Giant’s Causeway
Returning to the coast, we arrive at the Giant’s Causeway where myth and geology converge in one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic landscapes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its hexagonal basalt columns were shaped by volcanic activity 60 million years ago. But it is the legend of Finn McCool that truly brings the Causeway to life. According to Irish folklore, Finn McCool, a giant of extraordinary strength and wit, laid the basalt columns across the sea so he could confront his rival, Benandonner. Upon seeing the sheer size of Benandonner, Finn realised he had underestimated his opponent. In a moment of quick thinking, Finn’s wife, Oonagh, disguised him as a baby and tucked him into a cradle. When Benandonner crossed the causeway and saw the enormous ‘child’, he panicked, imagining the size of the baby’s father. Fleeing in terror, Benandonner destroyed the bridge behind him, leaving only the remnants we see today on the coasts of Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Thackery wrote in 1842, ‘It looks like the beginning of the world, somehow: the sea looks older than in other places, the hills and rocks strange, and formed differently from other rocks and hills — as those vast dubious monsters were formed who possessed the earth before man.’ 1
Stories transform landscapes into living narratives, where the land itself seems to echo the steps of giants. The Causeway’s precise, almost otherworldly formations feel less accidental and more deliberate when viewed through the lens of myth. Just as Finn McCool’s ambition shaped the narrative, the natural forces of volcanic activity shaped the landscape. It is not just a view of extraordinary geology but an entry point into a shared cultural heritage, a place where myth and science coexist.
1 William M Thackeray, The Irish Sketchbook of 1842 and Character Sketches. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co, 1889. p325
©National Trust Images/ John Millar
Bendhu
From this monumental landscape of natural geometry and myth, we continue along the rugged coast to Ballintoy. Bendhu, perched on the cliffs near Ballintoy, is a striking example of architecture deeply tied to the North Coast’s character. Designed and built over a period of twenty years, starting in 1936 by artist and architect Newton Penprase, the house reflects a blend of Arts and Crafts influences with vernacular traditions, using local stone and unconventional forms to create a structure that feels at once rooted in the landscape and entirely unique. Bendhu, an Irish word meaning dark headland, sits where the wild Atlantic and rolling cliffs provide both inspiration and context. Penprase used materials washed up on the shore and other found or recycled elements, imbuing the structure with a resourceful ingenuity.
In its earlier days, Bendhu had an even more eccentric appearance, with experimental features that added whimsy to its bold design. Today, its interplay of architecture, artistry and place, its irregular forms and handcrafted details captivate through its sheer eccentricity.
Lesley McIntyre
51 on site review 46 :: travel
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