It had to be done. The Giant’s Causeway. Arguably Northern Ireland’s most famous tourist attraction. I’m not so sure how I feel about it. Spectacular enough. Geologically superb and steeped in folklore. But the £18.5m visitor centre (of which just over £6m came from the EU); World Heritage Site award; shuttle buses for the 1km walk; audio guides I’m uneasy with. All are I guess are necessary to justify the £9 entry fee but the combined effect is to attract more and more visitors which means increased management problems. I suppose really I just resent being shepherded and coralled and restricted to “walking trails”. It’s not for me.
It has been the wettest day so far. Not raining but what the Scots call a smirr. Somewhere between misty and drizzling. We arrived at the visitor centre just after opening in time for a coffee in an empty cafe followed by a relatively quiet walk round. Two hours later when we left it was heaving with the car park full and coaches queuing to get in.
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