Where is the giant's path? The Giant's Causeway, Carrickfergus Castle, Craigmore Viaduct and other beautiful places in Northern Ireland. Facts about the Giant's Causeway

A unique natural monument consisting of more than 40 thousand basalt and andesite columns formed as a result of ancient volcanic activity. Closely pressed together, the hexagonal columns form a kind of cobbled road, descending from the hill on the Causeway Coast and disappearing into the sea.

This natural wonder is located in Northern Ireland. Most of the pillars are from 6 to 12 meters high and are so closely adjacent to each other that even a knife blade cannot be inserted into the crack between them. Volcanic basalt deposits form not only the road, but also the spectacular cliffs throughout the Causeway Coast. Most of these cliffs have their own names. So, here is the Harp Rock, the Giant's Coffin and even the Giant's Loom.

From a distance, from the sea, some of the free-standing pillars could be mistaken for the chimneys of some giant castle. This is exactly what seemed to one of the ships of the “Invincible Armada,” which was lost in these waters after its defeat. The unfortunate Spaniards shelled the deserted coast for a long time, believing that they were besieging a well-fortified fort.

The origin of the Giant's Causeway and its name are explained by a local ancient legend. It says that in ancient times, the hero of the Irish epic, the giant Finn Mac Cumal, decided to fight another terrible one-eyed giant Goll, who lived on the opposite shore of the Irish Sea, that is, in Scotland. In order not to cross the sea by swimming, Finn decided to build a large bridge from basalt rocks. When the work was completed, the tired Mak Kumal returned home and fell fast asleep right on the shore.
While he was sleeping, Goll decided to forestall the attack and himself crossed the constructed bridge across the sea. Finn's wife, seeing the one-eyed man, decided to defeat the enemy not by force, but by cunning. She told Goll that her husband was not at home, and their baby son was sleeping on the shore. To further frighten the uninvited guest, the woman invited him to try pies, each of which had an iron frying pan baked into it. While Goll, breaking his teeth, tried to bite off a piece of the treat, the woman offered exactly the same one to her “baby,” but since it was without an iron filling, Finn easily chewed it without waking up.
Taking another look at the “baby”, chewing iron pies without any problems, and imagining how tall and strong his father must have been, Goll was horrified and preferred to go home without a fight. And so that the huge Finn would not suddenly decide to pursue him, the one-eyed man destroyed the bridge behind him.

Today, the area around the Giant's Causeway is considered a National Nature Reserve, and the road itself is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Despite such a respectable status, access to this natural structure is open to everyone. Tourists and extreme sports enthusiasts are allowed to wander along the trail for as long as they like or climb any rock they like. Getting here is also not so difficult, the nearest town of Bushmills is only three kilometers away and from there a small tourist train runs to the Giant's Causeway.

Ancient + modern = Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four parts of Great Britain, and a rather interesting part of it. It was formed in 1921, and before that there were wars and powerful conflicts over the territory for many years.

On an area of ​​almost 14 square km there are 6 counties at once, the capital of this area is the beautiful city of Belfast. In this country, ancient buildings are originally combined with modern buildings, as well as with unique nature - Ireland is rich in forests, reservoirs, including its own sea, and World Heritage sites.

The population of Ireland is very interesting, here you can meet both native Irish Catholics and British Protestants, there are also Anglo-Irish and Scots-Irish. Accordingly, they speak two languages ​​here - English and Irish.

The climate of this country is moderate, with quite warm winters and not very hot summers. At the same time, there is quite a lot of precipitation throughout the country, and the air is almost always humid. In summer the average temperature is about +15 degrees, and in winter +5. July is the hottest month, when Ireland traditionally receives the most tourists.

A public holiday in Northern Ireland is St. Patrick's Day, the country's patron saint, who banished snakes from the island and brought Christianity. When you come to this holiday, you are surprised by the huge number of people on the streets dressed in the national green color. On this day, everyone walks, attends beer parties and indulges in the world famous dark Guinness beer.

Northern Ireland

When it comes to food, Northern Ireland is famous for its Ulster breakfast - scrambled eggs and sausages, soda scones and potato bread. Also here you can taste amazingly tasty meat and oysters; delicious food here is both in expensive restaurants and in small cafes.

What is also remarkable about Northern Ireland is its numerous legends and myths. Tourists visiting Ireland should definitely visit the Giant's Causeway - this is the main attraction, which is one of the UNESCO sites. The unusual embankment consists of countless columns, the largest reaching up to six meters in height. Locals believe in a legend according to which one hero, in order to fight a monster, specially drove large columns into the bottom of the sea and built a bridge from them. But the giant monster tricked his way into the city over this bridge, and subsequently, being frightened by his cunning deception, he fled back from the city in horror and broke the bridge. As a result, all that remained of it were bizarre columns resembling debris.

