Every country has a special “must-see” and the Cliffs of Moher are definitley that in Ireland. It’s no wonder too that the cliffs draw more than a million visitors from all over the world annually!
I’ve seen photos of the cliffs before going, and I especially love the fact that depending on the weather, whether it’s bright and sunny, or moody and overcast, the cliffs seem to exude a certain kind of atmosphere. While I do love the summertime photos of the cliffs, I was really excited to see the cliffs in February…the dark and haunting atmosphere of the cliffs during the winter really draws me in!
Since we spent most of our time in Dublin while we were in Ireland, we decided to go to the cliffs with a tour bus. While I’m not a big fan of tours, this one was actually quite fun with an entertaining Irish tour guide and lots of interesting stops to attractions along the way as we drove to the opposite side of the country. In terms of prices, every company offers the Cliffs of Moher tour from Dublin for 40 euros, which I’m not sure if it’s the down season price, but is an amazing price! The price of a round trip train ticket from Dublin and admissions at the cliffs will cost around that price as well.
The Cliffs of Moher is located in County Clare which is on the opposite side of Ireland from Dublin. The journey there was crazy. When people say they experience all four seasons in one day in Ireland, they weren’t kidding! There was rain, snow, hail, wind, and sunny warm weather in the three hours it took to get to the cliffs. Luckily, the weather was great when we got there! Bad weather on the cliffs means intense fog which is horrible for people visiting (my bf included when he went a few years back) because you can’t see the cliffs at all!
The cliffs stretches on for about 8 km (5 miles) along the Atlantic coast. The walk along the cliffs is a crazy experience because every now and then, it’ll be so windy, I feel like I have to hold on to the fence post along the path or else I’ll get blown away. If you have long hair, it’s a good idea to tie it up, or else you’ll look like a crazy hair girl like me in all my photos!
Here’s some interesting facts about the cliffs!
- At its highest, the cliffs are 214 m (702 feet)
- The formation of the cliffs started 320 million years ago
- The cliffs are actually home to 29 different species! (Ok they’re all birds. More than 30,000 of them!)
- Surfing is actually a popular sport near the cliffs!
- The castle-tower at the top of the cliffs was built in 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien who wanted to charge those seeking a “better view” of the cliffs. Apparently, the view is pretty much the same as from the ground!
- The visitors centre at the cliffs costs 31.5 million euros to build!
Most people know the cliffs from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but it’s also in the movie Leap Year, Sense and Sensibility and the Princess Bride. (FYI, I remember loving the movie Leap Year when it first come out but I recently watched it and it was the most ridiculous movie ever! So I would only recommend this movie if watching Matthew Goode on screen for an hour and a half is something that excites you)
I actually googled “deaths at the cliffs” when I got home since I was curious, but couldn’t find any real information about it. So apparently, it’s not that common (although you wouldn’t believe it when you’re there) but I heard that suicides do happen there every now and then (and those tend to go unreported…wouldn’t want people getting crazy ideas now!).
