Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk

The Cliffs of Moher need little introduction — they're Ireland's most visited natural attraction, drawing 1.5 million people a year to the County Clare coast. But most visitors see them from the Visitor Centre car park, on a 500m section of the cliff path, for perhaps 45 minutes. The full coastal walk — 18km from Doolin in the north to Liscannor in the south — is a different experience entirely. The walk takes the full morning and afternoon. It covers the entire length of the cliffs, rising to O'Brien's Tower at 214m, dropping to sea level at the southern end at Hag's Head, and passing through cliff-top farmland that is largely unchanged from what it looked like a century ago. In the northern section, the Burren limestone begins to yield to the shale and sandstone that forms the cliffs themselves — the geological boundary is visible in the cliff face if you look closely. Between April and July, the cliff ledges host one of Ireland's most accessible seabird colonies. Puffins nest in burrows on the grass slopes immediately behind the cliff edge and can be watched at close range. Razorbills, guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars and choughs all breed on the cliff faces. The gannet colony at Ailladie, visible offshore, is one of the largest in Connacht.