Visiting Giant’s Causeway with a Child: Tips to Make Your Experience More Enjoyable
If you’ve ever thought about exploring the mysterious hexagonal columns known as the Giant’s Causeway, I’m here to confirm they are just as amazing and remarkable as you’ve heard. This is your sign: book that plane ticket!
But you may be wondering if your kid(s) will enjoy it. Or, you’re stuck thinking about the logistics of having both a safe and enjoyable trip. And if you are a solo parent, you may be contemplating how you will organize it all, keep your child fed and entertained, and get to experience the beauty of the natural wonder.
I’m going to give you the low down and share the things I got right, as well as things I wish I had done differently. Let’s dig in!
Overview
For starters, Giant’s Causeway is a magical place for all ages. Watching the ocean crash against those perfectly hexagon-shaped basalt columns is an awe-inspiring sight to behold. It is no wonder that over half a million people visit the site each year (and almost a million visitors per year before Covid). If you are visiting Ireland (either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland), the Giant’s Causeway is a must-see destination.
Getting There
Depending on what else you want to do during your vacation to Ireland, you’ll probably fly into Dublin, or perhaps Belfast. Giant’s Causeway isn’t too far from either location, taking about 3 hours to get to from Dublin or just over an hour from Belfast. There are several guided tours from both cities, with several options available for other stops along the way. All of these are, in my opinion, overpriced and rushed. This is especially true if you do a day trip bus tour from Dublin. Unless all you want is a quick look, with just enough time to take a selfie for Instagram, a bus tour is not the way to go. With the bus tour, you have a very limited amount of time at Giant’s Causeway, not nearly enough to take one of the fantastic hiking trails or scout out the famous rock formations, like the Organ or Chimney Stacks. However, if you don’t want to drive there yourself, make your own plans, see any of the surrounding castles or other attractions, and have limited time, then a bus tour may be worth considering.
Renting a car will give you the most flexibility and allow for the most amount of time spent enjoying the marvelous site. Yes, they do drive on the left side of the road in Ireland, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.
From Belfast, you can get to the Giant’s Causeway via public transportation if you are so inclined. Translink connects Belfast to Coleraine and from there you can take a bus directly to Giant’s Causeway. While this option can provide a bit more time at the Causeway than a guided tour, you will need to keep an eye on the time and make sure you catch your departing bus. The walking trails can be exerting and therefore take longer than anticipated, plus the whole site is so beautiful you’ll want to stop every so often to take pictures. This means in order to not get left behind, you may feel somewhat rushed on your way out. Make sure you know what time the last bus leaves and ensure you know how to get back to the bus stop and you should be fine.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of hotels to choose from when planning a trip to the Giant’s Causeway. I suggest staying somewhere in Northern Ireland, as opposed to the Republic of Ireland, if for no other reason than your lodging will be closer to your destination and therefore allow you to spend more time there.
We stayed at Corr’s Corner Hotel, which is outside of Belfast, about 15 minutes from the city center. We considered getting a hotel in Antrim, but Corr’s Corner won with its ample parking, breakfast options, and other amenities. Parking, you’ll find during your visit to Ireland, can be rather limited and some hotels don’t have a car park. If you’ve rented a car, it is important to check on the parking situation. My son and I both enjoyed our stay at Corr’s Corner and highly recommend it.
It only takes about an hour to get from Corr’s Corner Hotel to the Giant’s Causeway. That’s if you are going straight there. However, there are so many amazing places you can visit on your way to Giant’s Causeway. One such place, which is a little off the beaten path, making it all the more special, is Kinbane Castle (which I’ll post a full write up about soon). Kinbane Castle is magical (and free to explore!). It is a place where faerie tales come true. We had the entire area to ourselves and, if you are brave enough, I highly suggest walking all the way to the very edge of the peninsula. The view is absolutely amazing and, dare I say, euphoric.
Another place to consider visiting before you make your way to Giant’s Causeway is Carrick-a-Rede, a rope bridge connecting the mainland to a small island. This little excursion is widely known and can therefore get quite busy, especially during the summer. It is a neat experience, however, and offers some amazing views. But, it gets crazy windy, so be prepared. There is also a fee to cross the bridge, and in the busy tourist season, they actively limit access, so book at least a few days in advance if possible.
