PalenqueBob

If driving along Eire's remote western coast, dropping by, but not over, the Cliffs of Moher is a must. An absolute must IMO.One of Eire's top tourist meccas, some one million folks are said to visit each year, including ones that tumble over the 700-foot-high five-mile long sheer dropoff cliffs.

And though signs warn folks not to stray too close to the edge, which can crumble, causing one to tumble to the rocky coast, never to be seen again until washing up in Boston or someplace.

And although local officials don't know for sure how many poor souls have fallen off the cliff - probably including suicides - they say that it does happen with some regularity.

But now thanks to a new development - the ubiqutious Visitors Centre, fewer folk may tumble - the centre has organized previous haphazzard parking near the cliffs and car and bus parks are now across the street from the new centre and cliff edge.

To enter the new centre visitors walk past a ticket booth to the actual centre, which was as unobstrusively as possible built into a hill just opposite the cliff and has a grass roof to blend into the Emerald Isle type terrain.

TBC

Any impressions of the dread Cliffs of Moher?

roadlesstraveled

We visited the Cliffs of Moher in May of 2003. While we were there, it was extremely windy and we saw many people standing very close to the edge of the cliffs (the children close to the edge really bothered me). We discussed the fact that if the cliffs were in the United States there would be a barricade around them like the Grand Canyon. We both agreed that we preferred to able to access the danger and get as close as we wanted. The next day we read in the newspaper that a female tourist from Canada was blown over the edge by a huge gust of wind. It did not change our opinion.

I consider the Cliffs of Moher to be a must-see in Ireland. Incredibly beautiful!

hetismij

Funny you should say that roads - I was impressed by the lack of barriers at the GC! Thought it very un-American, in a positive way.

celticdreams

I've seen the Cliffs both ways and have to say, I'm a fan of the old. I liked the thrill of being near the edge, it was so non-American! I was kind of disappointed that my husband had to see it all protected like that, because my first view of it was raw.

I do like not having to go through the gift shop unless you want to, and I think the whole new visitor's center is really nice.

I guess I'd keep the center and the car parks and maybe even some of the wall. I would have eliminated all the walk ways and just kept the dirt paths.

mermaid_

The first (and only) time I saw the Cliffs of Moher was way back in 1971. Maybe I'll hang onto that memory and not see what they've done to the Cliffs.

PalenqueBob

MORE ON MOHER DEVELOPMENTS

The Visitors' Centre is roomy and has all the amenities of a tourist trap - the Puffin's Nest Cafe, the Long Dock at the Cliff's restaurant and the ubiquitous gift shop.

One redeeming feature of the new centre is the Atlantic Edge exhibit - a sel-guided tour detailing the geological history of the cliffs and stuff on local wildlife and the oceans and climates of the world. Lots of nice photos and interactive exhibits - especially good for kids perhaps.

And don't miss viewing the film The Ledge, which melds real and computerized animation shedding light on the birds and sea life environment around the cliffs.

TBC - CHANGES AT THE CLIFF EDGE

Sandylan

There is a website on the Cliffs at www.cliffsofmoher.ie .

Clifton

I think too that I'd not appreciate the changes made at the cliffs. While I feel that Darwin's theories are proven on those who felt it a must to peer directly over the edge, I liked that it the experience wasn't designed around herding people along the safest path. While I'm glad the visitors center has been designed to be unobtrusive, I truly don't care for the whole idea of plopping a cafe next to every natural wonder in the world. People have managed to visit the cliffs for eons without needing to linger over a cuppa and scone and the site hasn't suffered greatly in attendance for it's lack of food service.

Last I was there, I enjoyed watching a couple of boys grab their jacket tails and use them as sails, jumping up (not near the edge!) and flying backwards across the grass.

ps #1 - a less serious way to have a video look at the Cliffs of Moher is seeing them cast, in distant shots, as the Cliffs of Insanity in The Pricess Bride.

ps #2 - as far as I can recall, the Grand Canyon has quite a lot of unbarricaded approaches, once away from the prime walk up and peek spots. Same Darwin theory applies, but hard to resist having a look.

PalenqueBob

Sandylan - thanks for site. Unfortunately my computer throws me off it before opening. but thanks.

OUTSIDE IMPROVEMENTS

new pathways at three levels that guide visitors safely along a 'reconstructed' cliff edge. 4 raised platforms afford folks sweeping vistas of the cliffs below without requiring them to get close to the edge.

O'BRIEN'S TOWER
Originally constructed in 1835, this tower at the top of the pathways offers a viewing platform with views, on a clear day at least, of Hags Head and the Kerry mountains far in the distance.
The tower, renovated in 1970, however is currently closed for more renovation and is due to reopen sometime in 2008.

PalenqueBob

"Parking is about $11 (!) per car! Admission to Atlantic Edge is about $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for kids 4-16, under 4 free.

Wow $11 for parking - wonder if there is any parking nearby from where you can walk to the cliffs?

PalenqueBob

Apparently you can still wander over to the cliff's edge

MOHER FLORA AND FAUNA

The $43 million new visitor centre was also planned to protect local flora and fauna as wildlife teems here:

20+ species of nesting birds

nearly 30,000 breeding pair of sea birds

nine species of breeding seabirds

exotic birds like kittiwakes, gullernots, razorbills and fulmars are cliff area residents.

In all the cliffs are Eire's biggest mainland colony of nesting seabirds

However the influx of 1 million tourists of course could threaten the natural environment - it's hoped the new centre with its education aspect of native wildlife and the more restricted pathways will help mute the impact.

emily71

One of the co-workers just came back from Ireland. On the day they were at the Cliffs, a young man on the tour tried to change his digital camera card right by the edge. Unfortunately a strong gust came through that particular moment and ripped the full card from his hand, sending it over the edge.

Moral of the story: Don't decide to change you picture card by the edge of a cliff..

sunny16

I am very sorry to hear about this development. In my misspent youth I hiked the edge of the cliffs (stupid!) up to the old visitor's center from Doolin, and from there I hiked within the fence all the way down to Hag's Head (3 miles) and back. I wonder if one can still do that hike now.

I do love the fact that when you to go many sites in Europe, you aren't protected from yourself the way you are in the US. Sounds like that's changing now. And $11 for parking is insane!

flygirl

My last/only (so far) trip to Ireland I missed seeing the Cliffs. However, flying home from Europe one bright sunny day we flew over them - even from quite high up they are beautiful and imposing.

GreenDragon

I visited the Cliffs in June 2006, while the visitor centre was under construction. There were still a place where people went past the big sign that said 'do not go beyond this point', with a small open path. The rest had a big concrete wall, about waist high.

flygirl

Sunny - funny story:

A coworker from Peru said that, in Peru, they had team-building meetings that would include bullfighting. No joke. Red-blanket-waving, big-bull-snorting, bullfighting. Apparently they did decide to quit when someone almost got hurt (her).

It isn't only Europe that isn't hung up on protecting you from yourself. hahaha

MonicaRichards

I was just at the Cliffs in August for the first time so I didn't see it "before" but you can still get plenty of dramatic views so I think the safety makes it worth it. Especially for those of us with kids, we don't have to be scared to death that they will fall over the edge. As far as not paying for parking, yeah, sure you can go park on the "no parking" farmers' fields and then block traffic and risk your life walking along the narrow road to the cliffs. We called those people the "Cheapskates of Moher".

MonicaRichards

Oh, and here are our pictures from the Cliffs. http://www.markandmonica.com/Travel/...20Day%2018.htm Still pretty dramatic.