I am writing this blog from the dining room of my bed and breakfast, looking out again at the fields and the sea. I have been so impressed with my accommodations in Ireland, including here at Craig Cottage where it has been very nice to spend three days in one place. This is my lovely room (with a view of the sea).
And this is the lounge and dining area, where I work at the table facing the window.
And this is the tea tray in my room, the table set for breakfast, and my Ulster fry. Yum! Rosemary, my hostess, is so warm and welcoming, and takes great pride in every detail. I greatly appreciate all of the wonderful places I have stayed on this trip!
After that big “Ulster fry” breakfast, I headed out for a 9 km walk from my accommodation to the Giant’s Causeway along the Causeway Coast Way.
I started down a nearby lane, across a grassy field (getting wet feet, grrr), over a fence, and then I was on the coastal path, down at tiny Dunseverick Harbour.
I interrupted the morning feeding of a calf – I was quiet, but he was curious – and then I started to climb steadily uphill, heading for the highest point on the Causeway Coast Way, Benbane Head, 100 m above sea level.
It was a beautiful, warm, sunny morning and the trail continued for some distance along the clifftop.
With great views looking back from where I’d come.
As well as nice views on a smaller scale.
Soon, the cliffs started showing signs of the characteristic rock formations of the Giant’s Causeway, long hexagonal-shaped columns of basalt.
Then I reached the trails of the Giant’s Causeway, a Unesco World Heritage Site. There are over 40,000 columns of basalt created some 60 million years ago as a result of volcanic activity. I walked down the signposted trail to a closeup view of some columns.
Then, I headed towards the “causeway” which heads out into the sea. By this time, about noon, there were already alot of people here, so I was lucky to get a shot of this wall with no-one posing in front of it.
And, surprisingly, I found a quiet corner along the west side to have my lunch, and to take a few photos of the rocks, some gray and some black. The black rock was warm on my back as enjoyed my lunch and the view across the water of the cliffs I had walked across.
Then, I braved the most popular, and most populous part of the causeway, but this shot, as the causeway reaches out to the sea, is without people as there is a boundary you cannot cross.
Here are some photos of the Giant’s Causeway.
As I walked away from the site, there was a steady stream of people walking towards the causeway. Here are a few views, looking back, as I left the busy scene.
One day, I will revisit the causeway, out of the busy season, to get the photos I wanted. But, I can’t begrudge the visitors their sunny, summer holiday outing, with children happily climbing over the rocks and couples taking pictures of each other.
I took the bus into the nearest town for an inexpensive, light meal, then headed back to Craig Cottage to read and rest and then write at my favourite spot, here by the window. Throughout the evening, I watched the light on the sea and in the clouds and on the golden grass in the field change in a multitude of ways. As the sun slowly lowered in the west, over Benbane Head, there was such a beautiful sunset. When I got up for a closer look, I saw several of the nearby cows watching the sunset! Silhouetted, watching the sunset. It was a rather remarkable sight, and a wonderful way to end my day on the Causeway coast.
