Friday 17th March 2017 – Bushmills to Giant’s Causeway (7.4 miles)
We knew that the forecast wasn’t great for today – “a bit rubbish” to quote our regional weatherman – and he wasn’t wrong … wet & windy was the order of the day! The ancient saying is that St Patrick will turn over the warm side of the stone … he definitely didn’t manage it this year!
We started out from Bushmills about 10am and made our way to the Giant’s Causeway. What should have been a straight 2 mile walk to the Causeway turned into a 4 mile “dodge the tide” along Burnfoot Strand and around Runkerry Head battling the headwind. But our alternative route was so much FUN! The sea swell was amazing which made for spectacular waves crashing against the rocks, with lots of spray & foam.
We reached a fairly quiet Giant’s Causeway around midday & decided to rethink our original plan to walk to Dunseverick castle & back … instead we had fun following the National Trust Leprechaun Trail down to the stones … & even though there were no rainbows today, we did find our ‘pot of gold’!
With a spring in our step we tackled the steep climb to ‘the organ’ – displaying fantastic hexagonal basalt columns. Further around the headland we were met with a very bracing wind which definitely blew away any remaining cobwebs! Homeward bound we scaled the 162 Shepherd’s Steps up to the clifftop path before retracing our way back to Bushmills on the Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills electric tram – a wee treat to round off the day.
Despite the weather our spirits were not dampened – an exhilarating walk, lots of unplanned treats … all helping to create some magical memories of St Patrick’s Day 2017!
Walking Through 2017 and Beyond 