There are other castles and sites near the Giant’s Causeway that you can explore. A quick Google Maps search of the area should display numerous options. One attraction that is typically included on day tour trips to the Giant’s Causeway is a visit to the Dark Hedges. This is just a row of trees. There is very little inherently special about it. In my opinion, it only amounts to time wasted that you could have spent somewhere else. There isn’t anything exciting or really all that interesting about the Dark Hedges. And if you are trying to occupy a child… eh, good luck.
And there is good news if you want to stay even closer to the Giant’s Causeway. The Causeway Hotel is right next to the visitor’s center. Staying here means you can walk from any of the trails directly to your room for the night. If you want the maximum amount of time at the Causeway, this is the place to stay. There are also some nearby towns with more hotel options if the Causeway Hotel isn’t to your liking. The Bushmills Inn Hotel, Portcaman House B&B, and The Old Bushmills Barn are all close to the Bushmills Railway train station, which is a neat way to get to the Giant’s Causeway. The town of Portballintrae and Portrush are fairly close as well, with Portrush being a decent size town with plenty of restaurant choices and community parks (great for kids). As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to places to stay when visiting Giant’s Causeway. Your plans before and after your visit to the Causeway will play a large role in determining where you choose to stay.
Tickets, Where to Park, and the Visitor’s Center
Visiting Giant’s Causeway is technically free. There is no cost to walk on any of the trails. However, access to the visitor’s center is ticketed. But what if you want to skip the visitor’s center and just access the car park? The attached parking lot and access to the visitor’s center is all on the same ticket, which can be fairly pricy. You pay per person in your vehicle, which two adults and up to three children is £40.00. Parking here is convenient, but if you aren’t interested in a guided tour or hand-held audio guide, it might not be worth it. There is a gift shop, café, restrooms, and an “exhibition and interpretation area”, which is worth checking out if you are into history and geology.
There is, in my opinion, a much better parking option. You can opt to park at the Causeway Hotel, which charges £10, but they give you a £10 voucher to spend at their hotel restaurant, and you get access to most of the amenities of the visitor’s center. We knew we wanted food, so parking at the Causeway Hotel was essentially free for us. The restaurants can get quite busy, so be prepared to wait a while for your food. For us, arriving around lunchtime and eating before heading to the hiking trails meant we were well fed and ready for the adventure. We still packed a few snack bars and made sure to fill up our reusable water bottles before heading out.
The Grand Causeway and other Rock Formations
Unless you booked a tour that drops you off directly in front of the Grand Causeway, or take the shuttle bus from the visitor’s center, you’ll have to walk down the road a bit to get to the main part of the Giant’s Causeway, called the Grand Causeway. Along your walk, you’ll start to notice small rock formations and malformed columns before you make it to the field of perfect hexagon basalt stones that make up the Grand Causeway. If you are like me and my kid, you’ll be instantly amazed at this natural wonder. The fact that the stones formed that way naturally and are very uniform in shape is very neat.
Because the sea is constantly bashing against this neat rock formation, much of the Grand Causeway is constantly wet. Plan for this. Many of the hexagonal shaped stones have a slight depression which stays full of water. Your shoes will probably end up getting wet. A good pair of waterproof hiking shoes is recommended.
If you are short on time, or just aren’t that into hiking and looking at the rocks, you can call it done after a few photo ops of the Grand Causeway. But to get the most out of this world-famous destination, you’ll want to go on at least one of the trials and find some of the unique rock formations.
The Trails
You can combine two of the trails into a loop, so that you don’t have to walk in and back out the same way. Doing this loop will give you the best views of the entire Giant’s Causeway area, presenting you with spectacular sights. And there is, in my opinion, a right way and wrong way to tackle the loop. The right way has you going down 162 steep stairs. The wrong way has you going up those same steep stairs. And they are steep. If you are highly fit, it might not matter that much which trail you take first. I’m in decent shape, but going up the steep 162 Shepherd’s Steps took a lot out of me, possible because I’d already been hiking the trials for over an hour before reaching them, but I had to stop and catch my breath on the stairs.
