Coastline of the Giant's Causeway, Great Britain. Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway: The Road to Nowhere

The Giant's Causeway is what it's called unusual place on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Ireland. There are 40 thousand huge basalt columns pressed tightly against each other. Their surface seems to form a giant path leading from the ocean to a large volcano.

It is thanks to the eruption of this volcano several tens of millions of years ago, according to scientists, that an unusual natural structure appeared. Unusual shape columns is explained by the chemical composition of the lava, which compressed as it solidified. Hexagonal stone pillars- the strangest structure generated by solidified lava. For a long time, scientists puzzled over why the rock acquired the appearance of polygonal pillars. Currently, the hypothesis is considered proven that this type is associated with the extremely slow cooling of the molten substance and its gradual compression. Scientists call this process similar to the drying of wet mud or clay, which also cracks and forms a bizarre pattern.

Most columns have six, seven or eight sides, and only one has three. Their height on average is about 6 meters. The pillars are pressed so tightly against each other that it is difficult to even insert a thin knife between them. Total area unusual object, which is one of the most popular tourist places Ireland, is 4.5 thousand square meters (300 by 500).

However, the name "The Giant's Causeway" tells us that the history of its appearance is also described in local legends. According to them, the road in ancient times, when the Earth was inhabited by huge people, was built by the Irish giant Finn Mac Cumal from his home on the coast to the fortress of his enemy, located in the Hebrides. Arriving at him, he discovered that his opponent was much larger and, therefore, stronger than him. Finn had to flee. Returning home, he asked his wife to swaddle him like a baby and lay him on the shore. Seeing such a “giant child,” his enemy thought that it was better not to meet the father of such a huge baby, and returned home, simultaneously destroying the stone road across the ocean behind him.

Whatever the origin of the Giant's Causeway, this place has long been considered one of the most picturesque in the world. It inspired more than one writer and artist to create romantic works. In 1986, the Giant's Causeway was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and a year later it became national reserve Northern Ireland.

How do they call this place in Northern Ireland? The Giant's Causeway, the Giant's Causeway, the Giant's Causeway... It looks as if someone's powerful hands drove many hexagonal piles into the Causeway Coast to build a huge bridge across the sea. Looking at this miracle of nature, you inevitably ask the question: But weren’t aliens spotted at the tip of the Emerald Isle? STONE FORTRESS

The scale of this mysterious building is amazing. If you look at it from above, it really looks like a stone-paved road that stretches along the coast for 275 meters and goes into the Atlantic for another one and a half hundred meters. The columns sometimes rush upward, reaching a height of 12 meters, and sometimes drop down to 6 meters. Their total number is about 40 thousand. Most of them have a hexagonal shape when cut, but you can also find four-, five-, seven- and nine-sided columns. The diameter of the pillars ranges from 30 to 60 centimeters, they all have smooth tops. From above, the stone pillars are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb, they are so tightly pressed against each other. It is impossible to insert even a thin knife between them. Absolutely all the pillars are dark in color, and all are also incredibly hard. According to scientists, they consist mainly of basalt rich in magnesium and iron, which also contains a small amount of quartz. Thanks to this composition, the columns are able to successfully withstand the destructive effects of winds and stormy waves of the Atlantic Ocean. THREE BOGATYRS