What else is worth visiting? The Harland & Wolff Shipyards is where the Titanic, known for its sad fate, was once built. Lovers of a quiet holiday can be advised to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle, and alcohol connoisseurs will enjoy an excursion to the Old Bushmills Distillery. Here you can see with your own eyes how the best whiskey is produced. As Ireland is renowned for its natural beauty, a visit to Rathlin Island offers many different species of birds living in the wild. But extreme sports enthusiasts will appreciate the Carrick Red Rope suspension bridge between two rocks: walking along the 24-meter long bridge, you will see only the endless sea below you.

Northern Ireland is very rich in vibrant places and pleasant experiences. It is quite colorful and constantly attracts tourists from all over the world. By looking here, you can appreciate all the attractiveness and unusualness of this place, as well as experience the true Irish culture.

Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. This unique coastline is the result of volcanic intervention. Thanks to an eruption that occurred many centuries ago, about 40,000 basalt columns were formed here, extending into the sea, like steps for a real giant.

Once here, you will also be interested in climbing up and viewing the picturesque panorama. In this area, it is possible to rent (or come on an already rented) bicycle and ride along a designated route in the surrounding area.

The Giant's Causeway is a true miracle of nature

The Giant's Causeway (Giant's Causeway) is a unique coastal area consisting of several tens of thousands of interconnected basalt columns formed as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption.

Located in the north-east of Northern Ireland, about 3 km north of the Irish whiskey town of Bushmills. The road, and the Causeway Coast on which it lies, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in 1987 by Northern Ireland's Department of the Environment. The tops of the columns form a springboard that begins at the foot of the cliff and disappears under the surface of the sea. Most columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven and eight corners. The highest is about 12 meters.

The Giant's Causeway amazes not only with its size, but also with its mysterious legends of origin. This impressive place rightfully deserves popularity and admiration.

60 million years ago powerful volcanoes shook the island.

About 60 million years ago, powerful volcanoes rocked this area. They raised columns of ash into the sky and threw large amounts of magma onto the surface of the earth. This event left the Irish a legacy of the mysterious Giant's Causeway. According to another legend, the giants themselves actually walked along it.

Once upon a time, a warrior from Irish mythology, Finn Mac Kumalo, was going to compete with a one-eyed giant named Hall. The latter lived overseas. Finn decided to build a bridge to the other side so as not to get his feet wet. With his sword he hewed out and drove into the bottom of the sea a whole row of stone columns. When he was tired, the warrior lay down to rest and fell asleep.

At this time, a formidable opponent himself came to him along this bridge. But they were never able to compete. It turned out that Finn had a very cunning wife. She passed off her sleeping husband as her little son. Pretending that she was waiting for her husband, she began to treat Hall to flatbreads with iron pans baked in them.

When Finn woke up, his wife gave him the same scones, only without the pans. Hall was very scared when he saw how quickly the child was eating the loaves. He imagined what the father of such a child should be like. Hall started to run. And the bridge could not withstand his terrible blows and broke.

Giant's Causeway in Ireland

In ancient times, the good giant Fin Mac Cool lived in Ireland with his wife Una, and across the strait from him, in Scotland, lived the evil giant Benadonna. The Scot constantly hurt and offended the Irishman. One day Fin McCool shouted to Benadonna: “If I could swim, I would swim across the strait in a couple of minutes and give you a hard time, don’t mess around!”

But the Irishman did not know how to swim. Then he decided to build a bridge across the strait. For seven days and seven nights he did not close his eyes, dragged huge stone rods into the sea and built a bridge across the strait.

At the end he was very tired and thought: “Before I fight Benadonna, I should have a good rest” and went to bed. At this time, the Scottish giant saw the bridge and ran across it to Ireland.

He began to knock on the giant's door, but Fin Mac Cool was fast asleep. His wife Una got scared and came up with a trick: she swaddled him like a baby. Opening the door, she said to Benadonna: “Shhh! My baby is sleeping!”

The Scotsman looked at the “baby” and thought: “If Fin McCool’s child is so big, then what is he like?” Frightened, Benadonna ran back to Scotland, breaking the entire bridge behind him.

The Giant's Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Only the very beginning of the Giant's Bridge, consisting of hexagonal basalt columns, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the wonders of nature, has survived to this day.

Carrickfergus Castle.

One of the few examples of medieval fortifications in Northern Ireland that has survived to this day in almost its original form. The castle is the main and only attraction of the city of the same name, located nearby. Today, Carrickfergus Castle is one of the country's largest centers for medieval studies.

The castle appeared in the 12th century, its appearance became a certain stage in the development of the British Isles. The castle was built by Anglo-Norman tribes, hence the very unusual name for the fort and the city that arose years later. According to historians' hypotheses, the founders of the castle were faced with the task of making it as impregnable as possible, which was realized over the years of construction. A castle was built on a steep cliff, which at that time completely excluded capture from the sea, and Belfast Lough became the most defensible bay in the country. All the towers of the castle were built from the strongest basalt and sandstone, mined nearby; the relatively high walls for that time, 20 meters, reached a thickness of up to four meters, which made the castle invulnerable even to cannon fire. A kind of pride of the castle was its unique defense against ground attacks, nicknamed by the enemies “the hole of death.” The hole is a gateway above the main gate of the castle, disguised to match the color of the wall.

