After our day in Kilkenny and spending the night at the camper site, we packed up and headed on to the Cliffs of Moher, located in western Ireland near the town of Doolin. The roads leading to the cliffs are a tad small but somehow the Irish people have learned to make it work and they do it well. It is also an experience for us to see the driving on the opposite side of the road.
The weather at the cliffs during late September was rather chilly and windy. At times, it felt like the wind was going to carry us off. There was a large parking lot(or car park as is used here) near the cliffs that cost 8€ to park your car. There was no entrance fee although some people did stop to buy a ticket to the exhibition they have near the caves. The gift shop was bustling with tourists, hot coffee, and was the only place nearby to find an ATM machine. The Cliffs of Moher were beautiful and O'Brien's Tower has been preserved quite nicely as you will see in the photo. It is named for Sir Cornelius O'Brien, who built the tower at the mid point of the cliffs in 1835.
The Cliffs of Moher are lcoated on the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head. They rise up to 214 meters high. They were named for Fort Moher that stood on the southern most point of the cliffs in the 16th century. It was destroyed in 1808 to build a new telegraph tower. They draw nearly 1 million visitors annually, topping Ireland's tourist attractions in 2006. The visitor center was opened in 2007 and affords visitors interactive experiences about the cliffs.
There were steps and a lot of other places to view the cliffs as well as paths to walk out on the cliffs themselves. In the town of Doolin, there are various tour boat companies that offered ferries to the Aran Islands(in Galway Bay) and along the cliffs to see a full on view of them. Of course, if the wind is whipping and the water is choppy like it was for us, the amount of boats decreases drastically. The Aran Islands have a lighthouse and some small attractions as well as Atlantic Puffin Birds.
We stayed near the village of Doolin and ate dinner at a pub called O'Connells that offers traditional Irish fare and authentic Irish music. We highly recommend the Irish stew. The camper rocked all night as the wind from the sea swept over us. I thought it would keep us awake but it actually helped to rock us to sleep. While it might not be ideal for some people, we found it to be a great way to tour the countryside.
The Cliffs of Moher are lcoated on the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head. They rise up to 214 meters high. They were named for Fort Moher that stood on the southern most point of the cliffs in the 16th century. It was destroyed in 1808 to build a new telegraph tower. They draw nearly 1 million visitors annually, topping Ireland's tourist attractions in 2006. The visitor center was opened in 2007 and affords visitors interactive experiences about the cliffs.
Izzy, what brand of gel did you use that day? I have been trying to get my hair to stand up like that lately too! Also, Martin, you have this Spock look to you in that photo....way to go on the sex appeal guys!!! Very hot...the scenery too.
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