Is it a trick of the light or do I see a dark figure racing towards me along the rocky promontory from the roiling sea to the safety of the enveloping cliffs?

I am perched atop a bridge of glistening gray stones on a rugged coast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland where anything seems possible.

Cloaked in legend, this is the natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Giant’s Causeway. Roughly 40,000 tightly packed basalt columns in hexagonal shapes meander along six kilometers of the coast, jutting out from the cliffs’ base and disappearing under the sea. Where did these mysterious stepping stones come from?

Gaelic mythology attributes them to hero Finn McCool who built the causeway to reach Scottish giant Benandonner and challenge him to a fight. Seeing his enormous foe up close, Finn beat a hasty retreat home with the giant at his heels. Mrs. McCool then saved the day by disguising Finn as a baby in a cradle. Awed by the baby’s size, Benandonner concluded that its father must be a ‘giant among giants’ and fled back to Scotland in fear, destroying the causeway behind him. This legend may have been reinforced by the presence of identical basalt columns directly across the sea on the Scottish isle of Staffa. An amusing animated video in the Visitor’s Centre captures Finn’s colourful adventure.

Geological studies have provided another explanation for the striking rock formations. Some 50 to 60 million years ago, volcanic eruptions caused lava to flow towards the coast in successive waves, cool upon contacting the sea, harden into layers of basalt, and crack into columns. Pressure sculpted these columns into polygonal shapes, varying from 38 to 51 centimetres in diameter, and measuring up to 25 metres in height. Discovered in 1692 by the Bishop of Derry, the Giant’s Causeway gained international fame through the watercolour paintings of Susanna Drury in 1739, and attracted the attention of French geologist, Nicolas Desmarest who in 1763 proposed volcanic action as the cause of its formation.

Reaching the Giant’s Causeway involves a 0.8 kilometre walk along a gently descending paved road, with seasonal bus service also available. Hand-held audio phones enliven the journey by likening weathered outcroppings to Finn McCool’s possessions, such as his giant boot, organ, camel, harp, gate, and the chimney stacks of his house. Breathtaking views, an impressive variety of birds and plants, and the opportunity to literally ‘walk in the footsteps of giants’ make the Causeway well worth a visit!