The story of Giant's Causeway

About 40,000 stone columns, fitted together like a giant honeycomb, step down from the cliffs and disappear into the sea. The Giant's Causeway was formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, when lava poured through cracks in the Earth and then cooled and cracked into these columns. Most of them have six sides, though some have between four and eight, and the tallest are about 12 metres high; in places the hardened lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick.

The tops of the columns form natural stepping stones that lead from the foot of the cliff down under the waves. It lies on the north coast of County Antrim, about three miles north-east of Bushmills. In 1986 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, and in a 2005 poll it was voted the fourth-greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.

Much of it is cared for by the National Trust. Step carefully from column to column – the stones can be slippery – and look at the patterns beneath your feet.