Latest news with #GiantCauseway
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Giant's Causeway: Tourists asked not to wedge coins into rocks
Have you ever thrown money for good luck or to make a wish?Well, tourists at one landmark in Northern Ireland are being urged to keep their spare change in their to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland have been asked not to wedge coins between the famous National Trust, which looks after the site, says the coins left between the basalt columns expand and rust, damaging the rock. What's happened? The Giant's Causeway is one of Northern Ireland's most famous and important landmarks, with hundreds of thousands of people visiting the site each practice of jamming coins into the rocks started many years ago – but the National Trust believes it has increased significantly in the past say that the coins quickly rust and expand, which causes the rock to flake, and it also leaves reddish-brown coloured streaks.A trial to remove coins safely has been successful, and now it is hoped the money - which comes from all over the world – will be removed across the the tidy-up operation is expected to cost more than £30,000 to remove them Cliff Henry, from the National Trust, said the rocks are affected in many explained: "People see others put coins in, so they copycat, they take a coin out of their pocket and they might take a stone off the ground to hammer the coin in."But they might miss and chip the stone itself so that's doing damage."According to the Trust, signs will be put up around the site, and visitors will be warned not to insert the coins by tour guides. What is the Giant's Causeway? Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim in Northern was formed around 60 million years ago when volcanic eruptions created 40,000 basalt stone the ancient lava cooled, the stones formed into six-sided shaped patterns called hexagons. Legend has it that it was actually an Irish giant called Finn McCool who created the causeway to prove how strong he was to Benandonner, a rival Scottish giant across the Causeway is a Unesco World Heritage Site which means it has cultural, historical and scientific importance.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Giant's Causeway visitors causing damage to ancient landscape by wedging coins into cracks
Visitors are damaging the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim by wedging coins into the cracks of the basalt columns, causing the rocks to stain and crumble. The coins rust and expand to three times their original thickness, corroding and fracturing the world heritage site, authorities said on Wednesday. They appealed to the public to end the tradition that has left coins from all over the world embedded in the world-famous landmark. 'We are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations,' said Cliff Henry, a National Trust nature engagement officer. The causeway's 40,000 near-perfect hexagonal columns drew 648,000 visitors last year, confirming it as one of Northern Ireland's most popular attractions. Legend says the columns were built by the Irish giant Finn McCool as a crossing to confront a Scottish rival, Benandonner. READ MORE But coins from the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere that are wedged into joints and cracks as tokens of visits are harming the basalt rock aesthetically and physically, according to a British Geological Survey report. 'The coins are rusting and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding,' said Mr Henry. 'The coins here also have accelerated corrosion because they are often soaked in saltwater spray and the mixture of metals means they break down faster.' The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, hired stone conservation specialists to remove coins without causing further damage at 10 test locations. The trial was successful and it is hoped all the remaining coins will be removed, costing an estimated £30,000 (€35,700). The Giant's Causeway formed between 50 and 60 million years ago when molten basalt erupted through chalk beds and formed a lake of lava. As this cooled and contracted, cracks propagated across the plateau to form hexagonal stepping stones. Signs are to be erected urging visitors to keep coins in their pockets and not leave a legacy of additional cracks. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive,' said Mr Henry. Authorities in Paris made a similar appeal after a tradition of leaving padlocks on the Pont des Arts was blamed for a partial collapse in 2014. - Guardian
Sky News
28-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Giant's Causeway: Coins left by visitors damaging Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway have been urged to stop wedging coins into the gaps between the famous stones as they are damaging the site. Coins squeezed into the gaps in the basalt columns of the tourist attraction in north Antrim eventually rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble, the National Trust said. Scores of coins left in the cracks are being removed by the trust, an operation it estimates will cost more than £30,000. Dr Cliff Henry, from the National Trust, said visitors "really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape". Made up of more than 40,000 columns, it was designated Northern Ireland's first Unesco World Heritage Site in 1986. Dr Henry said 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". Coins wedged into the joints and cracks in the rock are harming the 173-acre (700,000 square metre) area's basalt both aesthetically and physically, the British Geological Survey found. Dr Henry said it's study showed "coins are rusting, and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble". In addition, there are "unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides [that] are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding". Local conditions, including sea spray and the mixture of metals in the coins, speed up expansion and corrosion. Specialists in stone conservation, sponsored by the National Trust and Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, have started removing as many coins as possible without causing further damage from 10 test locations. They hope to go on to remove all the remaining coins, and have appealed to visitors not to leave any more. Mr Henry said they hope "if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice the problem can be solved". While geologists will say the Giant's Causeway was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up, legend has it that it was formed by an Irish giant named Finn McCool who wanted to cross the Irish Sea to Scotland.
