With the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre now open people are being encouraged to travel to the new world class visitor experience by bus to avail of discounted entry.The National Trust is offering Translink passengers a new discounted Green Travel admission ticket at the Causeway Visitor Centre. Passengers are asked to present a valid bus ticket to save £1.50 on the cost of the standard adult admission; £1.00 on a child admission and £3 on a family admission ticket.*

Commenting Arthur Hamilton, Translink Area Manager said:

“The new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre is a major tourist attraction and we want to encourage as many people as possible to travel via public transport to the World Heritage site and take advantage of this discounted admission price.  Translink has Express Bus Services travelling to the Causeway direct from Belfast (Goldline Express 221) and a Sunday service direct from Londonderry (Ulsterbus Express 243). 

“We also have a number of great value summer offers to help people get to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre for less and these compare favourably with private tour operators.  For instance our Friends and Family ticket provides unlimited day travel by bus and rail for two adults and up to four children for £20.  Our Bus Rambler tickets provide unlimited ‘hop on hop off’ travel on Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro day travel after 9.15am, including the Causeway Rambler Service 402 which serves the local vicinity all for just £9 (adult).  This offer also applies on further bus routes along the North Coast such as the Antrim Coaster (Service 252), the Coleraine-Ballycastle 172 Service or the North Coast Open Topper (Service 177) so guests can enjoy the scenery and attractions along the coast like Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Bushmills Distillery or Dunluce Castle during their visit to this beautiful area.”

Alexandra Mehaffy, National Trust Tourism Manager Giant's Causeway, commented:

“The National Trust is delighted to have opened the new Visitor Experience at the Giant's Causeway to the public on 3rd July.  The Visitor Experience admission includes access to the new state of the art visitor centre and all its facilities, car parking, orientation leaflets and the latest in hand held multi-lingual audio guide technology.  The Visitor Experience will be accessible from 9am - 9pm.  In partnership with Translink we encourage visitors to consider the 'Go Green' option which not only will help to cut down their carbon footprint but offer savings on the Visitor Experience admission. The Visitor Experience admission will also help the National Trust to continue with its maintenance and conservation work at the Giant's Causeway and the North Coast site."

For details on the Green Travel admission ticket see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giantscauseway, and for details of Translink’s North Coast services visit www.translink.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors

* Normal Admission prices: Adult £8.50, Child £4.25, Family £21 (2 Adults + 3 Children (under 17).  Under 5s and National Trust members free

Full details of Translink’s ‘Get up and Go’ summer offers are listed below:- Bus Rambler Ticket – unlimited ‘hop on hop off’ Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro day travel after 9.15am. Adult - £9 - NI Railways 1/3 off day return tickets after 9.30am- Friends and Family ticket - provides unlimited family travel by bus and rail for two adults and up to four children - £20- iLink – Smartcard for unlimited bus and rail travel for one day, one week or one month- Metro Family Day Ticket – two adults and up to four children travel anywhere, anytime on the Metro network- £9- Belfast Visitor Pass - smartcard providing unlimited bus and rail travel for 1, 2 or 3 consecutive days within the Belfast Visitor Pass Zone.  The card entitles users to avail of a range of offers and discounts- Goldline - 1/3 off day return tickets after 9.30am on selected routes – 215, 218, 219, 238, 238a, 250, 251 & 256

The project:The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience cost £18.5million. Of this funding package, the National Trust provided £6.25m, the Department of Enterprise Trade & Investment, through the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, awarded £9.25 million of which £6.125 million has been provided by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland with the Heritage Lottery Fund allocating £3million.

Admission:Ticket prices are £8.50 (adults), £4.25 (child), £21.00 (family) with discounts available for green travel and pre purchasing online. Group visits (15 people plus) can pre book now by contacting 028 2073 3419.  National Trust members will enjoy free entry.  Ticket admission includes: access to the visitor centre, hand held pocket audio guide, orientation leaflets and car parking.

Background to the National Trust:The National Trust is a conservation charity which looks after special places throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  We look after some of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful and special places – for ever, for everyone. The places in our care range from Northern Ireland’s highest mountain, Slieve Donard, to our only World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway; from amazing gardens like Mount Stewart and Rowallane to mansions such as Castle Coole, The Argory and Florence Court and rare working mills like Patterson’s Spade Mill and Wellbrook Beetling Mill.In all, we protect and provide access to: Over 120 miles of coastline (about one third of Northern Ireland’s coastline); 40 square miles of countryside; More than 200 listed buildings; 4,000 hectares of farmed land; Over 1,500 archaeological sites.We are actively supported by over 56,000 members and over 2,000 volunteers in Northern Ireland.  Well over a million visitors enjoy our sites every year. We encourage everyone to enjoy and care for our nature and heritage. In doing so, we also advocate the protection of the environment across all of Northern Ireland, not just at our own sites.