I have updated this opinion from my very first writing of it!

The Giants causeway is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. For those of you who are interested in travelling there, it is around an hour’s drive from Belfast, depending on the route you take. The route that I am used to taking is along the beautiful Antrim Coast Road, a very picturesque area. There are various tours to the Giant’s Causeway and of the Coast Road, and it would be best if you asked at the local tourist information as these can vary due to the time of year, and the situation in Northern Ireland at the time.

The Causeway has to be Northern Ireland’s biggest attractions with some people only coming into the North just to visit.

Well, what is it?

The Giants causeway is an area that extends about 90 meters into the sea. It is made up of hexagonal stones that were formed due to cooling lava. The stones are in column shape and some are as high as 6 meters!

Local Legends suggest that the stones were formed as a competition between two giants to form a pathway from Ireland to Scotland. In Scotland there is an Island called Staffa which has similar rock formations, and so links in with the folklore.

More about the Local legends usually can be found in the beautiful little visitors centre that once was there. Unfortunately this was burnt down a while ago, but I am led to believe that they are well on the way to building a new and improved one, so I will keep this post updated.

The lack of visitors centre at the moment does leave many tourists wondering what the whole point of it is, as I heard one tourist say, "It’s just a big pile of stones", but this can be found out by taking the tour bus around the site which operates during high season.

It is a lovely area to visit, especially on a warm sunny day, which, unfortunately, does not come all that often in Northern Ireland, and it is
a shame that much of the tourist industry is affected by the events of the summer in Northern Ireland. If you intend to visit Northern Ireland, I would advise against visiting during "the Twelth fortnight" if you are bothered by the Marches and such. Some people do not mind this and come ahead anyway.

It is a great day out, if you enjoy walking, and the fresh air, the Antrim Coast is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and if the stones don’t interest you, I’m sure that the scenery will take your breath away (mind you, the long walk may add to that!). For those with young children, or people who have difficulties climbing, and walking far distances, then this may not be for you, but as I said previously, there is a tour bus for such people.

I would highly recommend visiting the Giants Causeway!