Ireland is a beautiful country in the North Atlantic filled with a lush green landscape. The nickname of The Emerald Isle is well deserved. There are many truly magnificent places throughout the country to go see. From the capital and largest city in Ireland–Dublin to castles and cathedrals to small seaside towns and scenic drives along The Wild Atlantic Way, there are many different kinds of adventures to be had.
One of the top tourist sites in Ireland is The Cliffs of Moher. (Moher is pronounced “more”.) They are stunning cliffs along the Atlantic that are just over 700 feet at their highest point and span 8km (5miles). If you take a day trip from Dublin it is about a 3 hour and 15 minute drive. Keep in mind when planning a trip that depending on the time of year, the cliffs may be closed due to high winds and/or bad weather. The tickets for the cliffs can be purchased online ahead of time. The ticket price online is 50% cheaper for adults than at the gate for certain times during the day. Children under 16 are free. When I booked our family’s tickets, the afternoon was already sold out and we chose to go during the evening time slot. This allowed us entry into the Cliffs at 4 p.m. The website for The Cliffs of Moher suggests visiting after 4 pm in the summer to be assured entry. The visitor center sometimes needs to be closed due to overcrowding. When you cross the parking lot to the cliffs, there are some shops built into the hills and there is a nice visitor center with a cafe and gift shop also.
My family went at the beginning of June and we thoroughly enjoyed the views and the walk. I especially enjoyed the sea birds nesting in the cliff walls. The cliffs themselves are breathtaking. Like many natural attractions, pictures are beautiful but there is just nothing like seeing the scale and beauty in person. There is a point where you can walk along the top of the cliffs behind a wall of rock. On the other side of the wall and closer to the edge of the cliffs there are dirt paths worn into the ground from people walking closer to the cliffs. While we did see many on this path, I felt safer keeping us all on the more official path behind the wall. I found myself most concerned for a young woman I don’t know who was napping with her feet hanging over the edge of the cliffs. I don’t have a terrible fear of heights, but that did make me uneasy. For me it was somewhat reminiscent of taking my children when they were all much younger, just past and around toddler age, to the Grand Canyon. My children are much older now and they did not enjoy me reminding them vigilantly to stay on the path furthest from the cliffs. As it turns out though, a mother’s panic of her children straying too close to the edge doesn’t subside with age and time. That being said, the walk was strikingly gorgeous and I am glad we made the trip. We all enjoyed it. I caught my older two occasionally taking videos and pictures as we went.
We were lucky to see the cliffs on a clear and sunny day. The views were incredible and we could hear the waves down below faintly crashing against the rocks and bottom of the cliffs. If you get the chance to go you won’t be disappointed. I was able to take all of these pictures with my Nikon D3200. I especially love the picture with the bird flying through the shot in the foreground.
Below is the link for the Cliffs of Moher.