Tricks and tips for visiting the Giants Causeway in Ireland

You have certainly heard of the Giants Causeway, located on the north coast of the coast of Ireland. Although seven years ago and I talked about this training, today I want to tell in detail the visit to this place and incidentally, tell a series of tricks and tips for visiting the Giants Causeway in Ireland, which will be very useful in their visit.

In addition, I will tell the legend of how these hexagonal columns that arose as a result of originated fight of giants, as the title of that wonderful song by Antonio Vega, along with the scientific explanation of how they came about.

The Giants Causeway is unique and no one is going to Ireland without seeing it as it would be an unforgivable oversight. It lies between the cities of Derry and Belfast, on the north coast of the island of Ireland.

Tricks and tips for visiting the Giants Causeway in Ireland

Upon reaching the driveway, you will find a very large parking that is usually almost full. In addition, you must pay 8 pounds for parking. I advise you do not leave the car there. If you follow a little to the east towards Belfast, half a kilometer you will find a smaller parking is free.

If you prefer to go by bus, it costs about 15 pounds since Belfast. Once in the area, you will see a small road down to the coast. You can catch the bus to the bottom where is the area of the columns or walk (they are about two kilometers). The walking tour is worth, because the views of the cliffs are stunning.

After the walk, it comes what everyone expects: the forty thousand magical columns forming the Giant’s Causeway or the Giants. Ask the employees. I report any questions about these pentagonal and hexagonal columns. However, you have to be able to understand their English with strong Northern Irish accent.

Legend of the origin of Giants Causeway

What has the guides, what I found most interesting was the reason for the name “Giant’s Causeway or the Giants”. We are facing a geological natural wonder that is linked to mythological stories, she says Celtic legend. In it the fight between two giants, tells Irish one called Finn MacCool and another giant of the Scottish island of Staffa (where there is also basalt columns), which fought each other throwing stones.

The stones that were thrown basalt columns formed in both places, and they were in the middle created a road between Staffa and Ireland. The Giant Staffa crossed with the intention of killing the Giant Irish. But luckily for him, the giant Irish woman noticed and had the idea to dress your husband with baby clothes.

When the Giant Staffa saw such a big baby, he thought his father would be three times larger, so that he fled precipitately to Staffa, stomping so hard rock’s of the Avenue of the Giants that ended sinking them and drowned at sea. Thus he was born the legend of these magic columns.

The scientific explanation

Approximately 60 million years ago the rapid cooling of lava from a volcanic caldera led to the formation of some 40,000 basalt columns hexagonal shape that now roam this region of the north coast of Ireland. Columns are formed when volcanic lava cools chimneys very quickly, in volcano that is no longer active. The unusual thing about these columns compared with the rest of dormant volcanoes, is that cooling is very fast.

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The rock formed in this process is basalt. It is a crystalline rock which is responsible for forming the geometric columns. The crystals form perfect hexagons or pentagons structures like to save volume, similar to how they do the bees in a hive. Nature uses these forms to regularly organize.

More tips for making the visit to the Giant’s Causeway

It can pull one hour taking pictures of the puddles enclosed in each prism of the columns and seeing where sea level changing color in each of the columns arrives. But besides taking photos and visiting geological formations, there are more things that can be done taking advantage of the visit.

I recommend you follow the path and not return to the parking directly. If you follow will see at least two other impressive things: the first is a gigantic column which still cannot fully appreciate the geometric shape of the columns. This is because it still has not been given sufficient erosion to remove the remains of other rocks, “cleaning” the basalt columns.

The second is called “chimneys”. These are volcanic vents that cooled more slowly, and therefore do not have the perfect geometric shape of her sisters quickly cooled. Among the rocks around you can also see strange shapes like faces and birds also attract much attention.

Not to return to the same place, there is another path that climbs the other side of the cliffs and also has very nice views. Moreover, since the Giants Causeway you can visit many places like the wonderful Dunlace Castle, a castle of which I will speak shortly.

I hope these tricks and tips for visiting the Giants Causeway in Ireland may be able take full advantage of the visit. One more thing that I highly recommend: Watch your heads, not going to be the Giants again enrage and again thrown stones at each other.