First we start with a bit of a pre-walk (800 m to be exact) to get to the official “Cliff Walk”

Hi there! I hope the weather where you are is as exceptional as it has been for us in Ireland. My husband and I were in Ennis for him to bike the Skoda Ring of Clare (he’s a bit biking mad). This gave me some free time to explore, and although there were quite a few options of where to go, I really wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher, again, because really, why not?

a view up to the tower on the left, where the Cliff Walk begins (but my focus was on the stone wall and flowers!)

Stone wall – need I say more? Simplicity and beauty all in one.

as many varieties as there are stones…

I’ve probably said it before, but I am not great with exploring on my own. I’ve been getting better at it, slowly, but it still really challenges me. Thankfully, this trip was really wonderful, which should help me the next time I face a new challenge!

I was in love with the scenery even before beginning the “official” walk.

We’ve been to the Cliffs of Moher a few times. It has been referred to as the 8th wonder of the world! It truly is majestic. But this time I was on my own, and I relished in the fact that I could stop and take as many pictures of birds or the sea or wild flowers, and no one was going to tell me to “keep up”! I could just stare out to the sea and enjoy its awesomeness. And of course I stared at the cliffs. It was a wonderful case of just ‘being’.

I believe this is a Meadow Pipit

Birds are tricky to photograph as they never sit long enough for me to focus my camera!

It is a little crazy, too, the cliff walk. I mean, you can literally walk right on the cliff’s edge. Recently they’ve created a much safer path which is a number of feet in from the cliff’s edge. But on the day I was there, it was a beautiful day with little wind, and people were using both paths, despite the signs warning of the dangers of walking on the edge. It really is too tempting.

One of the official stone paths with stone wall edging

Official stone pathway with a stone wall as a barrier to the “unofficial” path. The fencing had an electric fence, too, which I was lucky wasn’t on because the path was quite crowded closer to the visitor center, with not quite enough room for 2 people to pass each other!

Let me back up a tiny bit and tell you how my adventure started. It was just under an hour drive from Ennis to Liscannor. The directions I was given? “Turn down the road on the left, just before the Rock House Giftshop in Liscannor”(!). The Rock House is a well known tourist stop. O.K. then! And that actually worked. Once I turned left it was easy to see the parking signs I needed. Long story, but we’ve started at the visitor center before, and it can be maddening with so many tourists. I wanted to see if this way would be “less traveled”.

A full view of the cliffs (can you see the beautiful archway?)

I paid 3 euro to park, then had an 800 meter walk to the “official” area of the Cliff Walk. It was well worth it. I was parked by 9 AM and I had the trail to myself for nearly the first 2 hours.  BLISS!

Just a bit of heather showing in this view of the cliffs walking in the direction of the “Cliffs of Moher visitor center”

This view is looking back towards where I started my walk

It was a beautiful walk. I was very lucky with the weather! It was warm and sunny (warm being high 60s Fahrenheit / 20 degrees Celsius) with very little wind. It was about 5.5 kilometers to the visitor center from where I started.

View of the cliffs outlined with heather

Majestic Beauty

wildflowers … because I think they are lovely.

I walked at my own pace and thoroughly enjoyed my time surrounded by such beauty. It was truly uplifting!

All smiles on such a beautiful day!

The day before, I really wasn’t sure about driving the distance (and those directions!)  and then I wasn’t sure what I’d find with regards to crowds. There was a Plan B, but that walk wasn’t nearly as nice as the cliffs would be. I’m so glad I went with my first choice and that I was there early to beat the crowds!

I hope you’ve had the chance to get out and just “be” – wherever that may be! 🙂

In peace,
Dana

P.S. My husband did great on his 165 km Skoda Ring of Clare bike ride, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at The Town Hall restaurant in Ennis that evening!