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TOURISTS IN IRELAND, be they from abroad or on a staycation, appear to be daredevils.
Despite gusts of upwards of 130km/h in late winter and early spring, the Cliffs of Moher saw an upsurge in visitor numbers.
Operators of the visitor facilities at the cliffs recorded a total of 177,878 visitors between the 1 January and 30 April this year – an increase of 6 per cent on the year previous.
This is despite the site being closed to the public on several occasions due to strong winds.
“Information on visitor demographics is still being analysed but indications are that the North American and continental European markets, especially France and Germany, continue to perform very strongly,” Katherine Webster, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience said.
She added that the visitor centre is “well on target” to beat last year’s figure of 960,000 visitors.
“That itself was up 10% on the previous year,” Webster said.
However, the numbers so far for 2014 were boosted by a 57 per cent increase in visitors during the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.
The government has provided a significant amount of funding for key tourist attractions in the West this year.
These are located along the Wild Atlantic Way, a long-distance tour route which, when finished, is intended to act a major draw for tourists.
The 2,500km route will encompass 159 different attractions.
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Well worth a visit… The Cliffs are breathtaking. We were there during Easter break and there were hundreds of tourists there. We paid €6 per adult to park the car, kids and o.a.p.’s free. Not bad.Spent some time in the Visitor Centre and passed a lovely 2 hours. Lisdoonvarna, Lahinch and the Burren not far away. Its definately a good day out..
Just a gentle reminder that the Cliffs of Moher, standing at 214 metres / 702 feet are not the highest cliffs in Ireland. Ireland’s highest sea cliffs and in fact that of Europe’s are located in a South-West corner of Donegal near Teelin. Known as Slieve league, they reach a maximum height of 601 metres (1,972 feet).
Cool must check those cliffs out. Are they mile after mile of vertical cliff faces like Moher?
If you want to make a full day of it, you can climb up to the cliffs from the Bunglass car park and follow the path along the top of the ridge, which eventually meets Old Man’s Track. From here One Man’s Pass, a narrow path with steep slopes on each side, leads up to the summit of Slieve League. On a clear day you can see Benbulben, the Sligo coastline, the hills and mountains of Mayo including Croagh Patrick.
Bear in mind that the route can often be muddy and extremely windy. It is certainly not advisable in misty weather or if you suffer from vertigo. From the top of Slieve League, you can either retrace your steps back into Teelin village or continue west over the crest of the mountain cliff and down the western slope towards the headland village of Malinbeg.
Best thing about it is its ruggedness, its relative isolation, an edge-of-the-world sentiment and it hasn’t been negatively impact by an inundation of coach tours, snap-and-go tourists, and an elaborate visitor’s centre.
Hopefully, this will be dramatic enough for you.
I was up there a couple of years ago. Very unspoilt and on a clear day great views. Just the sheep to keep you company.
This Wild Atlantic Way was a great idea.
‘Twas
It’s a better experience in very very bad weather !
Been to Slieve League once,fabulous,and a lovely walk to and from the cliffs.
Can you not just drop the family off outside the entrance and just pay €6 for yourself when parking up the car?
Any chance of a southern driveway incorporating a cycleway along the Southern coast from Rosslare to hook up with the Wild Atlantic Way and also an Eastern coast one to join this and the Northern Causeway Route or whatever it is called, I think it would be nice to open up more unused railways like they did with the Mayo Greenway too
Here’s our video of the coast walk from Doolin to the Cliffs. Put it on your bucket list ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anftlby4gSE It’s FREE too !
They have a great free audio guide app too
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