The columns form three groups of platforms. One group - the so-called Great Trail - is the largest pillars, starting near the rocky mountains. At first they look like a cluster of huge stone steps, some of which reach 6 meters in height. Closer to the water, the steps gradually level out until they begin to form a stone-covered road, the width of which is from 20 to 30 meters. The second group of stones is the Middle and Small paths. These trails are located near the Great Trail and are shaped more like mounds than a road. Since each column has a flat top, it is possible to carefully (especially near the water, because they are extremely wet and slippery there) move from one pillar to another. This is what tourists take advantage of, who come here far away for the sake of such an attraction. Finally, the third group stone giants live on the island of Staffa (translated as “island of pillars”). The island is located 130 meters from the coast and continues the main theme of the Causeway Coast. There, on the island, is the main attraction - the huge Fingal's Cave. This is a real The Lost World. Firstly, you still need to get to the island, and the sea there is northern, restless, and unpredictable. Secondly, the island is uninhabited, there are no benefits of civilization there. Thirdly, getting onto the island is also not easy, because it consists of tall basalt columns, similar to Viking houses. Altitude above sea level at most high point reaches 42 meters. The entire coastline is heavily indented and consists of numerous caves. Only in one place, in the south, is the coast more or less flat. Fingal's Cave is located right there. The height of the cave reaches 30 meters, its length is 75 meters. The acoustics of the cave are unique, the sounds of the surf reverberate throughout the cave, creating live music, as if in concert hall, which is why Fingal's Cave is also called the Singing Cave. By the way, the Island of Staffa is considered the territory of Scotland. A wooden boardwalk has been built here for visitors to walk around the cave. There is no other option to visit it. Despite the fact that there is water splashing at the bottom of the cave, the entrance to the cave is so narrow that boats cannot penetrate there. The “columned” halls of Staffa Island and the Causeway Coast, despite the distance from each other, seem to be one architectural ensemble. It seems that some intelligent being wanted to build a huge stone bridge from the island of Staffa to the Causeway Coast, but... own strength I didn’t calculate it, or the weather was bad. In general, a mystery of nature. SHAME ON SPAIN

Let's return to the Causeway Coast. The columns are located around cliffs, the names of which are more bizarre than the other. For example, two of them were named after musical instruments: Harps (the columns from this cliff descend in a curved line to the coast) and the Organ (the straight and tall pillars that are located near it are very reminiscent of this musical instrument). There are cliffs with such interesting names as the Giant's Loom, the Giant's Coffin, the Giant's Cannons , Eyes of a giant. Here you can also look at the Giant's Shoe - a two-meter cobblestone that really resembles a shoe. It was even calculated that the giant who wore such shoes must have been at least 16 meters tall. And one more thing interesting place on the Giant's Causeway - chimneys, which several centuries ago frightened the already defeated Invincible Armada. This happened for a banal reason. Some pillars of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland not only tower on the coast, but from the sea they look like the chimneys of a huge castle. The Spaniards confused him with him and fired cannons at enemy territory, that is, absolutely deserted land. In a word, they completely screwed up. This battle ended in tears for the Spaniards: their ship crashed on the rocks and many people died. Artifacts in the Ulster Museum, which is located in Belfast, speak about this unfortunate episode in Spanish history. They got there after being raised from the bottom of the sea.STONE BABY

The Irish have worthy of attention legends regarding the origin of the Giant's Causeway. One of them was composed by the Celts. In their opinion, the giant stone road was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool. He wanted to cross the sea along it and fight his old rival, the Scottish giant Ben Benandonner. Having reached the enemy, he saw that Ben was bigger and stronger, and gave a fight. But it was too late. The Scotsman had already noticed him, got angry and set off in pursuit. Apparently, out of fear, Finn figured out how to defeat a powerful enemy by cunning. He asked his wife to swaddle him like a child and leave him to sleep on the shore. Seeing such a huge child, the Scotsman thought: what is the father like then? And he ran away in fear. And out of powerlessness, he decided to destroy the path behind him in order to somehow harm the overseas giant. It is noteworthy that until the 17th century this legend was considered completely fictitious, until the Bishop of Derry rediscovered the Giant's Causeway, which immediately became an Irish landmark. ARISING FROM LAVA

The Giant's Causeway is a one-of-a-kind structure. There are no analogues in the world. It is not surprising that scientists have long debated how exactly the trail arose. Some experts claimed that the giant pillars are actually huge crystals that arose a long time ago at the bottom ancient sea. The sea receded, and the pillars were on the surface. Others said that the pillars were actually petrified bamboo forest. Allegedly, in ancient times it was so warm here that exotic plants grew. Then the climate changed, it became cold, and the trees turned to stone. An alien version was also considered, but only by esotericists; scientists rejected it. In the end, everyone agreed that the volcano was to blame for everything. About 60 million years ago, something happened here powerful eruption. Lava broke through a thick layer of limestone and covered the ground with a layer of 180 meters. After some time, cooling, the lava began to slowly decrease in volume, and thanks to the basalt, hexagonal cracks formed on its surface. When the inner layers of magma began to cool, these cracks began to deepen and formed hexagonal columns. This theory was confirmed by a group of scientists from Toronto who, after conducting experiments, were able to prove that the slower the magma cools, the larger the columns are. The secret of the appearance of such an amazing natural phenomenon, like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, has been revealed... Or not?

