The Giant's Causeway stretches along the coast for 275 m, in addition, it enters the sea for 150 m. Geologists determine the age of the columns at 60 million years! Despite this, they are in excellent condition, practically not destroyed and still delight the splendor of tourists who come here.
Here you can see picturesque caves, some can be viewed from land, others - only from the sea, visit ruined castles and lovely sandy bays. The 13th century Dunlus Castle stands on a cliff connected to the mainland by a bridge over an abyss at the bottom of which the sea splashes. Danseverick Castle is an earlier fortification to the east of the Giant's Causeway, while the 16th century Kinbain Castle stands to the east. In the summer, it can be reached every day by cruise boat to Rathlin Island, five miles from Billy Castle. The most interesting thing here is the Bryusov Cave, where in 1306 Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, who was watching the spider, again weaving its web, came up with the idea of \u200b\u200brecapturing his kingdom and becoming the master again.
The legend of the origin of stone prisms
According to an ancient Celtic legend, stone prisms on the shores of the Irish coast were built by the fairytale hero, the giant Finn Mac Kummal. Once he wanted to face off against the one-eyed Gol, who lives on the island of Staffa, located on the other side of the strait. To his regret, Finn McKummal was very afraid of water, and he did not have a suitable means on which to cross the body of water. Then he decided to build a road across the sea straight to the island of Staffa. He paved it for 7 days, dragging faceted columns, thrusting them deep into the ground and pressing each other tightly so that they would not bend under the weight of his body.
Upon completion of the construction, the giant was very tired and decided to rest before a difficult battle. At this time, the Cyclops noticed a stone bridge, from nowhere in the middle of the sea. He sensed danger and decided to attack his enemy first. Crossing the bridge, he found a dwelling and began pounding at the doors. Finn McKummal would be uncomfortable if not for the resourcefulness of his wife. She wrapped her husband in a sheet and only after that launched the Cyclops into the house. To the angry cries, the woman calmly replied that the owner was not at home, and their son was sleeping in the cradle. Goal was seriously scared when he saw the size of the child and imagined the growth of his father. He fled in horror from the island, destroying the bridge built behind him so that the enemy would not overtake him.
Ancient building
Some researchers believe that the Irish columns are the creation of ancient people. After all, such a building is not the only one of its kind. It can be compared to Hadrian's Wall, a magnificent Roman monument built in the 2nd century AD. In Great Britain. Its length was 130 km, its height was 5 km, and its width was 6 km. Similar to both of these buildings is the famous Stonehenge in England, which was made from huge boulders of 5,000 years ago.
At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, scientists discovered an entire disappeared city, built mainly from hewn hexagonal slabs that closely resembled Irish columns.
From all of the above, it follows that technically the people of antiquity had the opportunity to build impressive stone structures.
Scientists' opinion
Scientists explain the Irish miracle very simply. Millions of years ago, the magma formed after volcanic eruptions began to freeze. When such processes take place on the sea coast, the magma layer on top breaks down into geometrically regular hexagons. Then the crystallization process deepens inward and gives rise to faceted basalt columns. This is the usual explanation for one of the most seemingly mysterious buildings of our century.
Some time ago "Giants' Causeway" was recognized as the fourth wonder of the world in Great Britain (according to the Times newspaper). These ancient formations are protected by UNESCO and belong to the National Fund.
Giant's Road Facts
- Time of formation: The Giant's Causeway appeared about 60 million years ago.
- Number of basalt columns: About 40,000.
- Height and dimensions: The highest is 12 m, the widest is 25 m thick.
- Sightseeing: Chimneys, Giant's Organ. Giant's Flute, Giant Boots and Shepherd's Ladder.
Mysterious Northern Ireland is fraught with many wonders. One of them is the amazing Path of the Giants. It seems as if an unknown sculptor worked for thousands of years, erecting a road from stone columns. This unique natural landmark has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this decision is undeniable.
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In our article.
Tens of thousands of skillfully carved basalt columns create a unique landscape. Most of them have six corners, but an attentive traveler can find those with four, five, seven or eight. All together they really resemble a giant road. It goes around the cliffs and goes into the sea, and the differences in the height of the columns from 6 to 12 meters give the impression of a staircase hewn by giants.
When looking at the Path of the Giants, it is impossible to believe that its origin can be explained by the most common natural processes, therefore there is a legend about this place for romantics and myth lovers.
In time immemorial, giants inhabited these harsh lands. The gigantic warrior Finn Mac Kumalo had a difficult temper, and strong rivals did not frighten him. On the contrary, they aroused the desire to measure their strength. Such a rival was the one-eyed giant who lived across the sea. The distance did not stop Finn and he decided to build a bridge, but not a simple one, but a stone one. With his sword, the indefatigable giant carved out giant columns from the basalt and drove them into the ground.
Then folklore disagrees. Some say that Finn got tired and fell asleep, and the one-eyed warrior came to him himself. Others believe that after seeing a powerful rival, the main character was possessed by fear and he fled. But in the finale of both options, Finn's wife becomes the savior.
As usual in legends, she defeated the one-eyed warrior not by force, but by cunning and ingenuity. An intelligent woman swaddled her husband like a child, and met her rival with open arms and treats - cakes with pans baked in them. She herself sat down to lull her baby and feed him the same delicacy, only without the filling. The uninvited guest, suspecting nothing, saw a giant baby that was tirelessly chewing iron, asking for supplements, and realized that it was definitely not worth contacting the father of this child. The frightened rival ran away headlong. Carrying off his feet, he destroyed the bridge, and since then the stone columns go under the water.
Origin
In fact, the origin of the Giant's Trail has a scientific explanation. This area became famous only at the end of the 17th century, and tourists in large numbers began to appear here more than a hundred years later. In addition to the unique landscape, visitors like this place for the fact that their movement here is completely unlimited. Despite the fact that the Path of the Giants is a nature reserve, there are no closed areas here.
Curious tourists can find similar formations in other parts of the world, but it is here that their most massive concentration is located. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Path of the Giants is of interest not only to amateurs, but also to scientists. For several centuries they tried to agree on a common opinion, putting forward different hypotheses. Some believed that the pillars were crystals that had been growing for thousands of years under the waters of ancient oceans. Others believed that the columns were nothing more than petrified bamboo forest.
Most modern scholars have adopted a different point of view. According to their version, millions of years ago, the eruption of an ancient volcano formed a vast lava plain here, the basis of which was basalt. Gradually hardening, it cracked, forming an amazing pattern. When the magma solidified, the cracks gradually deepened and subsequently formed regular hexagonal columns. This is how scientists explained the origin of the Path of the Giants. But, who knows, maybe a frightened one-eyed giant is still sitting alone on the island in the middle of the cold sea ...
sights
The columns of the Giant's Trail form three platforms. The first of them is called the Great Trail and originates from the rocky mountains. This platform is a monumental staircase, the steps of which reach a height of six meters. Going down to the sea, the trail becomes more gentle and looks like a road for giants. The second site is the Middle and Small trails.
Columns from this group are located near the main path, but they no longer resemble a path, but separate mounds. Observing precautions, you can examine them by moving from one pillar to another. The third site is the most mysterious and least visited. This is the uninhabited island of Staffa, which is located 130 km from the coast. Its name translates as "The Island of Pillars". Between the columns, the island hides its main attraction - Fingal's Cave, which is about 80 meters long.
The giants started their trail along the cliffs. Later, people appreciated their bizarre shape and gave them original names. There are musical instruments - Harp and Organ, and stone accessories forgotten by giants - the Loom, Cannons and even the Giant's Coffin. The unknown giant has forgotten here and his shoe. This is what one of the cobblestones looks like. Inquisitive visitors calculated that the owner of this shoe was at least 16 meters tall.
Separate pillars of the Trail of the Giants not only rise, but look like the chimneys of a severe northern castle from the sea. An interesting case in the history of the country is connected with this. The "invincible armada" of the Spaniards, approaching the shores, decided to bombard the threatening territory and attacked. The only loss suffered was the basalt columns, because there was no castle on the shore. The Spanish ship crashed on the rocks, and the army suffered considerable losses in the cold waters. The sunken treasures were raised from the bottom and are still kept in one of the museums in Ireland.
Giants Causeway Is the most famous landmark in Northern Ireland.
I have long wanted to see her, and for me the Path of the Giants became the strongest impression on the whole.
Imagine a rocky coast that drops off towards the sea, which consists of individual faceted basalt columns closely pressed against each other. The columns are predominantly hexagonal. Sometimes at the base of the column there is an almost regular hexagon, sometimes it is skewed - and not a six-, but an eight- or pentagon.
The columns were formed as a result of a series of volcanic movements, cooling and horizontal compression of lava, which included basalt.
The columns have different heights. Their clusters form figures, for example, in the form of an organ, a stockade, a pedestal, a staircase. And the most remarkable site is a paved road that goes into the sea and hides under water.
Actually, this site is called the Bridge of the Giants, or the Trail of the Giants.
Path of the Giants (Giants Causeway) and the coast Causeway Coast in 1986 were inscribed on the World Heritage List UNESCO.
Legend of the origin of the Giant's Bridge
There is a local legend about the origin of this pavement. It tells the story of two giants who wanted to measure their strength.
One of them is the Irish Finn McCool, the other is the Scotsman Goll. To meet the rival, Finn McCool paved a road through the Irish Sea from pillars driven into the seabed. The giant was so tired of laying the road that he fell fast asleep.
Meanwhile, Goll ran across the pavement across the sea to Ireland in order to fight by force with a rival. Finn's cunning wife passed off her sleeping husband for their baby son, and Goll, fearing a meeting with the father of such a giant, ran away, destroying the road behind him. Only a small piece of the pavement remained.
Path of the Giants - how to get there
The Trail of the Giants is located in the north of the island of Ireland, a hundred km from, 3 km from the town Bushmills.
How to get there:
By car- on the B147 Causeway road.
By public transport - from Belfast by train to Coleraine, then by bus 172.
In Belfast, local travel agencies can book excursions (there are even excursions from Dublin).
Visiting the Path of the Giants
The trail is open from 9 am and closes depending on the season:
- january, February, November, December - at 17
- march, April, May, June, September, October - at 18
- july, August - at 19. Last entry - an hour before closing.
The entrance to the territory of the National Park is through the Tourist Center. It houses a museum, toilet, cafe, souvenir shop and ticket office.
A ticket to the Giants Causeway National Park for an adult costs £ 10.50 (child - half price).
A route map and an audio guide are provided with the ticket.
The audio guide doesn't make much sense. In the scheme, to be honest, too. Everything is intuitive. When I was preparing for the trip, I read that there are several routes along the rocks, which are divided by the level of difficulty. In fact, the difficulty is about the same everywhere, and in a couple of hours you will pass all the routes marked on this map.
The logic is this: first, everyone follows the lower path along the sea. There is also a bus that takes you directly to the Trail of the Giants. It is about 800 meters from the office. You definitely need to go on foot (if you can), because the road is beautiful, and the bus travels fast - you won't have time to photograph or admire ..
After the Trail of the Giants, the road continues for some time along the sea, and then a serpentine begins, which leads to the upper path. Further, those who wish go along the rocks along the upper path: first to the east, then they return to the office. There is also a section of trail behind the office that leads to the cape. From the cape, you can look at the Path of the Giants from a different angle.
Walk in the National Park
In the morning we left Belfast and a couple of hours later we drove up to the Giant's Causeway National Park.
The weather was cloudy. I read that it often rains here, and photos from the Path of the Giants I usually came across with rains.
The tourist center is inscribed in the rock and surrounded by dark columns around the perimeter, imitating basalt columns on the Giants' Trail.
The first section is along the sea
After passing through the Tourist Center, we go down along the rocks along the road.
So far, everything looks ordinary, but strange, as if ordered stones are already appearing.
Bridge of the Giants
And here she is - Bridge of the Giants... The tops of the columns form a kind of paving stone. In most cases, the columns are of different levels, but in places they align and merge into a single surface.
The coast consists of numerous faceted posts. The booklet says that there are over 40,000 basalt columns.
Leg - for column scale
This is such a paved road
Sideways Mostovaya looks like this
The trail takes everything higher
By steep The Shepherd's Ladder climb to the edge of the cliff
and we find ourselves in a green meadow with grazing calves.
