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.”
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