We were on the road/trail by 10:00 am and headed to the Cliffs of Moher. I had no idea what I was getting into, but took Katherine and Andrew's word that it would be best to walk the trail along the cliffs instead of driving to the visitor center. We left the apartment and headed towards the ocean.
Up the hill we went, once again following rock fences and and skirting farmland. We quickly gained the view of the Atlantic Ocean and were taken in with its beauty. Little did we know that this was going to be the scene for the next few hours. It was stunning!
Margaux and Andrew (Sporting the Golden Knights Hockey Jersey)
The trail went right along the cliffs and we had full force winds, and sometimes ocean spray coming over the lip of the wall. It was chilly, but the sun was out and made the walk pure pleasure. There were only a few other people on the trail and our pace was nice and slow. Farther down the trail, the trail took numerous ascents and we gained altitude quickly.
Check out how small the people are for perspective!
We were about 3 or 4 miles in when we met up with tour bus tourists hiking towards us. We knew we must be close to the visitor's center and parking area. Once we were there, the cliffs were truly majestic and I really realized why this place is such an attraction. However, the crowds made us want to get out quickly, so we started walking on the road back to Doolin. Referring to the Garmin Earthmate app, we decided to trek along the road for a while and then take a farm road back through the countryside to meet up with our original trail. That was a great choice as we were able to see some ruins along the way and also check out the cliffs from a different perspective.
Our friends we made on the way back.
Stomp, stomp, stomp all the way home.
Not many people walked back this way, probably for good reason. The cars were passing REALLY close.
This is on the side trail on the way back. It's probably the best photo of the trip so far!
Soon, we were back at the apartment, and had 9 miles of walking under our boots. I took a shower, and then a nap before heading back out to the local pub.
This is a screenshot of my phone running the Garmin Earthmate app. Good work kids!
The pub had our same Irish ballads guy singing for everyone. He was followed by an interesting group of a drummer, 2 flutes, and a guitar. The intimate pub venue is something special for sure. You are right up close and personal with the musicians and can see and hear everything. One guy played right hand flute and the other left hand. I had never seen anything like this before. I must research and see what's up with the backwards flute.
Shane Macgowan, of the Pogues proudly hung on the wall.
Our closest pub happened to be great!
This is actually a detailed panoramic photo that has better resolution in its original full size. It still gives you a feel of the pub's layout, I think.
Two flutes, guitar, and bodhrán.
We retired for the night knowing that tomorrow will be an early departure. It's a big day since we will be taking the ferry out into the Atlantic to the Aran Islands and spending two night on Inis Mor, or Inishmore as it is also written.
Andrew is doing his signature pose from Varna, Bulgaria. That's how you know it's time to retire for the evening.
Tomorrow, we take the ferry to the Aran Islands and will have a change of scenery.
No comments:
Post a Comment