veggievirgo

Good morning!

Does anyone have an opinion on the best route/sights around County Clare?
I have read that the Cliffs are the best in the evening? Is that true?
And the Poulnabrone Dolmen is a must see for us.... How much time should we allot to spend there?
Are the Aillwee caves worth it?

If we begin the day in Limerick,...
drive to Aillwee, see the caves ...
drive to the burren, see the Poulnabrone dolmen...
will we have time for anything ELSE before seeing the Cliffs? (this is Sep 3rd.... so the sunset should be somewhat late...8PM?)

Thanks!

Clifton

Hey there,

The Pulnabrone Dolman stands in a rocky field very near the road where you pull off and park on the shoulder. There isn't anything else there at all. No buildings, not even a parking lot. So whatever tome you take will be investing in contemplation, photography or walking around the neighboring rocky slopes. I think most people seem to be staying maybe 20 minutes or so.

I agree that the Cliffs are best in the late afternoon or evening. The reason I think so (and it is just opinion), is that with the light setting in the west, the cliffs are illuminated rather than being in shadow, which makes for better photographs.

I've never been to Ailwee cave. We've passed on that since my home area is so chock full of large caves with formations. Always seems not as unique among available choices for that reason, for us.

waffle18

VV,

I think if you are looking to kill some time the Caves are a good way to do so. It's an interesting tour and they have the obligatory gift shop but also a tea cottage with home made jams, jellies, breads, etc which is a good place for a refreshment, IMO.

Another great place to stop and eat and shop at is the Burren Exporsure just north of Ballyvaughan It has a great shop and restaurant as well as a 35 minute multimedia exhibition (5E each) and the views! Oh well worth some wandering about.

I agree that the Dolman won't take long though if you are waiting on others to move while you snap a photo you may end up hanging a round more like 30 minutes instead of just 20.

Have fun!

Wendy

Budman

From the Cliffs, you could explore the Loop Head Peninsula. Drive to Kilkee which is a lovely little town, and take the scenic route out to the lighthouse. Stop by the Bridges of Ross on the way.

wojazz3

Budman's suggestion is a good one. Loophead is a less visited area and it is VERY unlikely that you will see a tour bus.

There are two good reasons to visit the Cliffs late in the day. As Clifton pointed out, the light is very good for photos. The other is that the crowds are all long gone and it's you and a good number of people with thousands of dollars in camera equipment. I guess there is a third reason. The guy in the booth that takes your money is gone, so it's free. Sunset on Sept 3 should be between 8:15-8:20

Limerick would not be my choice of cities to visit. It has the mildly interesting King John's Castle, but it is rather difficult to find your way around and more difficult to park sometimes.

Can't remember if I've mentioned it to you before, but if you like great beer, visit the Biddy Early brewery in the tiny town of Inagh between Ennis and Doolin.

Bill

amyprib

Just to reconfirm what everyone else said - My trip to the Cliffs was in the evening into sunset, and it was absolutely amazing. Granted, the conditions couldn't have been more perfect for it (already described it before), but yeah - we drove in around 7 and the guy was taking people's money as they left.. When we left around 930pm (this is June, late sun setting), the guy was gone... score! (it's only 4eu or so, no big deal). There were hardly any people there, so it was great. If the sun sets about 815pm, I would suggest getting there around 7pm at the latest, just to be able to spend some time, get good "daylight" photos of the cliffs, and then be able to see the sunset. That's my opinion... though after having been there, I'd get there even earlier.

Also, the Dolmen, you just park on the road somewhere with everyone else, walk 3 minutes and you're there. You can actually see it from the road. Any extra time you spend would only be for walking about the landscape, which can be interesting, but max 20-30min there.

We went to the Aillwee Caves, and although it was interesting, I probably could have skipped it, and I love caves... I've seen "more interesting" in the States, but not to discourage you. You probably won't have too much crowd there in Sept, and it's not too far up the road from the Dolmen. But yeah it is a good way to kill an hour or two if needed, but Loop Head (having not been there but read much about it) might be nicer. Depends on your interests, just plan enough time to drive the Loop Head and get back to Cliffs if that's your choice. Others would have an idea about that.