Giants Causeway

I’ve never been to Staffa but the photos make it appear amazing. The Giant Causeway allows for an immersive experience. It along with the Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge (about 7 1/2 miles east) is definitely worthwhile.

I guess I wonder what the painful experience is that you are expecting? I do note that they suggest pre-booking tickets to reduce times in line and only allow those with pre-booked tickets to park in the car park.

My sister and I also wanted to see the Giant's Causeway after seeing the other end at Staffa. We visited in a little different manner in that we were staying nearby in Port Ballintrae and simply walked to the Giant's Causeway. We had a lovely walk along the shore and the cliffs and arrived right at the visitor's center by foot. We chose not to go into the visitor's center so no ticket was necessary. (The restrooms are available outside) We simply kept walking down the hill to the Causeway. I enjoyed seeing it and watching other people see it. We spent the small amount to have the bus take us back up the hill and walked back on the trail that goes to Bushmills. This was also a pleasant walk although busier than the cliff path.

I suppose it all has to do with expectations. What are you hoping to do when you are there and how flexible are your plans?
Is it necessary to arrive by car or could you park in Bushmills or Port Ballintrae and walk to the Causeway? Is the Visitor Center experience key to your time there or could you bypass it? If you can bypass parking and the visitor's center, I think you will also bypass some of the elements that make the experience crowded or slow.

We enjoyed the walk at least as much as we enjoyed seeing the causeway. The scenery was spectacular and we passed maybe just 5 people on the headlands trail. There were hidden coves and a sweet memorial to a plane that crashed during WWII. We were glad we went, but the causeway itself wasn't a "wow" experience for us. Now part of that is probably because I lived for many years in a part of Idaho where the canyons were formed from columnar basalt, so seeing that type of formation really wasn't as exciting to me as it might be to another person. I did like knowing that I had seen both ends of the Causeway and as a "people watcher" I enjoyed seeing others get excited about the location.

Most of the negative comments I've seen (TripAdvisor & others) had to do with the website not working well enough to book visits, confusion within the staff, etc. Some people like to complain.

We generally avoid the really "developed" places. In four trips, we've never been to Blarney Castle (although the gardens might be a nice walk), Waterford Glass, Guinness Warehouse. Newgrange was one we opted for, although we had been there in the 90's and I don't think there were buses yet. We liked Carrowkeel far better - walk in solitude and explore alone. Skellig Michael is another one we did last trip, because it was puffin/shearwater/gannet breeding season, not to take a picture next to Luke Skywalker. I don't think I'd recommend it outside of Springtime.

Carrick-a-rede will probably fall off our list since we don't visit Ireland for thrills. My wife gets all the thrills she needs with my driving. I'm sure the view is wonderful, but there's no shortage of those.

We tourists are our own worst enemies.

We are also researching the Giant's Causeway to visit and want to include crossing the Carrick-a-Rede bridge. I understand from emails with the National Trust that they are NOT accepting tourists arriving on tour buses to cross the bridge. I had been hoping we would just take a tour from Belfast. SO, we are going to rent a car in Belfast to drive out and will purchase a ticket to cross the bridge in advance. Would also appreciate from others their experience regarding driving, parking and how to best prepare for the experience. Also, are there better times in the day to cross the bridge? I have not read about "painful experiences" but am thinking you mean crowds?

The bridge is quite a walk from the entrance. I took a photo with my zoom lens and had to zoom in on the photo to see the bridge! The scenery there is beautiful.

Most recent email with National Trust, there is a parking lot at the bridge which is included in your purchase of a reserved-time ticket. They said that the road is a good one (I hope that means I can drive it!)