CNN
28-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Heritage body begs tourists to stop jamming coins into Giant's Causeway
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway, the world-famous tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, are being urged not to indulge in the popular ritual of wedging coins in between the site's iconic stones. UK heritage body the National Trust has launched a campaign to end the practice as the coins rapidly corrode and expand, damaging the basalt rock columns at the site in County Antrim, according to a statement published Wednesday. 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' Cliff Henry, National Trust Nature Engagement Officer at the Giant's Causeway, said in the statement. '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.' While legend has it that the interlocking columns were made by an Irish giant named Finn McCool so that he could cross the Irish Sea to fight a Scottish rival named Benandonner, scientists say they were created by a volcanic eruption around 50 million years ago. In 2024, the Giant's Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, received more than 684,000 visitors, with many leaving coins in the gaps between its estimated 40,000 columns. According to a report by the British Geological Survey, the coins are both physically and aesthetically harmful to the columns. 'The report has found that fracturing and disintegration of the basalt rock adjacent to joints and cracks into which coins have been inserted is the result of the 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation,'' Henry said. '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. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' In response, the National Trust employed stone conservation experts to test whether the coins could be removed without causing further damage, which proved successful. However, removing all of the coins will cost more than £30,000 ($40,500), said the National Trust, which is asking visitors not to add to the problem. '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,' said Henry. And while tourists are being asked not to leave anything behind at the Giant's Causeway, visitors to Bruges, Belgium, have been implored not to take a piece of the city home with them. Earlier in May, officials issued a request that tourists stop stealing cobblestones from its UNESCO-recognized medieval streets. Local politician Franky Demon says an estimated 50 to 70 cobblestones disappear every month — even more during peak season — and it costs 200 euros (about $225) per square meter to replace them and fix the damage. 'While some may see this as harmless or quirky, the consequences are serious,' Demon told CNN. 'The removal of cobblestones poses a clear safety risk to both residents and visitors. Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.'
CNN
28-05-2025
- CNN
Heritage body begs tourists to stop jamming coins into Giant's Causeway
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway, the world-famous tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, are being urged not to indulge in the popular ritual of wedging coins in between the site's iconic stones. UK heritage body the National Trust has launched a campaign to end the practice as the coins rapidly corrode and expand, damaging the basalt rock columns at the site in County Antrim, according to a statement published Wednesday. 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' Cliff Henry, National Trust Nature Engagement Officer at the Giant's Causeway, said in the statement. '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.' While legend has it that the interlocking columns were made by an Irish giant named Finn McCool so that he could cross the Irish Sea to fight a Scottish rival named Benandonner, scientists say they were created by a volcanic eruption around 50 million years ago. In 2024, the Giant's Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, received more than 684,000 visitors, with many leaving coins in the gaps between its estimated 40,000 columns. According to a report by the British Geological Survey, the coins are both physically and aesthetically harmful to the columns. 'The report has found that fracturing and disintegration of the basalt rock adjacent to joints and cracks into which coins have been inserted is the result of the 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation,'' Henry said. '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. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' In response, the National Trust employed stone conservation experts to test whether the coins could be removed without causing further damage, which proved successful. However, removing all of the coins will cost more than £30,000 ($40,500), said the National Trust, which is asking visitors not to add to the problem. '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,' said Henry. And while tourists are being asked not to leave anything behind at the Giant's Causeway, visitors to Bruges, Belgium, have been implored not to take a piece of the city home with them. Earlier in May, officials issued a request that tourists stop stealing cobblestones from its UNESCO-recognized medieval streets. Local politician Franky Demon says an estimated 50 to 70 cobblestones disappear every month — even more during peak season — and it costs 200 euros (about $225) per square meter to replace them and fix the damage. 'While some may see this as harmless or quirky, the consequences are serious,' Demon told CNN. 'The removal of cobblestones poses a clear safety risk to both residents and visitors. Missing or loosened stones create tripping hazards, and city workers must frequently be dispatched to carry out repairs.'
