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Giants Causeway Walk, County Antrim with Stephen Walsh.

One of Irelands most iconic sights is the famous Giant’s Causeway, and today I’m going to bring you on a walk to visit this amazing place.

Before we set off , I have to tell you an amusing story. For years we have supplied the visitor shop at the causeway with various products , and I would regularly visit to support the business . However, it’s quite a walk from the visitor centre to the Causeway itself, and I was always in a rush to get to my next customer . So it was only in very recent times that I actually made the walk down to visit the amazing stones.

Today, my colleague Dan and I have a meeting with The National Trust who manage the property and as we have plenty of time today, and the weather is dry and sunny , please come along with me for a bracing walk .

We park outside the famous Causeway hotel. This Victorian building has been a popular spot for visitors to the Causeway for many years and serves as a great starting ( and finishing point ) . I hope that you have brought your hiking boots as we will have to trek about a half mile down, and another half mile back uphill – but at least the weather is looking good for us -in fact, it’s so warm we can actually walk in our shirt sleeves! By the way, there is a bus shuttle that will bring you down to the stones if you don’t fancy the walk .

So, without further ado let’s head off down the winding roadway to the stones. As we go along, we can see that the area is a haven for seabirds, such as Fulmar, petrel, cormorant, shag, redshank guillemot and razorbill. In addition, the weathered rock formations host numerous plant types, and they are bursting into bloom with the sunshine . In the distance we can see the causeway, so let me tell you a little about what makes it unique .

The causeway itself is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic activity. Around 50 to 60 million years ago, this part of Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt flowed out to form an extensive volcanic plateau. As the lava cooled, contraction occurred, leaving pillar like structures, which also fractured horizontally into “biscuits”. The size of the columns was primarily determined by the speed at which lava cooled, and the extensive fracture network produced the distinctive columns that we can see today.

Now that we have arrived , I think that you will agree that this is an awesome sight. In fact, it’s so unique that it is declared a world heritage site by UNESCO .

Let’s head out and take a closer look at the stones. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. As you can see, most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (39 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres (92 ft) thick in places. We could spend hours looking at the unique shapes and soaking up the amazing atmosphere .

As we head back let me tell you about the legend of the Giant’s causeway. According to legend, the columns were built by a giant Fionn mac Cumhall . Fionn was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway out into the sea towards Scotland so that the two could meet.

In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he is. Fionn’s wife, Sadhbh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the “baby”, he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn would be unable to chase him down. Interestingly, just across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) on the Scottish isle of Staffa and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.

Nowadays over 1 million visitors come to see the Giants Causeway, and I think you will agree that this is one of the highlights of a visit to Ireland. – I don’t know about you, but the sea air and the bracing walk has worked up quite an appetite so let’s head into the Giant’s Causeway for a refreshing cup of tea and a scone and buy a gift from their fantastic gift shop.

Our walks make it easy to see where we take our inspiration from for our jewelry making. We are so lucky to live in a land so full of heritage and history. If you would like to see some of our hand crafted pieces please visit our website at www.connemaramarble.com

All the best, Stephen

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Please enter your contact details here and your question and I will answer it as soon as possible, many thanks. Stephen