Description
Giants Causeway, Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
For years I’ve visited the ‘Giants Causeway’ to capture photos. I always heard folk talk about a walk along the cliff tops there, but I honestly never thought they would be as stunning as the main causeway attraction below…. but my was I wrong ? On my arrival I couldn’t believe the sheer scale & shapes of these coastal cliffs!
If you look closely you can see that these cliffs were formed from the same volcanic methods as the actual famous Causeway itself. Only these giant hexagonal basalt columns are hundreds of feet height in comparison to those below. Look over on the left edge & you can see the famous ‘chimney stacks’ hexagonal columns.
I loved running about up there like an excited child, trying to compose an angle with some foreground interest to compliment these majestic cliffs in the backdrop. I soon found my scene, on this edge amongst these pink blossoming wildflowers & being able to look down on the twisting shore road you see below. It adds a sense of scale to the elevation of these cliffs, certainly not a spot to stand for those afraid of heights ?.
Created around 50 to 60 million years ago, Ireland was subjected to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive lava plateau. The extensive fracture network produced the distinctive columns seen today at The Giant’s Causeway. We are truly fortunate to have this wonder of the world right here on our coastline.
