Biking Through the Cliffs of Moher

The first day of our bike tour started bright and early. 2 a.m. states time, but a reasonable 8 a.m. in Ireland. We were both feeling well rested and ready to go thanks to our solid nights sleep and dramamine induced naps.  Our hostel served us breakfast, cereal and fruit for me and a hearty Irish breakfast of sausage, potato pancakes and eggs for  dad. A few slammed cups of coffee later we hit the busy roads of Ennis.

Our  first Irish friend

My favorite Irish flower

Neither of us like negotiating through traffic very much so we thanked St. Patrick as we entered the countryside a few miles outside of Ennis. We were instantly greeted by insanely green fields and beautiful old manors turned into modern Bed and Breakfasts.  The first friendly face we met was of a beautiful brown gelding and his little sheep friends. We crossed a narrow stone bridge and continued on for about 8 miles, stopping often to take pictures and point out old ruins. The constant rainfall in Ireland provides a fairly tropical climate with many flowers that we didn't recognize. My favorite was the one pictured, a tall cone shaped purple plant with many small flowers on it. The inside was littered with white dots and tiny hairs.

Dad in Ennistimon, County Clare

The directions that our bike tour provided us with were full of old-time signs. " Pass Kilkinney pub and turn left after the disused bridge."  As we entered the tiny town of Ennistimon we were presented with a great view; a rushing river curving it's way through an ancient village, crumbling towers and churches keeping guard over the still bustling town from atop the hillside. Here dad posed for a picture.

We continued on a very narrow, one lane road for about another 4 miles confronted with many obstacles. Tractors too large for the road attempted to pass us, thrusting us into the nearby bushes and angry dogs yapped at our wheels, barely missing our frantically pedaling feet. Our hard work paid off and as we reached the crest of a small hill we finally saw it, The Atlantic Ocean glistening a few short miles away. "There she blows!" I shouted as we glided into the coastal town of Lehinch.

The seaside town of Lehinch

Lunch at O'Dooly's seafood restaurant provided us with seafood chowder and open-faced clam sandwiches. We strolled the beach as wet-suit clad youngsters eagerly listened to surf teachers and big black crows picked through the trashcans. I'd been most excited to see the coast of Ireland, and here we were, as far west as the little island would allow.  We enjoyed the view while drinking a few lattes, we knew the hardest part of our bike ride was next, ascending the steep cliffs of Moher.

The ancient seaside cemetery

We instantly got lost. Our once precise directions had been written at breakfast, and the author had obviously had a few too many Guinness as he recorded our way to the cliffs. With directions such as "observe the fact that you can turn left at this intersection, and behold, a right turn awaits you ahead. But don't take it! take the right turn a half-mile back by the unmarked road and travel on it for 7 miles until you see any sort of landmark to show that you are even on the right road..." We added on an extra 4 miles immediately, then peddled on blissfully unaware of still uncorrected path. A blessing in disguise we stumbled upon the most magical cemetery I have ever seen. Despite the looming rain cloud and approaching dusk we couldn't help but linger, reading the ancient tombstones dating as far back as the 1700s. We could feel the ancient sleep of this peaceful seaside cemetery as we carefully stepped over ivy covered tombs and wound our way under narrow archways and crumbling walls. The extreme beauty of this cemetery will never leave me, and in this case pictures really do speak louder than words.

Peering into the old church

Seaside Cemetery

We cycled on another six miles, the hardest six miles of my life, straight up the Cliffs of Moher. In addition to being an extremely beautiful natural site, The Cliffs have also been mentioned numerable times in popular culture. In the movie The Princess Bride the cliffs are referred to as "The Cliffs of Insanity" and in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry and Dumbledore visit the cliffs to retrieve a Horcrux. Climbing the hundreds of steep stairs to the top of the viewing spot was difficult with legs that had already turned to jelly, but well worth it. Dad and I managed to get separated at the busy bathrooms and you can imagine the Liam Neeson, Taken, jokes that ensued.

The Cliffs of Moher

 Panoramic shot of the cliffs

Me at the Cliffs of Moher

After the cliffs we rode downhill another 3 or 4 miles to the coastal town of Doolin. We washed up and had a traditional Irish dinner accompanied, of course, by Irish music. The final highlight of the day was an old round tower; we originally thought it was a ruin but after a closer look we realized that someone has restored it to a livable home with a breathtaking view of the Irish coast. Dad decided it would make a nice writing cave for his next book. Not too shabby.

The round tower house overlooking Doolin