Tourists Are Stuffing Coins Into the Cracks of the Giant’s Causeway, Damaging the Iconic Site in Northern Ireland
Authorities are urging visitors to stop wedging pocket change between the basalt columns, which are cracking and crumbling as the coins expand
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Small coins are causing giant problems at one of Northern Ireland’s most famous natural sites.
Authorities are urging visitors to stop jamming pocket change between the basalt columns that make up the Giant’s Causeway, a national nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the coast of the North Atlantic Ocean.
As the coins rust, they’re expanding to three times their original thickness. This is putting pressure on the surrounding basalt, which, in some instances, is causing the rocks to crack and crumble.
In addition, as the coins corrode, they’re leaving ugly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides on the rocks. They’re corroding rapidly because of the saltwater at the site.
Officials hired stone conservation specialists to carefully remove the coins at ten test locations. This pilot project was a success, so they hope to expand the work to the rest of the Giant’s Causeway soon.
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Removing all of the coins will cost more than $40,000. But authorities hope that if visitors “see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice, the problem can be solved,” says Cliff Henry, a nature engagement officer with the National Trust, the conservation charity that manages the site, in a statement.
“We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant’s Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,” Henry adds. “We are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.”
Giant’s Causeway consists of 40,000 hexagonal stones that formed roughly 60 million years ago, after piping hot lava flowed out of fissures in the earth. The molten rock cracked as it cooled, forming the interlocking columns.
That’s the geological explanation. But according to legend, the causeway was built by an Irish giant named Finn McCool, who wanted to cross the Irish Sea to square off with a Scottish giant named Benandonner. In another version of the story, McCool built the causeway so he could visit a Scottish maiden he’d fallen in love with.
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Last year, roughly 684,000 individuals visited the Giant’s Causeway. But before the Covid-19 pandemic, the numbers were even higher—close to one million. Some, but not all, of those visitors are unintentionally harming the unique natural landscape.
Most of the coins are from the United Kingdom and other countries that use the euro. But some are from as far away as the United States and Asia, officials said.
“People see others put coins in, so they copycat,” Henry tells BBC News’ Catherine Morrison. “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.”
Similar issues have arisen at other popular tourist sites around the world. In Paris, amorous visitors made a habit of fastening padlocks to the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge, then tossing the key into the Seine River below. But part of the bridge’s railings began to collapse under the weight of the locks, so officials had to remove them in 2015.
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So-called love locks have also caused problems on bridges in Venice and New York City, as well as at the Grand Canyon, where the shiny keys have the potential to harm endangered California condors.
Last month, officials in Bruges, Belgium, urged visitors to stop stealing cobblestones from its streets. They estimate thieves remove between 50 and 70 stones each month, which creates tripping hazards and other safety risks. It’s also expensive and time-consuming to replace the stones and repair any related damage.
“We simply ask for respect,” says Franky Demon, a local politician, to CNN’s Lilit Marcus. “Walking through Bruges means stepping through centuries of history. These cobblestones are not just pieces of stone—they are part of our city’s soul. We urge visitors to enjoy Bruges, but to leave its beauty intact for others.”
