Doolin and The Cliffs of Moher

Monday morning we ate Breakfast at the castle and headed towards The Cliffs of Moher. We were staying the night in Doolin. It was a two and a half hour drive. The cliffs were amazing! It was windy and chilly that high up and near the water. The cliff's highest point is 700 feet and they strethc for five miles. O’Brien’s Tower stands near the highest point and has served as a viewing point for visitors for hundreds of years.

O'Brien's Tower

 

 The Cliffs of Moher were originally the site of a gigantic river delta and were formed about 320 million years ago. The Napoleonic signal tower at Hags Head was built built in 1803, this is close to the site of a long gone 1st century BC ruined fort “Mothar” from which the Cliffs get their name. 

The walking trail stretch along the edge of the cliffs. We started at the visitor center and walked north past O' Briens's Tower first. There were parts of the trail that were very steep and close to the edge and at times the wind gust were so strong you felt as if you would blow ever.

Kev was braver than me and went right to the edge.

I was leery of standing on the ledge becasue of all the stories of rocks crumbling.

 

We eventually turned around and walked south of the visitors center. You can see O'Brien's Tower in the distance.

We had a couple take our picture for us. We sat on a grassy spot along the edge and took in the wonderful views.

The Cliffs were spectacular and a must see. We didn't walk the whole five miles, but did more than half. We grabbed a quick snack in the visitors center before leaving.

Doolin was about a 10 minute drive from the cliffs. It was a quaint little town. We found our B&B and checked-in. Upon arrival Kate greeted us and showed us our room. She brought us Bailey's coffee and cookies and we chatted for a long time in the living room. We could have stayed a talked longer but we wanted to catch the sunset at Doolin Pier.

 

 

Our Room

We bundled up and walked to the row of shops to browse a few minutes before they closed. Then we walked the ten minutes or so to the pier. The sky wasn't cooperating , but we still enjoyed watching the sunset and the waves crash along the rocky shore.

We caught these waves crashing on our walk back into town. The power behind these waves is just amazing.

We hit up Gus O'Conner's Pub for dinner and live music. O'Conner's pub was established in 1832.

I had soup and a traditional fish and chips. After we ate, we moved to the bar (It was drafty at our table by the back door.) and had a few drinks while we listened to music and chatted with the locals. The man we met loved to visit the states with his wife and got to Vegas.

If we ever go again, I would love to spend more time in Doolin and really explore the area. And of course we would stay with Kate again. She and her husband, Charles, were amazing!