columns.
This theory was confirmed by a group of scientists from Toronto, who, after experiments, were able to prove that the slower the magma cools, the larger the columns are. Thus, the secret of the appearance of such an amazing natural phenomenon as the Giants' Trail in Ireland was revealed ... Or not?
