A trip to Ireland is not complete without a visit to the Cliffs of Moher. But instead of sweeping through, like many other tourists do, I wanted to hike along the full length of the cliffs. As there is a pretty popular walking path, there wasn't too much planning needed for once. The starting, respectively the ending place, was either in Doolin or Liscannor and both places were connected to public transport. Spontaneously I decided the evening before, that I won't use the bus at all, but would walk the whole way to one end and then back to the start again. One reason why I did this, was to start early and the other reason was the weather. A nice day was forecasted and I wanted to have as much of it as possible. So early in the morning I left my hostel in Doolin and soon reached the starting point to the official cliff walk. It led me right along the coast and for the beginning there weren't really any cliffs to check out, so I just enjoyed the fresh air and the sunshine while walking steadily onwards. After about half an hour the first little cliffs appeared and in the far distance I could also see some of the big ones peeking out.
The trail kept on going along the coast and only took a turn once the first bigger cliffs blocked the way. A short and rather steep ascent awaited me and when I stood at the top, a beautiful view of some already really impressive cliffs awaited me. Following the shoreline once more, I was coming to a turnoff a bit further on that led inland. Looking straight ahead, there seemed to be an unofficial trail as well, as there was a beaten path right in front of me that followed along the edge of the cliffs. Of course I couldn't resist and took this one. :) As I'm pretty sure-footed the going on this path wasn't difficult for me, but it definitely wasn't something for the fainthearted. Coming around a bend the biggest cliffs came finally into full view. And when I thought the cliffs before were impressive, I didn't know what to say now. The panorama was simply spectacular. A runner passed me right there and all he said to me was: "Not bad, ey!" :)
Walking onwards for a couple meters, I noticed that there was a path to the bottom of the cliffs. I didn't knew that there was a possibility to go to the bottom and a detour like this was not really in my schedule. But so what. I walked down anyway. :) The cliffs right above me, it was another stunning sight to behold. Going back up again to the official trail I met the first tourists since I started in Doolin. Another ascent later and standing on top of the cliffs, I looked at a wonderful panorama but also was surrounded by many people. The visitor centre wasn't too far away anymore and right now I had reached the point where most people would walk from there. It was kinda overwhelming after the loneliness from before. Surely I knew that there would be some people, but the closer I came to the visitor centre, the more tourists there were. Somehow it stressed me out and I started to walk faster to escape all the people. But that was useless, as from now on I always was among somebody else. Even though the quietness was gone, I still was able to enjoy the Cliffs of Moher. Most of the time the path led along the cliffs without any fence or other security, so everyone was able to step to the very edge and look down 200 meters into the Atlantic ocean. Crazy views! And definitely not for someone who is afraid of heights.
The panorama stayed incredible throughout the rest of the walk and when I reached Hags Head, the most southern point of the cliff walk, it was time for lunch. It was also the point for me to turn around. In the meantime I had calmed down and the people weren't bothering me anymore, so I enjoyed the walk back even more. As I took many pictures already on my way down, the focus was now 100% on the stunning scenery. The only downside was the haze that had built up during the day and even though the sun was shining, the views weren't that clear. But anyway, I had a great time and I was glad that I took one full day to visit this place. Passing the visitor centre once again and reaching the point where I descended to the bottom in the morning, the people started slowly to thin out. The rest of the walk back was a gentle one and when I reached Doolin at 6 o'clock in the evening, it was time to celebrate today's hike with a pint of Guinness. :)
Highlight of the day: the impressive cliffs
This hike is for you if:
- you want different point of views of the Cliffs of Moher
- you don't mind the "circus" around the visitor centre
- you always wanted to walk along some cliffs
This hike is not for you if:
- you're afraid of heights
- you're looking for a quiet day out
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