The Giant's Causeway has several names, including the Giant's Causeway and the Giant's Causeway. The volcanic formations located in Northern Ireland are among the world's natural treasures, which is why a considerable number of tourists seek to look at the unusual cliffs.

Description of the Giant's Causeway

An amazing miracle of nature from above resembles a sloping road that descends from the cliffs and goes into Atlantic Ocean. Its length on the coast reaches 275 meters, and approximately another 150 meters stretches under water. The size of each column is about six meters, although there are also twelve-meter columns. If you take a photo from above the cliff, you can see honeycombs tightly packed together. Most posts have a hexagonal cross-section, but some have four, seven or nine corners.

The pillars themselves are quite hard and dense. This is explained by their composition, which is dominated by magnesium and basaltic iron with a quartz content. It is because of this that they are not subject to decay under the influence of winds and waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Conventionally, the natural structure can be divided into three sections. The first is called the Great Trail. Here the columns have a cascading structure in the form of steps. Towards the bottom they level out into a road up to 30 meters wide. Next are the Middle and Small trails, reminiscent of protruding mounds. You can walk on their tops, as they are flat in shape.

Another unusual area is the island of Staffa. It is located 130 km from the coast, but here you can also see columns similar to those that go under water. Another notable place for tourists on the island is Fingal's Cave, the depth of which reaches 80 meters.

Hypotheses about the emergence of a miracle of nature

During the study of the Giant's Causeway, scientists put forward various hypotheses about where such columns came from. Among the popular versions are the following explanations:

• the pillars are crystals formed on the seabed that was once located in Northern Ireland;
• the columns are petrified bamboo forest;
• the surface was formed as a result of volcanic eruptions.

It is the third option that seems closest to the truth, since it is believed that the magma that has come to the surface, after a long period of cooling, begins to slowly crack, causing the layer to resemble a honeycomb, going far deep into the earth. Due to the basalt base, the magma did not spread over the ground, but lay down in an even layer, which later became like columns.

Despite the fact that this hypothesis seems to scientists the most reliable, it is not possible to test it for truth, since hundreds of years must pass before a similar effect can be repeated in practice.

The Legend of the Giant's Causeway

The story is retold among the Irish of the giant Finn Mac Cumal, who had to fight a terrible foe from Scotland. To connect the island with Great Britain, the resourceful giant began to build a bridge and became so tired that he lay down to rest. His wife, hearing that the enemy was approaching, wrapped her husband in swaddling clothes and began baking cakes.

When the Scot asked if Finn was sleeping on the shore, his wife said that it was just their baby, and her husband would soon arrive for the decisive fight. The resourceful girl treated the guest to pancakes, but first baked cast iron frying pans in them and left only one for Finn without an unusual additive. The Scotsman could not bite a single cake and was extremely surprised that the “baby” ate it without difficulty.

Thinking how strong the father of this child must be, the Scot hastened to escape from the island, destroying the bridge that had been built behind him. The amazing legend is liked not only local residents, but also fuels interest in the Giant’s Causeway among tourists from different parts of the world. They enjoy walking around the area and enjoying the landscapes of Ireland.

Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland, UK) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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We can safely say that the Giant's Causeway (or the Giant's Causeway, depending on your preference) is a typically Irish landmark. Ireland is always associated with something mysterious, magical, mystical, and at the same time carefree and cheerful. This bizarre combination is perfectly reflected by stone pillars extending into the ocean, the origin of which is, of course, explained by an ancient legend.

