With minimal planning prior to our
trip to Ireland, we took the option of booking a bus tour from a local operator after arriving in Galway. Having one full day to spend on the western coast of Ireland, an easy choice was a tour that included the famous Cliffs of Moher in its itinerary. Not surprisingly, with the popularity of this attraction, there were a handful of operators who offered fairly similar tours on this theme. The one that we picked was a full day tour, which made stops at several locations representative of the landscape and history of west Ireland --- Aillwee Cave, the Cliffs of Moher, a lunch break at the small village of Doolin, coastal drive viewing the distinctive landscape of the Burren region, and finally a stop at the 16th century Dunguaire Castle.
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Day tour of Cliffs of Moher and the Burren region |
The first stop of the tour was at the Aillwee Cave. The cave was discovered in mid-20th century and opened to the public in the 1970s. The model of a large brown bear stood aloft at the entrance to the cave. Ancient bones of a bear had been found inside the cave, suggesting it was inhibited by bears in the distant past.
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| Visitors entering the cave are greeted by the towering figure of a brown bear |
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| Aillwee Cave |
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| Aillwee Cave |
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| An unusual feature in the cave --- a waterfall. |
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| Waterfall inside Aillwee Cave |
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| Scenery at the location of Aillwee Cave |
Our next stop was the highlight of the tour --- the Cliffs of Moher. We were allowed ample time to explore the Cliffs on our own. The imposing landscape, with vertical cliff walls that drop over a hundred metres to the ocean below, stretches for miles along the coast. A nice round tower, white in colour, stands on a plateau near the car park and visitors' centre. Apparently the tower, named O'Brien's Tower, marks the highest point of the cliffs.
We ventured to walk on the cliffs along the Atlantic coast as far south as time allowed, possibly for a mile or two. But the end was nowhere in sight. We made plenty of pauses on the way, taking in the spectacular scenery across the ocean and back along the cliffs. Eventually we had to turn back, just managing to reach the bus by the agreed time.
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher |
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| O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| High clouds over the Cliffs of Moher |
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| O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Cliffs of Moher |
After a brief stop for lunch in a nice pub in the small village of Doolin, we continued with a drive northwards along the coast in the Burren region. We made another stop by the Black Head Lighthouse. The distinctive geology of the limestone pavement by the coast was an eye-opener.
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| Clints (blocks) separated by grykes (fissures) in a limestone pavement by the Burren coast. |
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| The Burren coast |
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| The Burren |
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| Limestone pavement by the Burren coast |
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| Black Head Lighthouse on the Burren coast |
Our last stop on the way back to Galway was at the 16th-century Dunguaire Castle. Remarkably, the restored castle still opens in the summer months for hosting banquets.
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| Dunguaire Castle |
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