First Translink Trip: Giant’s Causeway

On Friday, May 29th, after making the 30-minute trek from Corrymeela to downtown Ballycastle, we made our first voyage using Northern Ireland’s location public transportation system TransLink.

 

 

After Jessica purchased 17 tickets we took our seats on the bus and settled in for a 20 minute bus ride. We were Giant’s Causeway-bound!

When we got to our stop, we got off the bus and were greeted by the familiar sights of sheep, rolling hills and the sea. While beautiful I thought to myself, “Where are all the cool rocks?”

Not to worry, though: Kyle and Jessica assured us we would find the Causeway at the bottom of the cliff. Before hiking down, we ate sack lunches graciously made for us by Corrymeela staff. After lunch, the group split off and tackled the hike to the Causeway from different directions.

Here’s what Norah and Teo had to say about their time at the Causeway.

–Lucca Kauffman

 

My group decided that we wanted to hike the hardest part first before looping back around to see the Causeway.

 

We saw impressive views from cliff faces down to the coast below, meadows with sheep, the vast ocean to our left, and the countryside with mighty Irish mountains to our right.

The sea breeze came at us with ferocity. At times, it felt like the wind smashed into the cliffs, redirecting the gusts up to our faces and bringing with it salt from the sea spray, coating our faces. Along the path, tufts of wool from the sheep in their pastures caught on the grass and fences.

We followed the narrow path to the ocean down to worn stone steps. There was only one handrail, so as we passed people going up, we made frequent pit stops to let them pass.

When we reached the bottom and looked up at the cliffs, now high above us, the weight of the land began to settle in. This place had history. The ocean-weathered rocks on the shore and wind-battered cliffsides seemed to be showing us how long their lives spanned and how resilient they were. It was magical to walk through a place so rich with folklore and history.

Finally, we reached the pier with hexagonal rock formations.

Columns and columns of flat, evenly shaped rock were stacked together, forming large pillars that reached into the sky, almost as if a great hand had meticulously placed them there.

As my group walked around the pier, I took the time to recall the Irish myth I had heard from a guest at Corrymeela the day before. Sean told us at supper time of the legend of Giant’s Causeway with Finn McCool, the Salmon of Knowledge, and the Scottish giant Benandonner. I could easily see how stories and myths could be made by people who came across this archaeological site.

These basalt rocks, which were formed from cataclysmic volcanic fissure eruptions, interlocked with each other perfectly and led out into the sea. Each one also had a saltwater stain in the center where the water had pooled during the receding of high tide. This impression made me think about how each rock had its own fingerprint.

–Norah George-Miller

 

It’s kind of tricky to figure out how to talk about the Giants Causeway. This might be because it’s neither giant nor a causeway.

The ancient lava flow that forms the natural landmark that mythically served as Finn MacCool’s bridge to Scotland looked rather unimpressive as several other students and I walked down from the visitors’ center. The path we took led us down a gentle descent, then along the base of some truly massive cliffs. These cliffs towered above us, covered in strikingly green grass and dotted with boulders that I joked had probably stood there for years, “so what are the odds they roll down now?”

Then around the bend and into view came the Causeway. From the distance it looked no different than the other rocks that jutted out into the sea. That changed as we got closer.

The Giant’s Causeway might not span the North Channel, but it well deserves its name. The rocks are cracked into near perfect hexagons, looking like paving stones fitted snugly together (sort of like a Catan board if you’re a nerd, like me).

 

Many of the stones had divots worn into their centers, and I spent some time thinking about how many others over the centuries had stood there. People have been telling stories about this place for an incredibly long time, and it was interesting to imagine what it would have been like a thousand years ago.

On the way back, our group chose, perhaps foolishly, to take a path with a series of steps that led directly up the cliff face. By the end of the climb, my legs felt like they would have been perfectly content to fall off and remain behind at the Causeway.

 

–Teo Kingsley

After a couple hours we met up and reunited at the bus stop and exchanged tales. Some of us started writing poems as part of an assignment focusing on sensory details, some of us chose the most strenuous hike, and some of us decided to take it easy at the visitor center. We were all grateful for a chance to sit down on the bus before the 40-minute walk back to Corrymeela from the bus stop.

We ended our day with a laundry run and a quick but silly game of reverse charades.

–Lucca Kauffman