At the moment of breaking through the gate or deliberately deceiving the enemy, unsuspecting infantrymen received a stream of boiling tar, oil or a pile of sharp stones on their heads. The path to retreat was cut off by a slamming secret grate. The principle of operation of the “death hole” is shown to all tourists, which causes regular applause. In addition to a guided tour of the castle, you can book a walk around the bay, which allows you to view the walls of the fortress from different angles. Also inside the castle, costume performances on the theme of life in the Middle Ages are often held. Anyone can take part in them, as well as be a spectator. The city of Carrickfergus is currently completely focused on the tourism business; the flow of tourists from all over the world cannot be called colossal, but thanks to inexpensive prices for local infrastructure, there is a certain demand. There are many Russians among the visitors to the city and the castle, which forced local entrepreneurs to create printed products in Russian in souvenir shops - guidebooks, booklets, memorial books about the city and the history of the castle.

Enniskillen Castle is one of the Northern Irish castles that have survived in almost their original appearance. The castle is located in County Fermanagh, on the border with Ireland, and is the main excursion attraction of the region. Despite its rather rich history, Enniskillen Castle does not have an exact date of its foundation - all ancient documents were destroyed during numerous military operations in the county. However, it is officially accepted that the castle was founded at the very beginning of the 15th century by the Scottish Maguire clan.

The construction of the castle ensured the protection of the entire county from attacks by hostile neighbors, and for this purpose, strong walls and high observation towers did an excellent job. In the 16th century, the castle grounds became the epicenter of political intrigue, which resulted in the so-called Nine Years' War, when the confrontation between Elizabeth I and the Spanish crown reached its climax on the territory of Ireland, which was used by Spain as a military base. From that moment on, the strategic importance of the castle increased, and it was rebuilt several times, expanding the arsenal and the number of barracks for military personnel.

Starting from the 17th century, the castle became completely owned by the British Crown, and it began to be used against numerous skirmishes with the French; the stables and barracks built during that period can still be seen today. Now Enniskillen Castle is a huge museum complex dedicated to the centuries-old history of County Fermanagh. Among several dozen exhibition halls you can see exhibitions dedicated to both the military affairs of Ireland, starting from the 15th century, and the private life of people who lived in the castle and its surroundings. In addition to weapons, uniforms and armor, you can see household items, furniture, clothing and much more here.

Dunluce Castle is one of the oldest castles in Great Britain, located five kilometers from the small town of Portrush. Currently, the territory of the castle is ruins that are in a relatively safe state for visitors, which in turn are included in the list of historical monuments specially protected by the state. Founded in the 13th century, this castle served for many centuries as an impregnable border protecting the coast from attacks from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the scarce data that has survived to this day, this castle belonged to several wealthy families, but the last recorded owners are the Scottish clan of McDonald. The castle belonged to this clan until 1690. Shortly before this, very tragic pages in its history began.

In 1639, the owners of the castle hosted a dinner party with guests and musicians; at the height of the fun, the kitchen yard could not withstand the mass of the gathered guests and collapsed straight into the sea; not everyone managed to escape. The remaining part of the kitchen courtyard is now fenced off from visitors for security reasons, but it can be viewed from several points of the castle. Half a century after this tragic incident, the McDonald clan was completely bankrupt, and the castle was taken away as repayment of debts. The majestic medieval building was not restored; they decided to gradually dismantle it in order to obtain high-quality building materials, from which some other buildings in the surrounding area were later created.

The castle was included in the list of historical and architectural monuments of Northern Ireland only at the end of the 19th century; since that time it has become a popular excursion site. Currently, tours of the castle are conducted regardless of the time of year, but you can only get here accompanied by a guide, whose services can be booked in the town of Portrush. A tour minibus will take you to the castle in a matter of minutes, and after the overview lectures, guests can go on a free walk around the surrounding areas.

Craigmore Viaduct

This is an old railway bridge, which is located near the village of Bessbrook, in County Armagh. Locals call their bridge “18 Arches”; it was built back in 1852. As tall as a 14-storey building, the Craymore Viaduct provides an excellent vantage point from which to admire the surrounding area. And its granite arches themselves are very beautiful.

Marble Arch Caverns

These caves were opened to tourists relatively recently - in 1985. There are many caves in Northern Ireland and they usually do not attract much interest from travelers. However, the Marble Arch Caves are a different matter entirely! You can sail under their arches by boat, which is much more interesting than just walking.

Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the UK, one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe. In fact, Northern Ireland owns only 90% of the lake’s area; its southern part is already on Irish territory. Lough Neagh is called the main freshwater area near Belfast, although the city is remote at a fairly decent distance of 30 kilometers. Despite the shallow depth - a maximum of 31 meters - there are a lot of wells for collecting drinking water, which is also used for industrial purposes. As for tourism, trips to the lake are consistently popular among guests from other countries.

It is recommended to choose a clear day for a walk along the shore, since during periods of rain and strong winds, the smooth surface of the lake can become the site of a real storm. Regardless of the choice of vantage point to start the excursion, this place will be distinguished by stunning views of both austere and unique Irish nature. In spring, on the shores of the lake you can see white swans arriving from their wintering grounds. The local legend about the origin of the lake again refers us to the national hero of Ireland - Finn, also known as Fingal.

The legend takes place during a period of regular battles between the Irish and Scottish tribes. Finn, as in most legends, appears here as a powerful hero, capable of controlling nature. According to an old legend, Lough Neagh arose on the spot where Finn took a piece of land to bring it to Scotland. The earth did not reach Scotland, but fell in the place where the famous Isle of Man is now located, which explains its origin. In addition to national legends, Lough Neagh has become famous for much darker stories.

Over decades of study, archaeologists from all over the world have found confirmation that there were several dozen pagan altars around the lake, where the ancient inhabitants of this land worshiped a variety of deities. In addition, it is documented that in the Middle Ages, on the shore of the lake, priests carried out executions of heretics, which could not but affect the reputation of this place. Paranormal enthusiasts from all over the world come here to capture something unusual.

Residents of surrounding towns and villages are not too fond of the lake’s reputation and try not to give rise to stories in dubious magazines.

And again nature shows us one of its phenomenal tricks. On the coast of the northern part of Northern Ireland (forgive the tautology, but that’s exactly what it is) is the Giant’s Causeway. This unique natural phenomenon looks like unusual pillars, the cross-section of which is very similar to a honeycomb.

The pillars (or columns) are pressed so tightly against each other that you can’t even stick a knife between them. The large stones in the walls of the ancient city of Sacsayhuaman were fitted in approximately the same way, with the only difference being that people did it there, but nature did it here.

Giant's Causeway on the map

• Geographic coordinates 55.240684, -6.511417
• The distance from the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast is approximately 80 km
• The distance to the nearest airport is Derry about 50 km

It should be noted that Northern Ireland is an administrative part of Great Britain, and not a separate state.

The Giant's Causeway is located 3 kilometers north of the town of Bushmills.

This attraction has about 40,000 basalt columns interconnected. Most pillars are hexagonal, but there are also four, five, seven and octagonal specimens. Their height reaches 12 meters. The diameter of the pillars is from 30 to 50 cm.

Looking at this unusual natural structure, it’s hard to believe that it appeared by accident. According to the official version of scientists, such extraordinary columns arose after a volcanic eruption in ancient times. 50-60 million years ago active volcanic phenomena occurred here. Flows of molten basalt formed huge lava fields. With rapid cooling, the volume of the substance decreased, and horizontal compression contributed to the appearance of such geometrically regular structures.

There is also a hypothesis according to which the Giant's Causeway was formed as a result of convection of a viscous substance under conditions of cooling of the upper layers.

Local residents, of course, associate the appearance of this structure with an ancient legend.
It says that the hero of Celtic myths, warrior, sage and seer Finn Mac Cumal decided to measure his strength with a huge one-eyed monster named Goll, who lived in Scotland. But by some freak accident or accidental absurdity, the heroic hero... was afraid to get his feet wet. Finn had to drive a whole lot of columns into the bottom of the sea - it turned out to be a kind of bridge to the neighboring island. He was very tired and decided to get some sleep before the battle. While our hero was peacefully dreaming, Goll, without waiting for his opponent, himself came to visit him across the already built bridge. He was met by Uma, Finn's wife. Judging by her name, the lady was not stupid. She cheated a little: pointing to her sleeping husband, she said that he was her child. As you understand, this fellow was not at all like a child in size. Uma seated the giant at the table and began to treat him to flatbreads, in which she had previously baked iron frying pans. She set aside the other flatbreads (without frying pans inside) for her husband. When Goll began to break his teeth eating his treat, the awakened Finn calmly devoured his cakes “on both cheeks.” Realizing that if the baby is like this!!!, then his dad will be completely invincible, Goll runs away in panic and destroys the bridge along the way, cutting off the path for pursuit.

Whether the Giant's Causeway appeared as stated in the myth or as scientists suggest is no longer so important. The main thing is that now we have another unsolved and therefore very attractive natural attraction.

The Giant's Causeway runs more than 270 meters along the coast and about 150 meters along the seabed. All the columns are very hard and dark in color. This is due to the high content of magnesium and iron in their composition. This mixture of substances is practically not subject to the destructive effects of sea waves and wind.

