Cliffs of Moher

It was raining again when we got up and went to the dining room for breakfast. Unlike most other breakfasts we have had to date, one of our hosts, Frank, offered us a cooked breakfast to our own liking. So we all asked for scrambled eggs and bacon.

After breakfast we drove into the village of Lahinch, just a kilometre from the bed and breakfast, to explore the colourful village. Katie found a scarf made in Ireland with sheep wool she didn’t know whether to buy or not, Desma eventually intervened and made sure 2 scarfs where coming home. One for Katie and one for herself. We went to a cafe that seconds as a pub later during the day for a coffee.

We then drove to the Cliffs of Moher, finding a car park at Guerin’s Path where the car park attendant charged us 5 euros each for the pleasure of being blown off our feet to see the Cliffs of Moher - this is not a joke - take a look at the video I took. At one point the wind was blowing up a water logged gravel path and sending sprays of water onto us, so we took the higher path for 100 yards, as this had evidence of others before us walking on it. Maybe not the best idea as Desma was blown off her feet landing on her backside twice. Luckily we were not near any of the cliff edges as this would have been a disaster waiting to happen.

The Cliffs of Moher are vertical sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of what is referred to as the Burren in County Clare. They run for approx. 14km (9 miles) and reach a height of 214 metres (702 feet), just north of O’Brien’s Tower, a stone tower built in 1835.

On a clear day, which today was definitely not, the nearby Aran Islands in Galway Bay, along with other landmarks can be seen.

We walked along the track for approx. 1 km, where at times, the wind seemed threatening enough for us to walk crouching in order to keep the wind away from our bodies as it was so strong. The scenery was stunning despite the gale force conditions. It was an experience we all agreed had to be done.

When we returned to the car park, the attendant informed us that what we had just experienced “was not wind- you haven’t seen real wind yet”.

With that experience ticked off the bucket list we drove to the picturesque village of Doolin, via the narrowest lanes we have encountered for a while.

Doolin is a coastal village on the Wild Atlantic Coast. It is a renowned centre of traditional Irish music, which can been seen by walking into the local pub, O’Connors. We had lunch here and every wall is adorned with photographs of people playing or singing Irish music

Doolin has numerous nearby archaeological sites, many dating back to the Iron Age and earlier. Several castles can also be found in the area as well.

Having walked the entire length of Doolin and having lunch at the pub, it was time to drive to our next Airbnb near Killarney. To save a 140km trip we took a 20 minute car ferry trip from Killimer Port to Tabert Port, then onto Farranfore, in County Kerry.

Farranfore enables us to drive around the Dingle Pensinsula tomorrow, where we will make a day trip of it, stopping at the numerous picturesque villages, exploring their beauty, cafes, shops and pubs.Read more