Giant's Causeway

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About Giant's Causeway

The Calçada dos Gigantes is a stretch of the north Antrim coast covered by around 40,000 basalt columns that fit together like steps and descend to the sea. It formed about 50 to 60 million years ago, when lava from volcanic eruptions cooled slowly and contracted, cracking into columns, most of them six-sided. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 and is Northern Ireland's most visited attraction.

Local legend says the Irish giant Finn McCool built the causeway to cross the sea and face the Scottish giant Benandonner; identical columns exist across the water on the Scottish island of Staffa. Fleeing his rival, Finn is said to have disguised himself as a baby with his wife's help, and the Scottish giant, frightened by the size of the 'baby', fled and destroyed the causeway behind him. Formations with names linked to the legend, such as the Bota do Gigante, o Órgão and the Cadeira dos Desejos, can be seen along the way.

The National Trust visitor centre, opened in 2012, with a grass roof and walls of basalt columns, has an exhibition about the geology and the legend and an audio guide. From the centre a road descends to the columns, about 1 km, on foot or by minibus. Cliff-top trails, the Red Trail and the Blue Trail, show the causeway from above, and the escada do Pastor, with 162 steps, links the two.

Access to the columns and the trails is open; the visitor centre and car park charge admission. The stones become slippery in rain and from sea spray.