Giant’s Causeway threatened by… tourist behavior

The Giant’s Causeway is one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent natural attractions. Its angular rock columns attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Unfortunately, precisely because of these visitors—and more specifically, their habits—this unique site may permanently change its character. The reason is surprising.

The mythical Giant’s Causeway is a unique site on the map of Northern Ireland

The Giant’s Causeway is a one-of-a-kind rock formation located on the Irish coast (within Northern Ireland). It consists of over 40,000 basalt columns with a characteristic angular shape, reaching up to 12 meters in height. Most of them are hexagonal in cross-section, although not exclusively. The formation was created around 60 million years ago as a result of volcanic eruption.

Numerous legends surround the Causeway. The most popular one claims that the vertical columns are actually a road built by a local giant named Finn. The rocky path was meant to lead to Scotland, where Finn intended to fight the local giant Benandonner. The legend is supposedly confirmed by the fact that a very similar, though smaller, rock formation can indeed be found on the Scottish coast.

The Giant’s Causeway is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland. Last year, it was visited by around 684,000 people.

How a tourist custom changed the face of the Giant’s Causeway

Even though it has withstood tens of millions of years, today the Giant’s Causeway is literally changing before our eyes. More and more gaps and rusty-brown deposits are appearing on the rocks. The cause of this phenomenon turns out to be a tourist practice of wedging coins between the angular rock columns.

Metal coins exposed to constant moisture corrode at an accelerated rate. Rust released from hundreds of thousands of pennies and cents leaves a brown coating on the rocks, disturbing the natural aesthetics of the Giant’s Causeway. Even worse, when coins are forced into crevices—usually with another rock—there is a risk of damaging the original rock structure. This tourist practice poses a serious threat to this unique geological attraction.

How to stop the erosion?

The National Trust, an organization dedicated to protecting the UK’s nature and heritage, has already taken the first steps to halt the harmful trend of inserting coins into the Causeway’s rocks. Dr. Cliff Henry, representing the National Trust, points out the main issue: mindless imitation among tourists—each one wants to add their own coin.

On one hand, it is necessary to remove the coins that have already been embedded in the rocks; on the other, a way must be found to stop this environmentally harmful tradition. The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland reports that 10 percent of all coins present at the site have recently been removed. The National Trust adds that all coins can be removed without disturbing the natural rock structure.

The Giant’s Causeway—an icon of Northern Ireland—is not just a beautiful geological formation but also a place of historical and cultural significance. That is why we urge tourists not to leave coins there.

main photo credit: Enric Moreu/Unsplash