There are many legends and stories surrounding the appearance of these strange stone pillars. Here is the most popular version of the origin of the Giant's Causeway. A long time ago, a mighty Irishman named Finn McCumal lived in these parts, who decided to challenge the giant (and, in addition, one-eyed) monster Goll. But to win, the brave Irishman had to under no circumstances get his feet wet. Possessing considerable strength, Finn drove the columns directly into the bottom of the sea, thereby building himself a kind of bridge. But, despite his excellent physical shape, the hero got tired and fell asleep. Goll took advantage of this and crossed the bridge at that time. Finn's wife actually saved the situation and saved the husband. She said that the sleeping Makkumal was her child, and at the same time baked cakes for the monster, which contained frying pans as a filling. Goll began to eat them and break his teeth, and when Finn woke up, his wife gave him an ordinary flatbread. Seeing how calmly he ate the cake, on which Goll himself broke the teeth of the so-called “baby,” the monster ran away in fear, preferring not to know what his father could do to him.

A long time ago, a mighty Irishman named Finn McCumal lived in these parts, who decided to challenge the giant (and, in addition, one-eyed) monster Goll... Thus begins the legend about the origin of the fantastic Giant's Road.

During its shameful flight, the monster destroyed the bridge, the ruins of which we can see today.

Scientists voice a much more boring version of the origin of the columns. Based on the scientific version of the origin of the columns, they were formed here about 50-60 million years ago as a result of a volcanic eruption, when lava fell directly into the river that flowed here in those distant times. The outer layers of lava cooled quickly, pushing the weight of the river bottom, which gave rise to the shape of the columns.

The Giant's Causeway is located in Northern Ireland, on the Causeway Coast, 3 kilometers from the town of Bushmills. Mostly the columns are hexagonal in shape, but you can also find quadrangular and octagonal ones. Maximum height one column is about 12 meters.

Although the Giant's Causeway has the status of a nature reserve, there are no strict prohibitions or restrictions for visitors. Throughout the entire territory, tourists can walk anywhere (and there are places to walk here). From the coastal cliffs, wonderful sea panoramas open up, which it seems you can admire endlessly. The trail belongs to a non-profit organization that performs the functions of regulating visits to the Road and its protection.

How to visit

The Giant's Causeway can be reached by tourist bus from the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast - a distance of 100 kilometers, or from Bushmills - only 3 kilometers. It is possible to travel to the Road from Belfast or Londonderry by train. A steam railway was built from Bushmills to the Trail.

The coast of Northern Ireland (Great Britain) 3 km from the city of Bushmills is covered with 40 thousand basalt (less often andesite) columns. This place is called the "Giant's Causeway" (Giant's Path). The road, as well as the Causeway Coast on which it is located, has been declared a site world heritage UNESCO in 1986. Most columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven and eight corners. The tallest column is about 12 meters high.
According to scientific hypothesis, these bizarre stone pillars were formed 50-60 million years ago, when, during a volcanic eruption, hot and very liquid basaltic lava burst to the surface right in the bed of the then existing river. The outer layers of lava quickly cooled under the influence of water and stone columns formed, as if driven into the ground (this effect was achieved due to the mass of lava pressing down the river bottom underneath).

Path to the Giant's Path:

In one of the Celtic myths of the 3rd century AD. It is said that the warrior hero Finn Mac Cumal, who lived in Ireland, was constantly insulted by his neighbor, a one-eyed giant named Goll, who lived across the strait from him (in Scotland). One day Finn Mac Kumal decided to teach the giant a lesson, and since he could not swim across the bay, he began building a bridge. For seven days and nights he dragged huge stone rods into the sea and finally the bridge was ready. Tired after backbreaking work, Finn decided to get a good night's sleep before the upcoming battle. At this time, the Scottish giant, seeing the bridge, ran across it to Ireland and began knocking on the warrior’s door. The warrior's wife got scared and came up with a trick: she swaddled him like a baby. In addition, she treated Goll to flat cakes, inside which she baked flat iron pans, and when the giant began to break his teeth on them, she gave the second flat cake, a simple one, to the “baby” Finn, who calmly ate it. Imagining what a giant the father of this rather large “baby” would be, Goll fled in horror, destroying a bridge along the way. Therefore, only the beginning of the bridge, going into the sea, has survived to this day: