Giant’s Road (Giant’s Path) in Ireland: legends, history, description, photos

Mysterious Northern Ireland is fraught with many wonders. One of them is the amazing Path of the Giants. It seems as if an unknown sculptor worked for thousands of years, erecting a road from stone columns. This unique natural attraction was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and it is impossible to argue with this decision.

Interesting facts about Ireland in our article.

Tens of thousands of skillfully carved basalt columns create a unique landscape. Most of them have six corners, but an attentive traveler can find those with four, five, seven or eight corners. All together, they really resemble a giant road. It goes around the cliffs and goes into the sea, and the differences in the height of the columns from 6 to 12 meters evoke the feeling of a staircase carelessly hewn by giants.

Legend

When looking at the Path of the Giants, it is impossible to believe that its origin can be explained by the most ordinary natural processes, therefore, for romantics and lovers of myths, there is a legend about this place.

In ancient times, these harsh lands were inhabited by giants. The gigantic warrior Finn Mac Kumalo had a difficult temper, and strong rivals did not frighten him. On the contrary, they evoked a desire to measure strength. The one-eyed giant who lived across the sea was just such a rival. The distance did not stop Finn and he decided to build a bridge, but not a simple one, but a stone one. With his sword, the indefatigable giant carved giant columns out of basalt and drove them into the ground.

Further folklore disagrees. Some say that Finn got tired and fell asleep, and the one-eyed warrior himself came to him. Others believe that when they saw a powerful opponent, fear seized the main character, and he fled. But in the final of both options, Finn's wife becomes the savior.

As usual in legends, she defeated the one-eyed warrior not by force, but by cunning and ingenuity. A smart woman swaddled her husband like a child, and met her opponent with open arms and treats – cakes with pans baked in them. She herself sat down to lull her baby and feed him the same delicacy, only without filling. The uninvited guest, without suspecting anything, saw a giant baby that tirelessly chewed iron, asking for more, and realized that it was definitely not worth messing with the father of this child. The frightened opponent ran away headlong. Taking off his legs, he destroyed the bridge, and since then the stone columns have been submerged.

Origin

In fact, the origin of the Path of the Giants has a scientific explanation. This area gained fame only at the end of the 17th century, and tourists began to appear in large numbers here more than a hundred years later. In addition to the unique landscape, visitors like this place for the fact that their movement here is completely unlimited. Despite the fact that the Path of the Giants is a nature reserve, there are no closed areas here.

Curious tourists can find similar formations in other parts of the world, but it is here that their most massive accumulation is located. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Path of the Giants is of interest not only to amateurs, but also to scientists. For several centuries they tried to agree on a common opinion, putting forward various hypotheses. Some believed that the pillars were crystals that had been growing under the waters of ancient oceans for thousands of years. Others believed that the columns were nothing more than a petrified bamboo forest.

Most modern scientists have settled on a different point of view. According to their version, millions of years ago, the eruption of an ancient volcano formed here a vast lava plain, the basis of which was basalt. Gradually hardening, it cracked, forming an amazing pattern. When the magma solidified, the cracks gradually deepened and subsequently formed regular hexagonal columns. This is how scientists explained the origin of the Giant's Path. But, who knows, maybe on an island in the middle of the cold sea, a frightened one-eyed giant is still sitting alone…

sights

The columns of the Path of the Giants form three platforms. The first of them is called the Great Path and originates from the rocky mountains. This platform is a monumental staircase, the steps of which reach a height of six meters. Going down to the sea, the path becomes more gentle and looks like a road for giants. The second platform is the Middle and Small trails.

The columns from this group are located near the main path, but they no longer resemble a path, but separate mounds. Observing precautionary measures, they can be examined by moving from one pillar to another. The third site is the most mysterious and least visited. This is the uninhabited island of Staffa, which is located 130 km from the coast. Its name translates as “Island of Pillars”. Between the columns, the island conceals its main attraction – Fingal's Cave, which is about 80 meters long.

The giants laid the beginning of their path along the cliffs. Later, people appreciated their bizarre shape and gave them original names. There are also musical instruments – Harp and Organ, and stone accessories forgotten by the giants – the Loom, Cannons and even the Giant's Coffin. The unknown giant and his shoe forgot here. This is what one of the cobblestones looks like. Curious visitors figured out that the owner of this shoe was at least 16 meters tall.

Separate pillars of the Giants' Path do not just rise, but look from the sea like chimneys of a harsh northern castle. A curious case in the history of the country is connected with this. The “invincible armada” of the Spaniards, approaching the coast, decided to fire on the territory that posed a threat and attacked. Only the basalt columns suffered the loss, because there was no castle on the shore. The ship of the Spaniards crashed on the rocks, and the army suffered considerable losses in cold waters. The sunken treasures were raised from the bottom and are still kept in one of their museums in Ireland.

The Giant's Trail in Northern Ireland is a unique spectacle. The harsh northern nature captivates with its steadfastness and dispassion. The gigantic road is saturated with the spirit of antiquity. Legends are made about her, tourists from their world do not get tired of admiring her. This place is definitely worth visiting.