The Blue Trail takes you directly to the main portion of the Giant’s Causeway, which is called the Grand Causeway. If you aren’t planning on staying long and don’t want to hike around that much, this is a perfect trail to take. From this trail, you can see amazing views of Portnaboe Bay and Humphrey the camel, before reaching the hexagonal Causeway stones. Continuing on the path will lead you to the Giant’s Boot (also known as Fionn Mac Cumhaill’s Shoe), and you can also make it to the Organ or connect to the Red Trail, or you can simply turn around. If you want to connect to the other trails, this is where you will have to walk up the steep Shepherd’s Steps, which is not fun.
Taking the Red Trail first means taking the trail up the clifftop from the visitor’s center instead of heading down the Blue Trail to the Grand Causeway. Don’t worry though, you’ll make it to the Grand Causeway and will have get a chance to see it from a bird’s eye perspective before reaching it yourself. Taking the Red Trial means you’ll visit the Grand Causeway at the end of your journey instead of towards the beginning. It’s really all about how much you think you’ll huff and puff on those steep Shepherd’s Steps. And also, how much you (and your kids) like hiking and how much of the Giant’s Causeway area you want to see.
Regardless of whether you take the Red Trail first or last, I highly recommend doing it. Seeing the Grand Causeway from the clifftop of Weir Snout is something you don’t want to miss. It is truly a unique and amazing perspective of the Grand Causeway stretching out into the sea.
Continuing past Weir Snout, you’ll come to Aird Snout, which can be quite windy. The entire area can be windy, but some places in particular, such as Aird Snout, the wind seems to enjoy more than others. Watching the wind run through the tall grass fields is almost mesmerizing.
Soon after this point, you’ll come to a set of stairs leading down to the Blue Trail. These are the Shepherd’s Steps. You can continue past these steps, which the trail becomes the Yellow Trail and leads to Hamilton’s Seat and provides some nice views of the Amphitheatre. But that trial doesn’t connect with any other trail, so you’ll have to turn around once you reach the end point.
Descending the Shepherd’s Steps, you’ll connect to the Blue Trail and will be able to reach the Organ and continuing in the same direction you’ve been going, get to the Amphitheatre (also known as Port Reostan). If you continue to the Amphitheatre, you’ll reach an endpoint and have to turn around. In either case, you’re now on the Blue Trail and will be heading in the opposite direction, which is toward the Grand Causeway.
Coming from this direct is a bit more spectacular than coming directly down from the visitor’s center because you are met with the Giant’s Gate. It is a treat to be met with these giant stone columns and have to walk through the gap before reaching the Grand Causeway.
Be Prepared
It rains a lot in Ireland, so keep a rain poncho handy. If you plan on hiking any of the trails, which I highly recommend, a good pair of shoes is a must. Depending on the season of your visit, you might need a coat/jacket or to dress in layers.
Even without any rain, the ocean is constantly crashing against the stones. This makes portions of the Causeway very slippery. Some of the stones have a slight depression which will be full of water. Wearing waterproof shoes while visiting the Giant’s Causeway is a good idea. The trails can also be wet and muddy, so you’ll be glad for waterproof shoes on the trails as well.
If you are going to be doing the longer trails, carrying something to snack on is a good idea, but please don’t litter. There are benches on the Red Trail that make for great stopping points.
Seasonality matters. While plenty of people visit the Giant’s Causeway year-round, the warmer months see a surge in visitors. If you want less crowds, plan to visit during the off-peak season. This has tradeoffs, however, such as a gloomy, rainy atmosphere as opposed to warm sunny days. I happen to like the gloom, so for me visiting in Autumn was the right choice.
Keep in mind that during the winter months, the it gets dark rather early and the visitor’s center closes at 4pm.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have enough information to plan out a fun and memorable experience at the Giant’s Causeway. If your kid is like mine, and most of the other children I saw there during my visit, you won’t have to worry about keeping them engaged or entertained. The entire Giant’s Causeway area is one big natural playground. Let them explore a bit on their own, while keeping them in view of course. This is their chance to experience this magnificent natural wonder up close and personal. Let them climb on the hexagonal stones by themselves and experience the majesty of nature first hand. It is a vacation they won’t soon forget.