Near the Giant's Causeway there are cliffs with original names. Harp Cliff - its columns are curved and descend to the shore. Organ Rock, whose pillars are straight and very similar to this huge musical instrument.
There are also the cliffs of the Giant's Loom, the Coffin and the Giant's Eyes. You can still see the Giant's Shoe here. This is a huge cobblestone in the shape of a shoe and 2 meters high.

• in 1986, Unesco declared the Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast where it is located a World Heritage Site, and only a year later, the Department of Environment designated the site as a National Nature Reserve
• Despite the fact that the Giant's Causeway has been here for thousands, and possibly millions of years, it became widely known only in the 17th century from the stories of the Bishop of Derry. And only at the beginning of the 19th century the first tourists came here
• access for tourists here is not limited anywhere
• in Scotland, on the island of Staffa there is a unique one, the walls of which (like the coast of the island itself) consist of the same hexagonal basalt columns. Perhaps this is also part of the Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway photo

The Giant's Causeway is about 40 thousand closely spaced basalt pillars on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. Their tops, like pavement cobblestones, lead in ledges from the foot of the coastal cliffs and gradually disappear into the sea. Most of the pillars are somehow incomprehensibly shaped like almost perfect hexagons. They, like pieces of a giant stone puzzle, stretch along the seashore for three kilometers.

For fifteen thousand years now, the Giant's Causeway has been resisting the unbridled storms of the North Atlantic here. For many centuries, the strange regularity of its stone columns forced local shepherds and fishermen to invent legends about it. They came up with their own story of its origin long before this secret was truly revealed by science.

Giant interethnic conflict

According to legend, the pillars extending into the sea are the remains of a road built by the Irish giant Fin McCool. He decided to build it after he was challenged to battle by a giant from Scotland named Benandonner.

To get to his rival who lived overseas, McCool began tearing off huge stones from the coastal cliffs and throwing them into the sea. Thus came the 25-mile road leading to Benandonner's lair, a cave on the Scottish island of Staffa. Now Fin could cross the North Strait along it and teach the insolent a lesson.

However, the construction of the road tired him so much that he decided to rest first - he returned home and went to bed.

The next morning, while Fin McCool was still fast asleep, his giantess wife was awakened by the sound of menacing footsteps. It was the huge and terrible Benandonner who was the first to use the new road and was approaching. When she saw him, she thought: “My husband will never be able to cope with this,” and quickly threw a blanket and a child’s cap over the sleeping man.

-Where is Fin? - Benandonner roared, approaching their house. -Where is this coward hiding?

- Be quiet, you'll wake up our baby! – the wife answered, pointing to her sleeping husband.

Benandonner looked at the “child” and immediately panicked. If Fin's son was so big, then what would his father be like? The Scotsman decided not to find out and hastily retreated to his cave. Along the way, he destroyed the road built by Fin so that he could not catch up with him.

Legendary riddles and scientific answers

It was not without reason that the legendary Fin McCool built his road to the small island of Staffa. Folk legend chose this tiny piece of land because it is composed of the same basalt pillars as Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway. The external similarity of the two places gave rise to a single explanatory myth.

Interestingly, from a scientific point of view, the basalt columns of Staffa and the Giant's Causeway actually have a common origin. It, of course, has nothing to do with the “showdown” of the legendary giants, and is due to the unity of their geological history.

The basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway descend from the foot of the coastal hills and disappear into the sea.

The scientific world first learned about the Giant's Causeway in 1693, when Sir Richard Bulkeley of Trinity College Dublin reported it to the Royal Society of London. The news caused considerable confusion in educated circles of the time. This was the first time that science dealt with basalt pillars, and heated debate began over the reasons for their appearance. Some considered the Giant's Causeway to be the work of man, others - the result of unknown natural processes, and some were even seriously inclined towards the “giant” theory.

The first true idea about the origin of the Road appeared on the pages of the scientific press in 1768 in one of the volumes of illustrations for the epoch-making French “Encyclopedia”. As a commentary on the engraving with its image, the French geologist Nicolas Desmarais (1725 - 1815) suggested a volcanic reason for its appearance. Later studies confirmed that he was right.

The Real Story of the Giant's Causeway

Today we know that the Giant's Causeway arose about 60 million years ago, when the separation of Europe and North America began.

During that period, as a result of the divergence of the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates, gaps began to form in the earth’s crust, through which basaltic lava repeatedly poured onto the surface. As it solidified, it formed the huge Tulean lava plateau, the area of ​​which scientists estimate is at least 1.3 million km 2 .

It was subsequently torn apart and hidden by the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Today its remains are scattered over vast areas from Norway, Scotland and Ireland to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern Greenland. The Giant's Causeway and the basalt pillars of Staffa Island are the most famous results of its formation.

In total, three phases of volcanic activity were noted in the area of ​​the Giant’s Causeway during the emergence of the Tulean Plateau. These are known as the lower, middle, and upper basalts and are separated by two long periods of relative calm when the surface of the erupted and solidified lava was eroded. The erosion of the oldest, lower basalt layer created the conditions for the formation of the Road.

