The Wind and the Sea: Cliffs of Moher
After exploring the castles in southern Ireland we directed ourselves northwest to Limerick, where we stayed for one night. We stayed at a bed and breakfast run by surely one of the nicest hosts in the city. For our one meal in Limerick we caved in to our cravings and settled on getting some (Irish) Chinese Food at the local Chinese Restaurant. The restaurant had a Chinese buffet for approximately 17 euros. Unfortunately, and we guess we should have known, Limerick isn’t known for its Chinese food. It was average at best.
After resting overnight, we got up around 6:30 AM to eat a small breakfast of apples and toast at our B&B and departed for the Cliffs of Moher around 8:00 AM. The Cliffs are located about 1 hour 15 minutes northwest of Limerick on Ireland’s western coast. The drive to Cliffs of Moher includes nice country scenery and coastal residencies.
The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most visited natural tourist sites. Spectacularly rising above the North Atlantic they are must do for any bucket-lister. The area is home to a roughly 6 mile trail that lies along the cliff edge and extends from the coastal towns of Liscannor at the southern edge to Doolin at the northern edge. The Cliffs of Moher can be experienced via the Visitor Center entryway or without using the visitor center entry by starting at one of these two towns. The Visitor Center is located near the middle of the pathway. The benefit of choosing the Visitor Center is that it includes parking in a parking lot not more than 1/4 mile from the cliffs’ edge. If you go online, you can buy a ticket for 4 euros if you choose to arrive between the less popular hours of 8-11 AM or after 4 PM. If buying tickets for arrival between 11 AM and 4 AM it will be 8 euros. We bought for between 8-11 AM and arrived around 9:30 AM. Even if you buy to arrive during these earlier hours, you can visit for the rest of the day. The tickets also include access to the visitor center, but if you arrive from the other locations, we do not think anyone checked tickets going into the actual visitor center, which is nestled in the hillside itself and blends in with the environment.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was that it was WINDY. And with this wind came COLD. Now this was mid-May, not the brunt of summer but not the middle of winter either. Halfway from our walk from the car to the cliffs we decided go back and put on some extra layers. We were glad we did. Notably, as we walked along the cliffs, we did get slightly warmer and could peel off layers intermittently.
We chose to walk south on the cliff trail, which would head toward Liscannor. Prior to Liscannor, you will find a landmark called Hag’s Head, a point on the cliffs where the rock formation looks uncannily like an old witch’s face, hence the name. The trail itself is well marked and definitely gets more crowded as the morning progresses, although there is enough room for everybody to enjoy the beauty! The trail is split into an “official” trail and an “unofficial” trail. The official trail is farther back from the cliff side on more stable ground and separated from the more precarious trail by a 3-4 foot wall of rock slabs along most of its length. The official trail is recommended by signs because there have been landslide occurrences posing a risk to sightseers. Needless to say, most tourists, ourselves included, did trek on the unofficial route at various parts for better views. We had no problems, but you must be aware that the unexpected could happen, whether with a sudden landslide or gust of wind.
The Cliffs of Moher did not disappoint. Every point along the trail offered gorgeous views. The cerulean blue of the ocean was beautifully juxtaposed with the green of the cliffs. If you love birds, the Cliffs are a great place to bring your binoculars because they are home to a large puffin colony, but you won’t see anything other than tiny specks without some ocular assistance. Among other native bird species, we saw lots of kittiwakes nesting along the cliff face and coasting in the breeze.
The trek from the Visitor Center to Hag’s Head took us approximately 2 hours at a slow pace, stopping for pictures. We stopped to eat a meager snack of cashews and energy bars. The stroll back to the visitor center was just as beautiful as the walk to Hag’s Head, and the late morning light illuminated even more of the cliffs.
For lunch we ate at the Visitor Center cafe, two Cajun chicken sandwiches that were prepackaged and heated there. These sandwiches and others that we ate from other tourist centers were actually some of the best food we had on our trip. Maybe we were just hungry.
After lunch, we wanted to visit the northern side of the trail, where O’Brien’s Tower is located and the highest points of the cliffs. O’Brien’s Tower was actually under renovation while we were there and looked a lot like our view of Big Ben from London, not the prettiest. Nevertheless we walked slightly past the tower until we saw what was the highest point of the Cliffs and then decided to wrap it up. It had been a long day. We spent nearly 5 hours at the Cliffs.
Feeling satisfied, we walked back to our car in the parking lot. It was about 2:30 PM in the afternoon. It is certainly more crowded in the afternoon than the morning hours as advertised. The Cliffs of Moher were a definite win, as expected. If we had a suggestion to make, we would suggest walking the entire path from Liscannor to Doolin or vice versa if you have the time and means. You won’t regret it!
Once we left the Cliffs, we had to make our way across the country to pass into Northern Ireland. Our journey is detailed in this post.
