Day Tripping & The Giants Causeway

Day 5

Part Two: The Giants Causeway and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge

After departing Belfast we traveled through the village of Bushmills (home to the worlds oldest whiskey distillery) on our way to the Giants Causeway.

Along the way we made a quick vista / photo stop to view the ruins of Dunluce Castle. The ruins (like seemingly everything old in Europe) has been a filming venue for the Game of Thrones.

 Dunluce Castle

From there we continued on to the Causeway. 

The Giants Causeway was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1986. Formed million of years ago during a volcanic event, this natural wonder is a field of interlocking 4, 5 and 6 sided columnar basalt formations that extend from hte cliffs into the sea. Lore has it that the columns are the remnants of a "causeway" created by an Irish giant to use to go fight a giant in Scotland.

The Causeway Basalt Pillars 

Descend From the Cliffs

Detail of the Intricate Causeway Formations 

The Causeway Meets the Sea

Truly a one of a kind place on this planet. 

Our tour now proceeded to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This is a special place. Originally a 60' single hand rope bridge that fishermen used to traverse to Carrick-a-Rede Island where up to 82 fishermen installed and maintained their salmon nets until they discontinued fishing here in 2002.

Rope bridges are believed to have been used here for 350 years. When used for fishing the bridge was remived between fishing seasons. The current bridge was installed in 2008. 

On a sunny day (like ours) this was a very picturesque and fun stop. Not sure I'd be as enthralled on a windy and rainy day. In fact the bridge is closed when winds get too gusty.

A Panorama: The Cliffs of Carrick-a-Rede

Wildflowers at the Cliffs

The Bridge From Carrick-a-Rede Island

The Bridge Viewed From the Mainland

The Walk to The Bridge

A very long day we arrived back into Dublin about 8:30 PM.


Roadboy's Travels © 2017