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Giants Causeway

Aug 21 2008 | Views 828 | Comments (59)

Here are some pictures that I took of the Giant Causeway, which is near Belfast in Ireland. Around t... Expand

Here are some pictures that I took of the Giant Causeway, which is near Belfast in Ireland. Around the Giant Causeway are several interesting places like the Dunluce Castle ruins and Carrick-a-Rede ropeway.

The Causeway Coastal Route is one of the most scenic routes in the world. It has been placed in the 5th place in a list of the world's most spectacular views. Soem eighty miles of stunning coastline runs past rugged and windswept cliffs, great scenery, fabulous unspoilt beaches adn the coastine is spinkled wiht historic castles, churches and fots. Many are now just ruins but each one of them holds the memories of a mysterious and heroic past.

It is a journey that is essentially not to be a hurried one. Every twist and turn in the road reveals new sights. On goes the road over bridges and under arches, past bays and beaches and strange rock formations.

The Causeway Coastal Route provides a journey of exploration where imagination meets reality and where every village and town, castle and rockly shore are waiting to be discovered.

The Carrick-a-Rede Ropeway - It is a scary journey on the swinging and bouncing ropeway. There are huge queues on either side and only 8 people are allowed, in a single file, to walk on the bridge at one time. It was strung by fishermen who crossed over to get the rich haul of migratory salmon. Today, it has become an adrenaline pumping adventure for the tourists. You can even buy a Certificate that you've crossed the Ropeway and for just 1 pound.

The Dunluce Castle stands on a precipice over the sea. Once a glorious castle, today only the remains stand. The kitchen of the castle fell into the sea one evening even as a party was going on. Thereafter, it was vacated by the residents. Even today, small bits keep falling off into the sea.

The Famous Giant's Causeway - It is listed in the World Heritage Sites.

Eons ago, the Irish folklore goes, there was an Irish giant called Fionn MacCool, who had a Scottish adversary called Benandonner. Tired of the constant rows, Fionn decided to build a bridge across the ocean and invited Benandonner for a war. When the moment of confrontation arrived and he saw that Benandonner was much bigger than him, Fionn got cold feet. He ran back to his wife who quickly dressed her husband as a baby and put him in the crib.

When Benandonner saw the huge baby, he was terrified. If the baby was so huge, how big would the father be! The Scottish giant took to heels and ran back towards Scotland. While on the run, he destroyed the bridge so that Finn couldn’t follow him back.

This is how the Giant Causeway came into being, according to the Irish myth.

The truth is that the Giant's Causeway is a natural volcanic rock formation. It is a huge mass of basalt columns packed tightly together, which extend into the sea.

Some very patient man must have counted the columns for it is said that there are 40,000 of them. Most of the columns are hexagonal in shape thought there are some with square and octagonal shape, too. The tallest ones are said to be almost 40 feet high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 90 feet thick in places. The 55 million old formations now form a part of the World Heritage Site list.

The Way to the Giant's Causeway

We were lucky to see a bagpiper dressed in traditional kilt playing the bagpipe right on the basalt columns. It presented a lovely sight.

I sat near the columns just so the height of the column could be gauged.