What is Giants Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway is a natural reserve located in Northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway is made up of over 40,000 columns of basalt, most of which are hexagonal in shape. It was formed more than 50 million years ago by intense volcanic actions. When lava pushed up through fissures in the earth’s surface. Now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway can be visited all year long.
When visiting the Giant’s Causeway you can walk the trails, wildlife watch, and take photos and videos on the basalt columns. You can also check out nearby attractions like Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and Dark Hedges.
Tour with Finn McCools Tours
My sister and I booked the Giant’s Causeway tour from Dublin with Finn McCools Tours. We booked it online and it was very easy. The tour we booked consisted of visiting the Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dark Hedges and Belfast.
One thing I noticed and respected when I read my confirmation email, is that they seemed serious about being punctual. They stated that the bus will be leaving on time, with or without people and there will be no refunds. I wasn’t sure how accurate this was but I wasn’t willing to test it.
My sister and I arrived to the meet up location about 35 minutes early and we weren’t the only ones. There were about 15 people waiting as well. As the pick up time (6:30am) got closer, more taxis pulled up with people joining the tour. Our bus arrived on time and we were all boarded and departed by the planned time which was 6:45am. So, yes, they were not playing about leaving on time and I loved it.
Dunluce Castle
About 2 hours into the drive, we stopped at a food hall for a 15 minute break. There were restaurants, a convenient store and public restrooms which were clean. Then we headed to Dunluce Castle. When we arrived to Dunluce Castle, we stopped for a few minutes to take pictures. Then we boarded the bus to continue the tour.
Giant’s Causeway
The next stop was the Giant’s Causeway. The tour guide gave us about 2 hours to explore it. There are multiple trails to get to the Giant’s Causeway, my sister and I decided to walk the red trail. The red trail went higher into the mountains and the views from there were amazing. When we finally made it to the Giant’s Causeway, we walked on the basalt columns and took many pictures and videos.
Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
The next stop was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Unfortunately we couldn’t see it because it was raining heavily when we arrived and it was a challenge just getting off of the bus. We also heard from someone who managed to exit the bus that the bridge could barely be seen because of all of the fog.
Dark Hedges
The next stop was the Dark Hedges. The Dark Hedges are a bunch of beech trees that interlock creating a tunnel. It also appeared in Games of Throne Season 2- Episode 1: The North Remembers. The rain at this point slowed down so it didn’t affect this stop much. We walked through the tunnel and took photos and videos. Then headed back to the bus.
Belfast
The final stop was Belfast. We drove through the streets of Belfast while our driver told us some history and his personal stories. We were then dropped off in front of Belfast City Hall and were given about 90 minutes to tour the city at our own pace.
Our driver’s story
Our driver name was Brian and while driving through Belfast, he shared stories about his life growing up there. In Northern Ireland there were problems on a daily basis between the Protestants and the Catholics. It went as far as people getting beat and killed just because of their religion. He’s a Protestant and grew up believing that he shouldn’t have anything to do with the Catholics. But in a shocking twist he ended up falling in love with a Catholic woman. Then they decided to move to London to pursue their relationship. Which now they’ve been together for over 23 years and have children.
Hearing about his life in Belfast made me realize even more why it’s important to be open minded and respectful to others no matter their religion, culture, skin color, etc. We don’t have to like everything about everyone, but respect and knowledge can go a long way. It can also help make the world a more peaceful place.
Check out other posts about Ireland.
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