It was a sunny October day in Southwest Ireland when we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. I was already impressed with the Irish scenery, but this was the pinnacle. Walking along the grassy topped 750-foot cliffs with the sun shining down and the breeze blowing off the sea, it was difficult not to feel quite small. These cliffs give pause to contemplate the scale and timeline of the natural world.
In both directions you could also just continue walking to the nearest towns on a series of walking paths. I suddenly really wanted to spend some significant time nearby where I could walk or run to, from and along the cliffs.
Even just visiting the cliffs themselves, you’ll easily want to spend a few hours. The Visitor’s Center itself is an interesting building architecturally as its been built largely underground so as to disturb the natural landscape as little as possible.
The Cliffs stretch quite a distance and you can walk along the Cliffs in both directions offering different views.
And if you think these cliffs seem a bit familiar, perhaps you recognize them as the Cliffs of Insanity from the Princess Bride.
I would say the Cliffs of Moher are a must-see when visiting Ireland. If you have the time to take a multi-day tour or road-trip, that is the way to go. (We had a great time with Paddywagon Tours.) But if you only have a single day, you can still take a tour from Dublin. It’s a lot of travel time on a bus and a long day (12-hours, I believe), but having visited, my opinion is that it would be worth it.
