Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [583]
Orientation & Information
Visiting the Giant’s Causeway itself is free of charge but the overcrowded, council-run car park charges £6 per car. It’s an easy 1km walk from the car park down to the Causeway; minibuses with wheelchair access ply the route every 15 minutes (adult/child £2/1 return). Guided tours of the site (June to August only) cost £3.50/2.25 per adult/child.
Although plans for a new, world-class visitor centre for the Giant’s Causeway were announced in 2005, at the time of research there was still no sign of it appearing; the latest estimate is for completion in spring 2011. Meanwhile, a ‘temporary’ visitor centre ( 2073 1855; www.giantscausewaycentre.com; admission free, audiovisual show £1; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5pm Sep-Jun), which has been around since 2000, is housed in a wooden building beside the National Trust’s gift shop and tearoom.
Sights & Activities
From the car park it’s an easy 10- to 15-minute walk downhill on a tarmac road (wheelchair accessible) to the Giant’s Causeway itself. However, a much more interesting approach is to follow the cliff-top path northeast for 2km to the Chimney Tops headland, which has an excellent view of the Causeway and the coastline to the west, including Inishowen and Malin Heads.
This pinnacled promontory was bombarded by ships of the Spanish Armada in 1588, who thought it was Dunluce Castle, and the wreck of the Spanish galleon Girona (see the boxed text, Click here) lies just off the tip of the headland. Return towards the car park and about halfway back descend the Shepherd’s Steps (signposted) to a lower-level footpath that leads down to the Causeway. Allow 1½ hours for the round trip.
Alternatively, you can visit the Causeway first, then follow the lower coastal path as far as the Amphitheatre viewpoint at Port Reostan, passing impressive rock formations such as the Organ (a stack of vertical basalt columns resembling organ pipes), and return by climbing the Shepherd’s Steps.
You can also follow the cliff-top path east as far as Dunseverick or beyond (see the boxed text, Click here).
Sleeping & Eating
Causeway Hotel ( 2073 1226; www.giants-causeway-hotel.com; 40 Causeway Rd; s/d £60/90; ) You can’t beat it for location – the National Trust’s Causeway Hotel is within a stone’s-throw of the Causeway, a useful base if you want to explore the Causeway early or late in the day when the crowds are not around. Rooms 28 to 32 are the best, with outdoor terraces that enjoy sunset views over the Atlantic.
National Trust tearoom ( 2073 1582; snacks £2-5; 10am-5.30pm Jul & Aug, to 4.30pm Sep-Jun) Serves tea, coffee and light meals.
Getting There & Away
Bus 172 from Coleraine and Bushmills to Ballycastle passes the site year round. Also see Getting There & Around, Click here.
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GIANT’S CAUSEWAY TO BALLYCASTLE
Between the Giant’s Causeway and Ballycastle lies the most scenic stretch of the Causeway Coast, with sea cliffs of contrasting black basalt and white chalk, rocky islands, picturesque little harbours and broad sweeps of sandy beach. It’s best enjoyed on foot, following the 16.5km of waymarked Causeway Coast Way between the Carrick-a-Rede car park and the Giant’s Causeway (see the boxed text, Click here), although the main attractions can also be reached by car or bus.
About 8km east of the Giant’s Causeway is the meagre ruin of 16th-century Dunseverick Castle, spectacularly sited on a grassy bluff. Another 1.5km on is the tiny seaside hamlet of Portbradden, with half a dozen harbourside houses and the tiny, blue-and-white St Gobban’s Church, said to be the smallest in Ireland. Visible from Portbradden and accessible via the next junction off the A2 is the spectacular White Park Bay, with its wide, sweeping sandy beach.
A few kilometres further on is Ballintoy (Baile an Tuaighe), another pretty village tumbling down the hillside to a picture-postcard harbour. The restored limekiln on the quayside once made quicklime using stone from