View of Mostovaya going into the sea
The path along which we climbed is clearly visible. The trail in the middle of the slope goes into the distance and leads to the so-called Organa - a rocky area with a number of tall columns. But in our time, the passage to the Organ was closed, we saw it only from above.
Upper trail
then among the heather fields,
then it approaches the edge of the cliff.
From here, the Giants' Bridge looks like a sharp cape. Behind it, a green "dinosaur head" peeps out of the water
The views are breathtaking, and you want to go further and further, following the bends, descents and ascents of the coastline. I felt similar enthusiasm in Normandy, on. By the way, the weather cleared up.
"Organ pipes"
Heather and bells among the grass
Unfortunately, at some point I had to turn back. Returning to the Path of the Giants, we looked at it from above. The number of people has increased significantly.
Bus to Giants' Bridge. Top right - Causeway Hotel. In the distance (on the left) a large sandy beach is visible - the rocks have disappeared.
In conclusion, we took a walk on this plateau.
There are picnic benches there. So, if you have some sandwiches, you can have a snack here.
This was the end of our walk. There is no time left for the museum, cafes and souvenirs. I wanted to make the most of my time for a walk along the rocks. And at 14 o'clock we had a ferry to Scotland.
So if fate brings you to Northern Ireland, try to get to this unique coastline. And maybe even with an overnight stay.
Points of interest near the Giants' Trail
Near the Trail of the Giants, next to the information center, there is the Causeway Hotel.
If you come with an overnight stay, you can go through the whole Causeway Coast Way(33 miles) - the most beautiful route along the coast. Also nearby (15 km east of the Trail of the Giants) is another attraction - a rope bridge Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridgestretched between two rocks above the strait. The bridge serves as a good addition to the Giants' Trail: as a rule, these two attractions are seen together.
You can also go to the ruins dunluce castlebuilt on a rock. It is located 8 km west of the Giant's Trail. The castle served as the inspiration for the castles of Car Paravel in The Chronicles of Narnia and Pike in Game of Thrones.
And finally, it is worth looking into Old Bushmills - the oldest distillery in the world (whiskey was produced there in 1608), where you can watch the process of whiskey production, taste and buy a local drink. This distillery is depicted on the 10-pound bill, which is printed in Northern Ireland.
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About 40 thousand huge stone columns are so closely adjacent to each other that it seems that they were installed here by some giant - the hero of Irish myths and legends. The diameter of these pillars is from 30 to 50 centimeters, they have even tops and several faces (a quarter has five, the rest have four, seven and even nine corners). The Trail of the Giants (or as it is also called - the Road of the Giants) is located in Northern Ireland near the small town of Bushmills. It encircles the cliffs that are located on the Causeway Coast, and then gradually sinks under the water towards Scotland.
The scale of this amazing place is amazing. If you look at the Giant's Causeway 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 approximately six meters, although it is not uncommon to see columns as high as twelve. If you look at them from above, then they are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb, since they organize hexagons between themselves, so tightly located in relation to each other that it is rather difficult to slip even a thin knife between them.
Absolutely all 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.
Columns of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland form three groups of sites:
- Great 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 out until they begin to form a stone-covered road that is 20 to 30 meters wide.
- Medium and Small trails. The pillars of these groups are located near the Great Path and, in shape, rather resemble mounds rather 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 (translated as “the island of pillars”), on which there is, as it were, the continuation of these columns. Between these pillars the main attraction of the island is located - the huge Fingalovaya Cave, which is about 80 meters long.
Cliffs
The columns themselves on the Causeway Coast are located around the cliffs, which were later given rather original names by people. for instance, two of them were named after Harp (the columns from this cliff descend in a curved line to the coast) and Organa (straight and high pillars that are located near it, very much resemble this musical instrument).
There are cliffs with interesting names such as the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannon, the Giant's Eye. Here you can also look at the Giant's Shoe - a two-meter cobblestone that resembles these shoes (it was even calculated that a giant who wore such a product must be at least 16 meters tall).
Chimneys of the Giants' Trail
There is another interesting place on the Giants' Road - the Chimneys, which frightened the already defeated "Invincible Armada" several centuries ago.