During the first of these "erosive" periods, water flows cut numerous valleys into the lower basalts. Later, when the lava of medium basalts poured out, its huge masses accumulated in these valleys and began to cool there very slowly. It was the low cooling rate that became the key factor in the appearance of the stone pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway going out to sea. Similar basalt pillars are found on the Scottish island of Staffa on the other side of the North Channel.

As scientists have found out, when basalt contracts during slow cooling, it begins to crack. In most cases, cracks form at an angle of 120°, since this releases the greatest amount of excess surface energy at the interfaces. This is how hexagonal horizontal sections of future basalt columns are formed.

As the cracks cool, they move from the surface deeper into the massif. Their length depends on the thickness of the basalt layer: the thicker it is, the longer the pillars are formed. The greatest height of the columns of the Giant's Causeway is 12 meters, and this is far from a record. In exceptional cases, such as in the American state of Wyoming, they can reach a hundred or even more meters in height.

The thickness of the columns is also mainly determined by the cooling rate: the lower it is, the larger the diameter of the columns that appear. The average thickness of the pillars of the Giant's Causeway is 30 cm.

Approximately two million years after the formation of the pillars, new eruptions occurred in the area of ​​the future Giant's Causeway. Their result - a layer of upper basalts - was not massive enough to generate its own stone columns, but it was quite enough to hide the existing ones for a long time.

Hexagon is the most common cross-sectional shape of basalt pillars, since the angle between its adjacent sides is exactly 120°. Columns with a different number of faces are formed less frequently.

Glaciers helped the future Giant's Causeway see the light of day again. During the last glacial maximum, they “scraped off” the later geological layers that covered it and exposed basalt columns. Then, when the glacier began to retreat about 15,000 years ago, sea levels rose and the Giant's Causeway took on its current form.

World Heritage Site

Because the Giant's Causeway is an exemplary example of processes related to the geological evolution of the Earth, and at the same time is also associated with the cultural heritage of Northern Ireland, it is protected by numerous conservation statuses.

The most significant of these is the UNESCO World Heritage Site status awarded to the Giant's Causeway and the adjacent Causeway Coast in November 1986. In addition, the Road, along with the coast, is a state nature reserve, and is also part of one of the so-called “areas of special scientific interest”.

On the way to the Road

Over the past 300 years, the Giant's Causeway has become one of the symbols of Northern Ireland and its most popular tourist attraction. The first tourists began to appear here almost immediately after Sir Bulkley’s “discovery”. In the 19th century, their flow became massive, especially after the construction of a hydroelectric tram line in the 1880s, linking the Road with the resort town of Portrush.

Today, a huge number of tourists click their camera shutters every year on the Giant’s Causeway. In 2014 alone, 788 thousand visitors from all over the world visited here.

Getting to the famous basalt pillars is not difficult. The Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim, 3.2 km from the village of Bushmills. A trip here by private car from Belfast will take 1 hour 25 minutes, from Derry - 1 hour 10 minutes, from Dublin - 3 hours 45 minutes.

Public transport options include taking the train from Belfast or Derry to Coleraine. Further – 17.7 km by bus.

Another close-up of the basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway.

The Causeway Coast is open all year round without any time restrictions. Four convenient walking paths lead to the faceted pillars from the official entrance. A walk along them, as well as along the coast itself, is free. If you wish, you can pay for a triple additional service: a visit to the new tourist center (opened in July 2012), an audio guide in 9 languages ​​(including Russian) and a booklet diagram.

For centuries now, the rugged symmetry of the basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway has never ceased to intrigue and inspire visitors. Walking through it is like traveling back in time. Its steps lead simultaneously to the creative cataclysms of the million-year-old past and to the foggy legends of Irish antiquity. Without a visit here, no trip to Northern Ireland can be considered complete.

River bent into an arc

At first glance at this sharp bend of the Colorado River in northern Arizona, USA, it becomes clear where its name - Horseshoe - comes from. With its almost perfectly symmetrical 270 degrees of turn, this river meander really does look a lot like a horse’s “shoe.” The unusual shape, picturesque cliffs more than 300 meters high and relative accessibility have made the Horseshoe an extremely popular tourist attraction. Today it is one of the most recognizable and frequently photographed natural landmarks in the southwestern United States.

How to bend an entire river into an arc

Geologists believe that the Arizona Horseshoe arose about 5 million years ago, when, as a result of the tectonic uplift of the Colorado Plateau, the ancient Colorado River on the border of the future states of Arizona and Utah was forced to adapt to the new terrain. Following faults in the local sandstone massifs, she gradually carved an entire canyon into them. Today it is known as the Glen, and the Horseshoe is its most intricately curved section.

The color of the rocks and water at Horseshoe changes throughout the day. Some of the best shots are taken at sunset.

