Hexagonal Blocks at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

You DO not have to stick to either square, rectangular or hexagonal paving stones—you can mix them for a more creative finish. You can mix hexagonal blocks with square or rectangular slabs of different color. With hexagonal blocks, leave some empty units from the overall area to be covered, so allowing you to make any shape you want. To create an attractive feature within the patio, omit a number of blocks from an area of paving and fill the gap with decorative aggregates. Many types and colors of small-scale stones are available, often pre-bagged.

If you lay rectangular or hexagonal blocks, you will need half-sizes for the perimeter. Some manufacturers produce half-size blocks, but you may have to cut others to fit, using a heavy hammer and bolster chisel. Measure the offcut, and score the line with the chisel using a straight-edged length of wood as a guide. Then, resting the block on the length of wood, chop sharply with the hammer and chisel to break along the line. Lay all the whole blocks first, then cut and fit the ones for the edges.

The whole circuit is gorgeous, but the Giant's Causeway is such a very special wonder of nature that I shall describe only that. The basalt blocks that make the pavement for the giant's tread were formed by a prehistoric outflow of lava, which cooled into snugly fitting black hexagonal columns. Each column, so perfectly fitted to its neighbors on every side that no drop of water can seep down between them, is itself composed of several sections that are also fitted together with such artistry that the joints can hardly be seen. The base of each section is convex and fits into the concave top of the section below.