Antrim, Northern Ireland, The Giant's Causeway

In the Shadow of Giants

By Claire

View map here.

Why Go?

Whilst the whole of the Antrim coast has huge photographic potential with its rugged coastline and beaches with interesting stacks and arches, the lure for me was The Giant’s Causeway. It is an area full of myths and legends and awe-inspiring geology.

About this Location:

The Giant's Causeway is an area of  basalt columns, formed following volcanic activity. It is located on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles north of the town of Bushmills.  It is truly a natural wonder.

Highlights of my trip:

A magnificent sunset over the Giant’s Causeway one evening coupled with treacherous seas gave me my most memorable evening of photography ever. It was challenging and totally absorbing. The crowds had gone and just my brother and myself remained to battle with the spray and dodge the waves.

Lowlights:

Wild winds are great – the weather keeps flowing past with new vistas every few minutes. The down side to this is a rocky crossing on the ferry; the family sat near us ran out of sick bags. Sea spray was also infuriating at times. Filters were cleaned after every shot. A tip I’ve since learnt from Mel – use kitchen towel to clean them. It works.

When to Go:

The Giant’s Causeway is a major tourist attraction and Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site. As such it can get crowded. I was there during Easter when one would expect visitors but the weather seemed to drive them home early. In the mornings we had the place to ourselves until well past 9am (which is time to head back for breakfast anyway). I’d prefer to go anytime from October to April when the sunsets and rises are at (almost) sensible times.

Access:

Turning up in the dark on my first morning (car park by the visitors centre is pay and display) I was a little alarmed, as I couldn’t see how I gained entry to the track down to the shore. You actually have to walk through the visitors centre but there is open access at all times. During the day there is a bus that takes the tourists down to the causeway but the walk is easy and there are points of interest on the way down.
For facilities visit The National Trust site.

How to Get There:

Travel to and within The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is easy with many regional airports and ferry crossings from England, Wales and Scotland. We chose to sail from Holyhead (Wales) to Dun Laoghaire Port (6 miles south of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland) as this is a short and fast crossing and good value with sensible sailing times. A leisurely 3-hour drive got us to our destination. The roads were a joy; whenever I’ve driven in Ireland it has been stress free.

I’ve flown from Coventry and Bristol to Shannon before on budget flights and this is certainly viable for a fly-drive holiday from the UK but Londonderry  and Belfast International are nearer.

If you use Londonderry  (City of Derry Airport) onward flight connections are available to many European and World destinations via the hub airports at London Stansted and Dublin. Connections may also be available via Glasgow International, Liverpool, Glasgow Prestwick and Nottingham East Midlands.

In my experience car hire is cheaper than I’m used to paying in many parts of Europe. Petrol prices (as in all of UK) can come as a shock to US travellers.

Where to Stay:

By choice I stay in self-catering accommodation. This gives flexibility as an early start is essential and I’m usually back home after the sun has set. On wet days one can pour over a laptop, catch up on sleep and wash the thermals. Some B&Bs will cater for early starts by offering a packed lunch instead of breakfast but I’m always aware my pre-dawn preparations may disturb other guests. Early booking to get the best cottages in prime locations is essential as many are booked years in advance, especially during school holidays. I try and find somewhere with a good view so I can watch the effect the changing weather has on the land around. I’ve always booked accommodation through the Internet. I have only once been disappointed, turning up in Barcelona to find the accommodation had been double booked.

A good place to start would be Irish Country Cottages great deals can be had off season.

I’ve never hired a touring van but plan to do so and suggest this is a great location for this.

Advice for travellers:

Do your research before you go. Get a good guide book and OS maps. Use a sunrise and sunset calculator  with your maps to work out where the sun will be and with experience you can get a fair idea when / if the light will first hit your point of interest.

This site will help you work out times of sunsets and sunrises.

Research weather conditions and expect the worst. Northern Ireland, like all the UK has totally unpredictable weather. I’ve needed full winter gear in August and worn T-shirts in October and February. Waterproofs are always essential no matter how promising the day looks. Footwear has to be a priority on the causeway – you’ll be clambering over slippery rocks and dodging waves.

Equipment for this trip:

I use a Canon 5D. The full frame ability and good resolution make it the ideal landscape tool. My wide angle (17-35mm 2.8L) was rarely off the camera during this trip.

A tripod is an absolute MUST. Neutral Density filters another essential. I like experimenting with slow exposures and will often add a full grad. I use Lee filters and polarizer.  A backpack like the Lowepro mini trekker is another must. I’ve carried this on board planes with up to 10kg of kit.

You’ll need either plenty of memory cards or a way to download. On a good day I’ll use 4gb with a 12mp camera shooting in raw, so I always carry 8gb. I use an Epson downloader that I download onto each evening. I always carry 3 batteries – rarely use one but when it is cold they can drain quicker and you never know when one will fail.
The rain is never far off – my secret weapon is a shower cap that I pop over the camera when on the tripod!

Experimenting with Shutter Speeds

Fast

Slow

Research:

Sites like Irelandscape are invaluable. Some of my photos from this trip can be found here.  Look at what other photographers have achieved and aim not to replicate them but seek out new angles and better light.

When The Light is good:

Stay focused. Don’t waste a minute of early and late (golden hour) light. When tired it can be tempting to pack up and hope the weather will be the same the next day – it won’t. At this location the prime shots will be taken those few hours before sunset, you’ll be working like mad during a good sunset and still hanging on when the sun has set as there can be a startling after glow. Sunrise can be interesting but it takes a while for the sun to hit the land, at this time I look for pools to reflect any colour in the sky such as here:

Once the sun has risen move on.

When the Light is Bad:

Review your shots. Be critical and plan for good light. Take a walk in a potential location. Visit the Old Bushmills Whisky Distillery, Carrick-a-Rede or Dunluce Castle.

Will I Go Again?

To Northern Ireland certainly. I feel lucky to have got the shots I wanted of the causeway but also discovered many more places along this coast that hold potential.

White Rocks. Stretching from Curran Strand to Dunluce Castle are the limestone cliffs that have fabulous caves and arches.

White Park Bay, County Antrim Whitepark Bay. This is a beautiful sweeping bay. At one end lies Portbraddon and at the other end the basalt islands that surround Ballintoy harbour. I had a glorious morning here and would like to return.

Glenariff, the Queen of the Glens, is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the nine Antrim Glens. On the day I visited it was grey but this area in itself would be worth at least a week’s visit.

UK insurance for trips recommended by PTR:

Travel insurance and camera insurance.

Recommended link:  North Antrim.

Recommended reading:

UK buyers click here:  The giant's causeway and the North Antrim coast (Paperback)

USA buyers click here:  The giant's causeway and the North Antrim coast (Paperback)