In 1963, the canyon was almost completely flooded by the waters of the huge Powell Reservoir. It retained its original appearance only in the southernmost part, about 24 km long (where, in fact, the Horseshoe is located).

By the way, Glen is the northern neighbor of the famous Grand Canyon, which has a very similar geological history.

Easily accessible beauty

Horseshoe is one of those few phenomenally beautiful places that travelers with almost any physical ability can reach. It is located just 6.5 km southwest of the Arizona town of Page, from which Highway 89 leads to the bend. A dirt road turns off from it between mileposts No. 544 and No. 545, and then almost immediately there is a special parking lot and the beginning of a walking trail. A short climb to a small gazebo on the hill, then a gentle descent - and the mighty curve of the Horseshoe opens before your eyes.

In general, a round-trip walk of about a couple of kilometers takes about 45 minutes.

You can go to the Horseshoe all year round; no permits or separate tickets are required to visit it. You will only have to pay for access to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, on whose territory the Horseshoe is located. Access costs $25 per private vehicle and is valid for up to seven days.

It is prohibited to litter, disturb wildlife in any way, or leave marks in the National Recreation Area. You can walk dogs on a short leash (no longer than 1.8 m).

When going to the Horseshoe, it is recommended to take plenty of water with you (at least 1 liter per person), as well as sunglasses and a hat, since there is no shade on the trail except for the gazebo halfway. For those who are interested in photography, a wide-angle lens is a must—without it, the scale of the Horseshoe simply cannot be captured. Of course, you should be careful on the observation deck - there are no railings or fences on it.

The elevation above sea level at the Horseshoe Lookout is 1,285 m. The elevation above the Colorado River is just over 300 m. There are no guardrails, so caution must be exercised. In July 2010, a tourist from Greece fell here and died.

In terms of scenic beauty, the best time to visit the Horseshoe is from about 9:30 a.m. (when the river is cleared of heavy shade) until midday. At noon itself, due to the lack of shadows, the view of the famous bend will be somewhat flat. The evening until sunset inclusive is also a good option, but in this case the sun will shine in your eyes.

There are several other top-notch attractions located in relative proximity to the Horseshoe. Thus, directly north of Page is the impressive wall of the Glen Canyon Dam, 220 meters high, beyond which the Powell Reservoir begins. 45 km west of Horseshoe lies the famous Arizona Wave - a sandstone rock formation of absolutely incredible beauty. And 12 km in the opposite direction (that is, to the east) is the no less famous Antelope Canyon.

And finally, southwest of the bend downstream of the Colorado River begins the Grand Canyon - one of the most unusual and impressive geological features on the globe.

Remarkable fresh

At the top of one of the taiga-covered mountain ranges of the Gremyachinsky region of the Perm Territory there is a powerful rock mass cut with deep cracks. Large and not so large crevasses crossing it crosswise form a bizarre labyrinth, reminiscent of the streets, alleys and squares of some long-abandoned settlement. This is the so-called Stone Town, one of the most popular tourist places in the modern Kama region.

Three names for one place

Today, Stone Town is widely known not only to Perm residents, but also to many guests of the region. Despite the remoteness, a constant flow of travelers comes here all year round. However, this was not always the case: a couple of decades ago, only a few local residents knew about the Stone Town, and even then under completely different names.

Cracks in the rock mass of Stone Town form a network of large and small “streets”.

The fact is that modern tourists called this place Stone Town, but earlier for half a century it was called “Turtles”. This name was given to it in the middle of the 20th century because of the characteristic shape of the two highest rock outcrops by the residents of the neighboring mining villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny, founded in 1953 and 1957, respectively. However, this name was not the original one: the old-timers of the oldest settlement in this area - the village of Usva - have long known these rocky outcrops as the Devil's Settlement.

This name is not uncommon for Ural toponymy. Not far from Yekaterinburg, for example, there is a spectacular mountain of the same name, very popular among tourists and climbers. In addition, objects with a similar name are found in other regions of Russia, since it was customary to call rock massifs and stone ridges of unusual shapes “devil’s fortifications.” It is obvious that people, not knowing the true geological reasons, attributed their construction to evil spirits.

History of appearance

How did the Perm Stone City actually arise?

Scientists have found that 350 - 300 million years ago there was a delta of a large river in this place. Its mighty streams brought with them large masses of sand, which over time turned into powerful sandstone deposits. Later, as a result of the movement of tectonic plates that caused the formation of the Ural Mountains, the territory of the future Stone City was raised high above sea level and began to be weathered.

Quartz sandstone of Stone Town. The brown color is due to the admixture of iron hydroxides.

Over many millions of years, water, wind, temperature changes and chemical processes have deepened and expanded the cracks in the rock that appeared during the tectonic uplift. This led to the emergence of the current “streets” and “alleys”, the width of which can currently reach eight and depth – twelve meters. In other words, from a scientific point of view, the Permian Stone City is a cluster of weathering remnants composed of fine-grained quartz sandstones.