This happened for a banal reason. Some pillars of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland not only rise on the coast, but from the sea look like the chimneys of a huge castle. The Spaniards confused him with him, and fired at "enemy territory" from cannons - that is, absolutely deserted territory.
This story for the Spaniards ended in tears: their ship crashed on 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
It is not surprising that the Giant's Causeway has its own legends and myths that explain its appearance and formation.
The old Irish believed that the Giant's Causeway was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool in order to get to his sworn enemy, the Scotsman, who lived in the Hebrides, and fight him in order to decide which of them is stronger.
Further versions differ slightly 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 Scotsman was pursuing 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 a rival was approaching, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and passed him off as a child.
In any case, having seen a huge "baby", the Scottish giant decided that it was better not to get involved with his father and gave him a diru, and so that the Irishman would not catch up with him, destroyed the path.
Study
Interestingly, the Giants' Causeway became widely known only at the end of the 17th century, when the Bishop of Derry began to actively advertise this amazing place. And at the beginning of the 19th century, tourists began to appear here en masse.
Despite the fact that this area has been declared a national reserve by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment, there are absolutely no closed areas here, and tourists can walk wherever they want and where they can go. This fact is quite popular with tourists in this country.
The Giant's Causeway 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 been debating how exactly the Path originated.
Some of them assured that the giant pillars are in fact huge crystals that a long time ago appeared at the bottom of the ancient sea. Others said the pillars were actually petrified bamboo forest.
In our time, most scientists agreed that once there was the largest lava plain in Europe. 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 solidify. And it did not 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 basalt, hexagonal cracks formed on its surface. As the inner layers of magma began to cool, these crevices began to deepen and form 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 Path of the Giants in Ireland was revealed ... Or not?
A unique natural monument consisting of more than 40 thousand basalt and andesite columns formed as a result of ancient volcanic activity. Closely pressed together, the hexagonal columns form a kind of paved road that descends from the hill on the Causeway Coast and disappears into the sea.
This natural wonder is located in Northern Ireland. Most of the pillars have a height of 6 to 12 meters and are so closely adjacent to each other that even a knife blade cannot be inserted into the crack between them. Volcanic basalt deposits form not only a road, but also spectacular cliffs throughout the Causeway Coast. Most of these cliffs have their own names. So, here is the Harp Rock, the Giant's Coffin and even the Giant's Loom.
Some detached pillars from a distance, from the sea, can be mistaken for the chimneys of some giant castle. This is what one of the ships of the "Invincible Armada" imagined, lost in these waters after its defeat. The unfortunate Spaniards fired at the deserted coast for a long time, believing that they were besieging a well-fortified fort.
The origin of the Giant's Causeway and its name is explained by a local ancient legend. It says that in time immemorial the hero of the Irish epic, the giant Finn McCumal, decided to fight with another terrible one-eyed giant Goll, who lived on the opposite shore of the Irish Sea, that is, in Scotland. In order not to cross the sea by swimming, Finn decided to build a large bridge of basalt rocks. When the work was completed, tired McKumal returned home and fell fast asleep right on the beach.
While he slept, Goll decided to forestall the strike and crossed the bridge he had built over the sea. Finn's wife, seeing the one-eyed, decided to defeat the enemy not by force, but by cunning. She told Goll that her husband was not at home, and their baby son was sleeping on the shore. To scare the uninvited guest even more, the woman invited him to taste pies, in each of which an iron pan was baked. While Goll, breaking his teeth, tried to bite off a piece of the treat, the woman offered exactly the same to her "baby", but since he had no iron filling, Finn, without waking up, easily chewed it.
Looking again at the "baby", chewing iron pies without any problems, and imagining how tall and strong his father should have been, Goll was horrified and preferred to get away without a fight. And so that the huge Finn suddenly decided not to pursue him, the one-eyed one destroyed the bridge behind him.
Today, the area around the Giant's Causeway is considered a National Reserve, and the road itself is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Despite such a solid status, access to this natural structure is open to everyone. Tourists and fans of extreme sports are allowed to wander along the trail for as long as they like or climb any rock they like. Getting here is also not so difficult, the nearest town of Bushmills is only three kilometers away and a small tourist train runs from there to the Giant's Road.
