The Cliffs of Moher: from the Bottom

I struggle for words to describe the next part of our travels, a visit to both the base and the top of the Cliffs of Moher. Honestly there were times during this full day that I wanted to pinch myself to prove that I was really seeing these things and not dreaming.

(I cheated here: this was actually taken later in the day from the top of the cliffs. This is the cave from the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and is one of my favorite photos from this vacation. I just couldn't wait any longer to share it.)

Our ferry boat seemed small as it approached the towering cliffs. 

 I looked back to Inisheer, thinking about those who first ventured across to the rocky island and what kind of vessel they must have traveled in. Surely much less substantial than the ferry!

The Plassy rested comfortably on her rocks and in the distance the lighthouse on the island that we did not have a chance to see.

Ahead, the cliffs! Our boat gave a few steep tips, and I looked in the wheelhouse to see why because the water really wasn't terribly rough.

And what do you know, a young lady passenger, who had been terrified, was at the helm! No wonder we were rocking a bit. She did pretty well, though, and she was much less afraid after her turn at the wheel.

 The cliffs are a 700 foot sheer drop at their highest point to the water below; atop them stands a tower (I'm not sure which one this is--one of them is called O'Brien's tower but I am not sure if it's this one).

Another tower at the end of the cliffs, with an intriguing portal through the rocks below. We did not get too close to this area; perhaps it is too rocky.

 The colors were just stunning--turquoise water, deep gray tones of the rocks and the startling green grass that clung here and there to the stone. All day the light shifted, sometimes incredibly clear, sometimes overcast, and with each change the colors changed.

This stone is probably the remains of a place where the cliffs once extended; now it stands like a sentinel, or a lighthouse warning travelers of the dangerous rocks ahead.

Birds nest in the cliffs too--I zoomed in for a picture of a few, hoping to be able to see if there were any puffins there, but my photo did not come out well enough to tell.

One of several waterfalls along the cliffs.

Looking north to the gentler lands of County Clare.

Homes atop the cliffs near the village of Doolin, which was the place were we would disembark.

Next up, a few scenes from the top of this stupendous place.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.