Few things inspire awe quite as much as the breathtaking landscapes created by nature. You can travel the world seeking out weird and wonderful places. In the UK, none are more intriguing or spectacular than the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Causeway is something you must see for yourself! UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1986. Aside from its remarkable geological formation, the area is fabulously rich in wildlife.
The Legend
Many unusual sites created by natural phenomena have legends attached to them. In the absence of science, other far-fetched explanations have always arisen.
Legend has it that Irish giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill built the Giant’s Causeway across the North Channel so that his enemy—Scottish giant Benandonner—could cross the sea to fight him. When Benandonner arrived, however, Fionn realised that his foe was huge.
His wife quickly disguised him as a baby and told Benandonner that her husband would shortly return. On seeing the size of the baby, Benandonner imagined the size of the father and made a hasty retreat to Scotland, ripping up most of the causeway so that he could not be followed.
To back this entirely credible story up, there is a Scottish equivalent causeway at the Isle of Staffa.
How the Giant’s Causeway Was Actually Formed
Although the 40,000 basalt pillars of the Giant’s Causeway do look man-made, they were really formed by volcanic eruptions 60 million years ago during the Paleogene period. Lava created a plateau across the area, which then cooled, solidified and contracted, fracturing the surface horizontally and vertically to form the hexagonal columns.
Of course, the prevailing climate and conditions that existed millions of years ago have little to do with the Ireland of today.
A Bonus for Irish Whiskey Lovers
Just three miles from the Giant’s Causeway is the Old Bushmills Distillery, where famous blended and single-malt whiskies are made. You can grab a bite to eat there, too, having taken in the astounding scenery and fresh sea air nearby.
