Foreigners told to stop jamming coins in Giant's Causeway

Yahoo

7 days ago

The National Trust has told tourists to stop jamming coins into the Giant's Causeway over damage to the columns.
Visitors have long wedged coins into the cracks of the basalt rock formations at Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site in north Antrim.
The coins, which range from pounds and euros to American dollars and currency from the Far East, go on to rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble.
Dr Cliff Henry, National Trust nature engagement officer at the Giant's Causeway, has urged visitors to leave no trace at the site.
'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' he said.
'We know some may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.'
Dr Henry, citing a report by the British Geological Survey, said coins had been fracturing the basalt rock through 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation'.
'In other words, the coins are rusting and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble,' he said.
'Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.'
Dr Henry said the salt water caused the coins to corrode faster, separating the coin's steel core from its outer layer.
Since 1992, UK 'copper' coins have a steel core with a thin layer of copper on the outside, while five, 10 and 20 pence pieces are nickel-plated steel.
The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, employed specialists in stone conservation to remove as many of the coins as they could without causing further damage on ten test locations.
The organisation, which looks after more than 40,000 columns at the site, said the removal of the coins was expected to cost over £30,000.
The trust hopes to remove all the remaining coins and has appealed to visitors not to leave any more.
Visitors have crammed coins into the cracks over many years, likely out of superstition for health or luck, to make a wish akin to tossing a coin into a fountain, or to leave a memento similar to the sentiment of leaving a padlock on a bridge.
In Paris, local authorities have outlawed attaching padlocks to the Pont des Arts bridge after part of the bridge collapsed in 2014.
The National Trust said the ritual had become more common over the past decade.
'It is hoped that if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice, the problem can be solved,' Mr Henry said..
'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We are appealing to visitors to help us protect the World Heritage Site by stopping the practice of inserting coins into the Causeway stones.'
Although folklore suggests the Causeway was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool to cross the North Channel to Scotland, geologists believe the hexagonal columns were created by an outpouring of lava 60 million years ago while Europe was tearing away from North America.
Last year, the Giant's Causeway had about 684,000 visits.
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