Road to Stone Town

Considering the great popularity of the Stone Town today, it is difficult to believe that it is not even mentioned in the old guidebooks to the Kama region. Nevertheless, this is so - the rush demand for the Gremyachin remains has appeared among Perm travel enthusiasts only in the last fifteen to two decades, and before that, due to poor transport accessibility, they were practically unknown to the mass tourist.

Fortunately, the situation has changed since then, and today you can easily get to Stone Town by car. The general route is as follows: first the road to Usva (188 kilometers from Perm, 383 from Yekaterinburg), then about another two kilometers along the highway towards Kizel. Then turn right to the villages of Shumikhinsky and Yubileiny and five kilometers along the forest dirt road to the parking lot. Further, turning left from the road, about a one and a half kilometer march along a clearly visible path and among the trees the first remnants of the Stone City will begin to be visible.

At the top of the Rudyansky mountain

Since the Stone Town is located not far from the main peak of the Rudyansky Spoy mountain range (526 meters above sea level), the path from the dirt road to the remains goes up a small slope. The ridge begins on the outskirts of the village of Usva and stretches 19 kilometers north to the city of Gubakha. It was named Rudyansky because of the Rudyanka River flowing in its southern part, in the basin of which iron ore was mined at the beginning of the 19th century. In the Perm region, long mountain ranges covered with forests without clearly defined peaks were previously called spoys.

The rock outcrop Turtle is the main symbol of the Perm Stone City.

The stone city (not counting the numerous single stones scattered around it) is divided into two unequal parts. The first rock outcrops that tourists come to belong to the so-called Big City. It is in it that the two largest local remains rise - the Big and Small Turtles, because of which the Devil's Settlement changed its name in the 1950s.

The smaller of these remains, due to its similarity in shape to a sitting bird, is today better known to tourists as the Feathered Guardian. The larger one, accordingly, is now more often called simply Turtle. Between him and the Feathered Guardian there is a vast and almost horizontal area - the so-called Square. Tourists get to it along Prospect, the widest (up to four meters) and longest crack in the Stone City. The almost vertical walls of Prospect reach eight meters in height in some places.

The feathered guardian, like the Turtle visible behind him, often becomes the object of annual rock-climbing competitions held in Stone Town between rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, mountain tourists and speleologists of the Perm Territory.

To the right and left of the Prospect there are narrow cracked streets. One of them (the one that goes around the Turtle) has the highest – up to 12 meters – walls in the city. Along the other two you can rise above the rock mass and from there you can see both the Stone Guardian and the Turtle in all their glory.

About 150 meters north of the Big City is the Small Town. Despite its much smaller area compared to its neighbor, it is also very interesting and picturesque. Its main “street”, for example, is even more spectacular than the Avenue described above. In addition, there is a curious stone ridge with a through hole in the base. The only problem is that there is no clear path to the Small Town and it is not always easy to find.

You can come to Stone Town at any time of the year, but it is especially beautiful here on sunny autumn days. At this time, you can wander endlessly through its streets immersed in bright colors. That is why at the end of August and at the beginning of autumn there is the largest influx of visitors in the Stone Town.

However, many tourists come here in winter, when both the outcrops themselves and the trees growing right on them are effectively covered with snow-white caps of snowdrifts. Therefore, when going to Stone Town in the winter months, you should not be afraid that the local trails will be impassable due to deep snow. They will certainly be well trodden by groups of previous visitors.

The stone city is located immediately west of the main peak of the Rudyansky ridge. From here you can enjoy unforgettable views of the endless ocean of the Ural taiga.

Before visiting the Stone Town, you need to stock up on water, since there are no large water sources. Also, since since 2008 this landscape natural monument of regional significance has received the status of a specially protected natural area, certain rules of behavior must be followed.

Firstly, you can make fires in Stone Town only in specially equipped places, using only dead wood and dead wood (cutting down living trees and shrubs is prohibited). Secondly, you cannot litter and leave unextinguished fires behind. Thirdly, it is prohibited to disturb animals and make inscriptions on rocks, stones and trees. Violation of these rules threatens with a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles.

Stone Town is not the only natural attraction in the vicinity of the village of Usva. Not far from it there is, for example, such a “flagship” of the tourism industry of the Perm region as the Usvinsky Pillars - a huge and extremely photogenic stone ridge with the picturesque remnant of the Devil’s Finger. Rafting on the Usva River is also very popular among Perm residents.

In general, weathering remnants like the Stone City, associated with the selective destruction of mountain ranges, are one of the most spectacular geomorphological objects of the Kama region. There are especially many of them on the flat peaks of the Northern Urals, such as the Chuvalsky Kamen, Kuryksar, Listvennichny ridges and on the Kvarkush plateau.

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 Causeway). The road, and the Causeway Coast on which it lies, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site 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 a 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 abused 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: