How many people visit the giants causeway

If you don't plan to spend time in the visitors centre pass through the tunnel at the rear of the parking lot. If you are able, walk down the hill to the famed rock formations. If you have an audio guide there are marked stops along the pathway for you to pause and hear the corresponding information. The Grand Causeway comes in view as you round the corner at the bottom of the hill.

As you approach do take care as some rocks can be slippery. There are also stone fields where some rocks may not be stable. The trail that rises up the cliff and toward the area known as The Ampitheatre isn't terribly difficult, though there are a couple spots that are steep enough to leave you winded. The viewing platform at the end of the trail offers a view back toward the Grand Causeway, across the North Atlantic toward Rathlin Island, and toward the Chimney Stones.

If this walk was enough hiking for you, turn back down the path and approach the Grand Causeway along the same route. Use the bus to return to the visitors centre. For a challenging up-hill hike follow the left fork of the trail and take the Shepherd's Steps to the top of the cliff.

I recommend a moderate level of fitness if you plan to climb these steps. Though there are only of them, they are steep, uneven, and sometimes slippery. When you reach the top of the cliff you can turn east, following the long distance walking route, or head back toward the visitors centre. The hike, from the Grand Causeway to the Ampitheatre, then up the Shepherd's Steps and back to the visitors centre can take minutes depending on your level of fitness.

Take an easy flight of stairs up behind the visitors centre to reach the top of the cliff. Follow the path to the steps and go down. Use caution- they can be slippery and are steep and uneven! You can arrive as the sun is rising or setting, or in the dead of winter. Truly, no matter when you plan your visit there will be others here. My tip: arrive early in the morning, before am, or later in the evening in the summer , after 6pm.

Though you aren't likely to have the causeway to yourself the crowds will be much lighter. If you have your heart set on a specific photo, find your angle, get your camera settings in place, and wait for your shot. It will come sooner or later- just be ready when it does. You see, Finn didn't know how large the Scots giant really was. And when he found out, Finn knew he would be defeated. Luckily his wife Oonagh had a quick mind and outwitted the large, but somewhat dim, Benandonner.

Read the legend of Finn McCool. Though many people visiting the Giant's Causeway drive the entire mile Causeway Coastal Route in one day, I recommend days to really do justice to the area. Would you like an itinerary with a focus on the Causeway Coastal Route?

Check out the Ulster Overview it's free! Spots you shouldn't miss when visiting the Causeway Coast include the Glens of Antrim, Torr Head, Mussenden Temple, and Dunluce Castle — and quite a few other spots you might not have heard of! Learn what most tourist guides don't tell you about visiting the Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge.

Take time for a guided tour of the walled city of Derry Londonderry. Find out what you can really expect when you visit the Dark Hedges. Looking for someplace fabulous to eat as you tour the Causeaway Coast? I highly recommend the Red Door Cafe in Ballintoy. The Giant's Causeway is proving to be Northern Ireland's most popular tourist spot and approaching almost 1 million visitors a year, new figures show. It also showed last year estimated overnight trips to Northern Ireland by external visitors stood at 2.

In there were an estimated 4. This figure includes trips to Northern Ireland of external visitors and domestic trips taken by local residents. The path is generally unobtrusive, and monitored and maintained to keep it in a safe condition. The cliff exposures and causeway stones, key attributes of the property, are protected by ownership in perpetuity by The National Trust. The property has many layers of statutory and non-statutory protection.

The designation of the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB , which covers an area of spectacular coastal scenery stretching over approximately 29 km, gives formal statutory recognition to the quality of the landscape.

The UK Government protects World Heritage properties and their surroundings under the spatial planning system through a hierarchy of regional and local policies and plans. The Crown Estate is considered the legal owner of all lands between high and low water mark and has rights over the sea bed within territorial waters. This management framework ensures delivery of the management requirements for the property and its Outstanding Universal Value, as well as the conservation requirements arising from all the various designations, with the delivery of a world-class experience of the property by its visitors.

Path routes, and possibly even site boundaries, may need to be changed to accommodate the effects of this process. Changes in sea level or an increased frequency of storm events may also, in the future, affect the degree to which the causeway is accessible or visible.

The need to continue to monitor the effects of climate change and erosion is recognised in the Management Plan and associated action plan. Other threats requiring effective protection and management include direct damage to natural features within the property through human impact.

This is addressed through legal control and management by the National Trust. Damage to the setting of the property through human impact resulting from inappropriate development or land use is addressed through legal and spatial planning control measures.

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