As you leave the visitor centre on your trail of discovery, take the coastal path you will start to see some features associated with the legend giant Finn McCool. The first feature is the Camel’s Back which can be seen sitting in Portnaboe (The Cow’s Port). As you come to the end of your decent and at the base of Great Stookan the path takes a sweeping right hand bend and across Port Ganny (Sandy Port) the Causeway formation (The Little Causeway, The Middle Causeway also known as the Honeycomb and the Grand Causeway) unfolds. Looking back to the Great Stookan you will notice an outline of an old lady walking up the steep hill (known locally as Granny’s Rock). In the Middle Causeway you will find the Wishing Chair and it has been told this chair was made for the giant, Finn MacCool when he was a child. Legend says all wishes made by anyone at the Wishing Chair will come true.
On leaving the Grand Causeway, a narrow pathway takes you between tall vertical basalt columns, known as the Giant’s Gate where you enter Port Noffer. As you enjoy the beauty along the coastal path, you will notice the Giants Boot, a basalt rock which has weathered into the shape of a boot. One legend tells how Finn threw the boot off so he could run faster. As you look across Port Noffer you will see the impressive Giant’s Organ which consists of 60 visible columns which are 12 metres high, set into a steep grassy slope. One of the most visible landmarks on the coast is the Chimney Tops. They have been formed by a number of columns which have been separated by erosion from the cliffs. The Shepherd’s path connects near the Organ to the upper cliff walk via the Shepherd’s Steps. At the top of the steps, admire the beauty of the Causeway Coast and take the path in the direction of Dunseverick Castle. The path follows the headlands above the bays including Port Reostan, Port Na Spaniagh, Port Na Callian and towards Benbane Head. In Port Reostan, the almost circular bay and the outstanding section through the vertical colonnade of the Middle Basalts have led to the formation being called the Amphitheatre. Several of the bays on the coast display similar features. Port na Spaniagh, is where the Spanish Armada galleass the ‘Girona’ sank in 1588. At Benbane Head, Hamilton’s Seat (named after Rev. W. Hamilton, the first observer to describe accurately the origin of the basalts in 1786) is the highest point and offers superb views of the Causeway Coast and its geological successions in a series of bays and headlands.
As you leave the visitor centre on your trail of discovery, take the coastal path you will start to see some features associated with the legend giant Finn McCool. The first feature is the Camel’s Back which can be seen sitting in Portnaboe (The Cow’s Port). As you come to the end of your decent and at the base of Great Stookan the path takes a sweeping right hand bend and across Port Ganny (Sandy Port) the Causeway formation (The Little Causeway, The Middle Causeway also known as the Honeycomb and the Grand Causeway) unfolds. Looking back to the Great Stookan you will notice an outline of an old lady walking up the steep hill (known locally as Granny’s Rock). In the Middle Causeway you will find the Wishing Chair and it has been told this chair was made for the giant, Finn MacCool when he was a child. Legend says all wishes made by anyone at the Wishing Chair will come true.
On leaving the Grand Causeway, a narrow pathway takes you between tall vertical basalt columns, known as the Giant’s Gate where you enter Port Noffer. As you enjoy the beauty along the coastal path, you will notice the Giants Boot, a basalt rock which has weathered into the shape of a boot. One legend tells how Finn threw the boot off so he could run faster. As you look across Port Noffer you will see the impressive Giant’s Organ which consists of 60 visible columns which are 12 metres high, set into a steep grassy slope. One of the most visible landmarks on the coast is the Chimney Tops. They have been formed by a number of columns which have been separated by erosion from the cliffs. The Shepherd’s path connects near the Organ to the upper cliff walk via the Shepherd’s Steps. At the top of the steps, admire the beauty of the Causeway Coast and take the path in the direction of Dunseverick Castle. The path follows the headlands above the bays including Port Reostan, Port Na Spaniagh, Port Na Callian and towards Benbane Head. In Port Reostan, the almost circular bay and the outstanding section through the vertical colonnade of the Middle Basalts have led to the formation being called the Amphitheatre. Several of the bays on the coast display similar features. Port na Spaniagh, is where the Spanish Armada galleass the ‘Girona’ sank in 1588. At Benbane Head, Hamilton’s Seat (named after Rev. W. Hamilton, the first observer to describe accurately the origin of the basalts in 1786) is the highest point and offers superb views of the Causeway Coast and its geological successions in a series of bays and headlands.