Misty cliffs

Tuesday 3rd September

We put some mileage under the wheels today. Exited County Kerry, crossed over County Limerick and entered County Clare. Not a lot of stops on the way either. One sleepy village for coffee and a fishing marina for lunch. The weather is grey, the cloud low. We’re heading for the Cliffs of Moher so fingers crossed it clears up and gives us a beautiful sunset.

The clouds get lower and thicker. We enter the carpark unable to see beyond a few metres. We wait in the van for a while as the weather app says it will clear. It doesn’t so we rug up and go over to the visitors centre, then we go for a walk along the cliffs. The wind is howling and it’s strong enough to make me lose my balance. I don’t walk too close to the edge, not that I can even see the edge. After an hour or so we concede and go back to the van. We’re planning to stay in the carpark overnight. The app says you have to leave by 9.30am but a worker we chat to says, no one checks and to stay longer, maybe we’ll get a better view in the morning.

Just after I put dinner on the table, I glance outside and boom! The clouds lift, a sliver of blue sky over the cliffs. We drop everything, well not the wine, I finish my glass then hurry back up the path. There are the cliffs, the spectacular views… The wind is still blowing. It’s wild and rugged. The birds are swooping and soaring. When did I stop dreaming I could fly?

I feel sorry for all the people on the coach tours that came through earlier. We get to see both aspects.

Haha, we’d parked beside another camper, on the leeside and when we get back they’ve move to the leeside of us.

4th September

Not a great nights sleep, the wind off the Atlantic punched its weight against the van. You could hear it coming in great gusts. Sometimes it would miss or just skim the side, other times it was a direct blow.

Moving on, we spent the day in Galway. Admired the raging river, walked the cobblestoned streets and visited some noted landmarks.

Unusual landmarks to be sure. First one was Browne Doorway. This is an architectural doorway that was removed from its house in 1905 and placed in the town square. No idea what happened to the rest of the house. It is now enclosed by Perspex walls so can’t really be photographed.

Next was Lynch memorial. Again it is a small piece of a house, this time a wall and an upstairs window. Apparently the town’s mayor in 1493 hung his son from this window for murdering a romantic rival. This is thought to be the origin of the expression ‘to lynch’

After viewing these two part buildings we then went and looked at the remaining part of the Spanish Arch. As with the other 2 landmarks, no idea what happened to the rest of it. From there we went to the museum, it’s right next door. Pretty well done, it leads you through Galways history from the ground floor up to the third. The top floor has photos by windows so you can look at what is now there compared to back in time.

Then there is information about the underwater Ireland, Ireland’s marine area is 10 times its land mass. We learn about the different marine animals found here and the underwater exploration going on. So far a pretty chilled day which is good since we’re both pretty tired from last nights weather interruptions.

We eventually head north again. Despite yesterday’s cliff experience we are planning on visiting another 2 cliff areas so tonight will be spent partway to the first one. I’ve found a spot by the ruins of a mansion and across from a lake. Hopefully it is okay.

Driving across the Ireland countryside, there are so many church ruins. I guess it’s a testament to the historic Catholic/Protestant power struggles.

We arrived at the chosen site and had a great walk around the ruined Moore Hall mansion. It’s just amazing. A driveway between towering trees leading up to an imposing 3 story (+ attics and basement) stone house with pillared entrance. Peering through the barred doorway the grand entrance had curved walls and arched doorways, grand rooms on either side. The facade is partly covered with ivy, the trunks curving up the corners. It is a Special Area of Conservation as it is home to the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and any potential access point is well barricaded against human entry. Exploring further, several metres behind the house there is a long tunnel crossing from one wall to the other and halfway through it is an arched gateway into a secret walled garden butting up against the back side of the house. It has/had roomed areas with curved windows, now all overgrown. Further back on the land is another huge walled garden? area with at least 3 small cottages built into the walls.

Despite it being an interesting place we backtracked to a spot we’d passed right on the lake to stay the night. Some locals approved our choice saying the carpark at the mansion sometimes gets young louts and that where we are now is totally peaceful and we should have a good night. It’s a little chilly but I cook and we eat dinner with the door wide open. First time in Ireland.

It’s a clear night so Greg resists an early night to do some more astral photography.

5th September

The locals we’d been talking to said we should see plenty of wildlife, including foxes. The most I saw was a single shag and 3 swans. It’s always so quiet in the morning. It’s surprising both of us how unique New Zealand’s birdsong and dawn chorus is.

Avoiding motorways we wind our way northwards. It feels a lot like home. Is it really? Or have we just become acclimatised to the rural views here?

We find ourselves back on the Wild Atlantic Way, a tourism trail along the lines of Scotland’s NC500 or America’s Route 66. This trail is 2590kms though, so we’ve hopped on and off it along our travels.

The cliffs we are heading for are on the mountain of Sliabh Liag or Slieve League. They are 3 times higher than Moher but not as sheer. They are the highest cliffs in Ireland and are situated at the end of a peninsula. We arrive at the carpark, actually 2 thankfully, one with a height barrier and one without and a gate. If you are unable to walk far or just lazy you can open the gate and drive the 1.5km to the lookout. You miss out on the wild, wind swept walk through the craggy land.

At one point I thought it had started to rain but when we were walking back later we saw that there was a small stream dropping over the cliff. The wind was so strong that the water wasn’t falling down, rather it was going straight up and then back towards land and over the track. It was then running back down into the steam and off the cliff again, a continuous circle.

We reach the lookout at the same time as a small bus load of elderly tourists. So we skip the lookout for now and start up the steep rugged pathway along the cliffs for a bit then up the mountain to a craggy bluff.

The land here is now very like Scotland, peaty and heather. I learned yesterday that the northwest of Ireland and the southeast millions of years ago were completely separate and they crashed together, a bit like Scotland crashed into England and Wales. So I guess that explains the difference in terrain.

As we climb, the wind comes from different angles depending on the rocky crags. When we get up the top, it is just full on! I put both my feet together and lean into the wind, incidentally also the edge of the bluff. It’s scary how far forward I get. I’m laughing but I really have to concentrate because the gusts drop unexpectedly and I could fall flat on my face. It is totally exhilarating!

A 5 hour hike will take you to a stunning cove apparently but we descend back to the now deserted lookout. The views from higher were better lol. A potent reminder why we’re traveling now, not after we retire.

I’d picked a spot for the night at a nice sheltered beach, back along the main peninsula and on another smaller peninsula. Yeah, not really us so, we move on about 200 metres to the headland. We’re now looking back at the Slieve League mountain across an inlet with grey, white capped waves crashing against the land. Signs warning ‘Danger! No swimming, No surfing’. It’s windy but not that bad. The tourists on those buses are now probably in some pretty hotel, eating a buffet dinner, looking at paintings of the coast. We are here on that coast, those ‘paintings’ our views. Red wine and a yummy risotto. Rather be here and much cheaper too. Justification for traveling now rather than at retirement. And, if we’d done this in our 20’s we wouldn’t have had the same appreciation.