The Cliffs of Moher

If you read the name too quickly as The Cliffs of Mother, you should keep mum about it, hahaha.

But before we can make puns about The Cliffs of Moher, we have to get there. So, rewind.

After The Burren, it was not quite time for lunch, so I drove down to Doolin Pier to see where I would be embarking in the evening.

Several companies compete for business. Ferries to the Aran Islands also depart from here but I had opted not to visit them. I remembered the name from the 1934 documentary Man of Aran.

Then it was off Gus O'Connor's pub for lunch. The place was bursting at the seams with patrons as it seemed to be the only reasonable eatery in the area. More so as it was the last day of a long weekend. I ordered a meal of buffalo wings which came rather quickly so the kitchen must have been very efficient.

There was much traffic on the access road and vehicles parking slowed progress. The tour buses were the worst offenders due to their size.

Then I drove several km south to the Experience Centre which is an interpretive centre. The Cliffs got an estimated 1.5 million visits in 2017! That's 40,000 per day, probably higher in summer. To manage the numbers tickets are sold with 2 hour arrival slots. Parking is included in the ticket.

There are many informative displays here. One I liked very much was this animation of continental drift through geologic time. Makes one realise how fleeting a lifetime is compared to the history of the earth.

The rocks are I think seats for a children's game about wildlife on the cliffs and not rock samples on display.

Then it was time to see the real thing. It was lightly raining, not uncommon in Ireland, so the views faded into the distance.

O'Brien's Tower from which many views are photographed.

What could be seen from there.

About 10 minutes walk to the south, the weather cleared up somewhat.

This section of the walk is unofficial.

And undertaken at one's own risk. It is possible to take the coastal walk both north and south of the visitor centre as the cliffs extend many km.

Looking from the centre to the arrival area and car park. By this time my 2 hour slot was up so I headed back to Doolin.

It was too early for the cruise so I found a parking spot on the access road to the pier. I remembered that I had forgotten to buy postcards so walked to the gift shop then went back to have a nap in the car. I must have taken this floral interlude about this time.

When I got to the ferry office they had brought forward the departure by 15 minutes. It also looked like they had merged the excursion with one run by another company. I guess they have to do such things to maintain high occupancy.

Crab Island which faces the pier.

Leaving the bay.

A few minutes later and a few km south we saw the cliffs from the sea. You can make out O'Brien's Tower.

An arch caused by erosion. The Cliffs are constantly eroded.

A rock stack.

Zooming in. The Cliffs support many species of bird life, puffins being one.

Well it was a far cry from the pictures I had viewed that were taken in fine weather. I had hoped to see the cliffs illuminated by golden evening sun, but that was not to be. That's Ireland for you, you have to take your chances with the weather. Still I enjoyed many stunning views in the aerial flyby that they had screened in the theatrette of the Experience Centre.

Then it was back to Gus O'Connor's pub for dinner, as planned. I had read that the mussels were good this part of Ireland so I ordered a pot. They were tasty but it was laborious as they were small. A friend explained later it wasn't the right month, you have to wait for one with R in the name.

Apparently Doolin is a centre for traditional Irish music but I didn't explore that. It had been a long day, and besides I didn't feel like mingling in crowds.