Cliffs of Moher: Standing at the Edge of Ireland's Wild Atlantic

The Cliffs of Moher stretch for eight kilometres along the coast of County Clare in the west of Ireland, rising from 120 metres at their southern end to 214 metres at their highest point near O'Brien's Tower. They were formed around 320 million years ago from layers of Namurian shale and sandstone deposited in a river delta, and the horizontal banding of the rock face — dark shale alternating with lighter sandstone — is clearly visible from the sea. The cliffs face due west, directly into the prevailing Atlantic weather, and on stormy days the waves crash against their base with a force that can be felt through the ground.

The clifftop path runs the full length of the cliffs, with the official visitor centre at the northern end and a series of viewpoints along the way. The path is unfenced in places, and the wind can be fierce — gusts of over 100 kilometres per hour have been recorded at the cliff edge. The views are extraordinary in all weathers: on clear days, the Aran Islands are visible to the northwest, the Twelve Bens of Connemara to the north, and the Maumturk Mountains beyond them; on stormy days, the spray from the breaking waves rises above the cliff top and the sea is a churning grey-green.

The cliffs are home to one of Ireland's largest seabird colonies, with an estimated 30,000 birds nesting on the ledges and in the crevices of the rock face. Atlantic puffins arrive in April and depart in August, nesting in burrows on the grassy clifftop; razorbills, guillemots, and kittiwakes crowd the narrow ledges of the cliff face; and peregrine falcons nest in the higher sections and can be seen hunting the smaller birds with spectacular aerial dives. The best time to see the puffins is in May and June, when they are feeding their chicks and making frequent trips to and from the sea.

The Burren, the limestone plateau that extends inland from the cliffs, is one of the most unusual landscapes in Europe — a vast pavement of bare grey limestone, cracked and fissured by millennia of rainfall, in which an extraordinary variety of plants grow in the crevices. Arctic, Mediterranean, and alpine species grow side by side in the Burren, a botanical anomaly explained by the combination of the limestone's warmth-retaining properties and the mild Atlantic climate. In May and June, the Burren is carpeted with wildflowers: mountain avens, bloody cranesbill, spring gentian, and dozens of orchid species.

The Aran Islands, visible from the cliffs on clear days, are three limestone islands at the mouth of Galway Bay that have preserved a way of life and a form of the Irish language that has largely disappeared from the mainland. Inis Mór, the largest island, is home to Dún Aonghasa, a prehistoric stone fort perched on the edge of a 100-metre cliff — one of the most dramatically situated archaeological sites in Europe. The islands are reached by ferry from Doolin, a small village at the base of the cliffs famous for its traditional music sessions.

The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's 2,500-kilometre coastal driving route, passes through the Cliffs of Moher and connects them to dozens of other dramatic coastal landscapes along the west coast. The route runs from Donegal in the north to Cork in the south, passing through Connemara, the Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, and the Beara Peninsula — a succession of sea cliffs, sandy beaches, offshore islands, and mountain ranges that constitute one of the finest coastal drives in the world.

The Cliffs of Moher receive over 1.5 million visitors a year, making them one of Ireland's most visited natural attractions. The visitor centre, built into the hillside to minimise its visual impact, contains an exhibition on the geology, ecology, and history of the cliffs. The best time to visit is in the shoulder seasons of April-May and September-October, when the crowds are smaller and the light is at its most dramatic. Arriving early in the morning, before the tour buses from Galway and Limerick, gives you the cliffs largely to yourself.