Giants Causeway

There’s nothing modest about Northern Ireland’s coastline. Drive along the famous Causeway Coast, and one stunning site leads to another.

The craggy castle ruins of Dunluce Castle, the pale cream sands of Whiterocks Beach or the stunning views of the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge are just some of the fine attractions. But as you weave along this great driving route, one sight jumps out as truly spectacular: the Giant’s Causeway.

Here you’ll look down on thousands of basalt columns tumbling down into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s an epic sight, with a whopping 40,000 or so of these hexagonal-shaped stepping stones, which date back to a volcanic age almost 60 million years ago.

The Giant’s Causeway lies at the foot of the basalt cliffs along the sea coast on the edge of the Antrim plateau .It is made up of some 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out of the sea. The dramatic sight has inspired legends of giants striding over the sea to Scotland. Geological studies of these formations over the last 300 years have greatly contributed to the development of the earth sciences, and show that this striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity during the Tertiary, some 50–60 million years ago.

Destination: Ireland, Northern Ireland