This magnificent rock formation – Northern Ireland's only Unesco World Heritage site – is one of the most striking and evocative landscape features in Ireland, a wide stretch of regular, densely packed hexagonal stone columns that seem to be the work of giants. The Giant's Causeway Visitor Experience, situated in a state-of-the-art ecofriendly facility half-hidden on the hillside above the sea, explains the phenomena. While admission to the Giant's Causeway is free, parking is charged as part of a combined ticket with the visitor centre; parking-only tickets are not available.
According to tradition, Fionn mac Cumhaill, an Irish giant, built the causeway himself in order to bypass Scotland and overcome his Scottish adversary, Benandonner. Fionn apparently fell asleep on the journey to Scotland, and Benandonner resolved to cross the causeway in search of his adversary. Fionn's wife scooped him up and covered him in fabric to disguise him as their infant in order to protect her sleeping husband. When Benandonner arrived in Northern Ireland, he noticed the huge newborn and could only speculate on the size of Fionn. Benandonner went to Scotland, fearful. However, the causeway survived. Although basalt columns are a relatively uncommon occurrence, there are a few spectacular specimens discovered across the globe, including Fingal's Cave in Scotland, Los Prismas Baslticos in Mexico, and the Devil's Postpile in California.
The Giant's Causeway, Irish Clochn an Aifir, is a basalt-columned peninsula that stretches for four miles (six kilometers) along Northern Ireland's northern shore. It is located on the Antrim plateau, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Londonderry, between Causeway Head and Benbane Head. Around 40,000 of these stone pillars, each with five to seven uneven sides, protrude from the cliff walls like steps crawling into the sea. The Giant's Causeway was formed 50 to 60 million years ago, during the Paleogene Period, as a consequence of consecutive flows of lava inching toward the shore and cooling as they came into touch with the water. Columns were produced by layers of basalt, and the pressure between them shaped them into polygonal patterns ranging in diameter from 15 to 20 inches (38 to 51 cm) and reaching a height of 82 feet (25 metres). They are arranged along cliffs with an average height of 330 feet (100 metres).
Visit What's On to reserve tickets for the Visitor Experience in advance of your visit.
The Causeway Coast Way Car Park is located along Causeway Road and provides access to the Causeway Coast Way for hikers. It uses a PayByPhone system and charges £5 for auto parking. 805951 is the location code. This parking lot is accessible 24 hours a day.
Numerous buses, notably Ulsterbus Service 172 and the open-top Causeway Coast Service 177, also stop at the Giant's Causeway.
The most unusual method of transport is by rail through the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway Company. The little train, which is now a tourist attraction, was constructed in the 1880s. It reopened in 2002 and currently operates between Bushmills and the Causeway Hotel on a daily basis in July and August and on a weekend-only basis in September and October.
