Dingle has been great, but we’re moving on this
morning. Destination: Cliffs of Moher. It’s 270km if you drive through, but just 150
if you take the Shannon Ferry. Mandy’s
not a huge ferry fan, especially on windy, choppy days, so there’s a lot of
anxious energy coming from the passenger seat of the Opal Corsa. We get to the pier and wait for our ship to
come in. As far as boats go, Shannon
Breeze is not overly impressive to look at.
Pretty much a barge with front and back ramps, so not real calming for
you-know-who. We’re first on and pull
all the way up to the other ramp and set sail quickly. There’s a platform on top of the pilot house
to take in the sights, but it’s cold and windy so we’re back in the car in two
minutes. The ferry is well designed so we
barely feel a bump for the entire 20-minute crossing.
On the other side, the roads start out narrower than we have
seen yet, in some cases both mirrors scrape the vegetation on either side
simultaneously. I’m having a ball, Mandy
not so much so. Eventually things loosen
up some and we make the beach at Spanish Point by 11. They have a lot of pretty beaches here, and
the locals use them. What we would
consider a New Years Day polar bear plunge, they consider a Monday morning
dip. But we have noted some
adaptations. The man coming out of the
surf when we get there immediately pulls on a purpose made post-swim bubble
coat, an oversized, ankle length, puffy jacket with shinny thermal lining and a
big hood. We see dozens of bathers with
similar garments over the next few days.
We stop for lunch in Lahinch at The Corner Stone, an old pub
on Main Street. Even in these modest
digs, the food is absolutely great. The
seafood chowder is loaded with fresh dill and is one of the best we have had to
date (and that’s saying something!) The
crab and smoked fish potato cakes are a creative delicacy, surprising light and
very satisfying, served over a yummy salad.
We finish with the smoked salmon platter. It is simply terrific, and there has got to
be a pound-and-a-half on the dish, an absolute bargain at 17 euros. We take in the art gallery across the street
before we head out.
Fully fueled, we’re ready for the Cliffs of Moher. This is a stop that Mandy and I have been
looking forward to since we started planning this trip a year ago. We park at a farmer’s field just south of the
cliffs, pay the farmers wife 5 euros (I guess I can’t say that… who’s to say
she’s not the farmer and her husband keeps the house?), pull on our hiking
boots and set out. After about a 2km hike,
the cliffs begin in earnest as we turn right at the big monolith jutting high
into the blue sky. Besides the
well-defined path, and a few signs warning you not to be an idiot and fall off,
the cliffs are wholly unspoiled by railings or other manmade structures. The cliffs are every bit as breathtaking as
we hoped and we take tons pictures in our excitement. With each photo we notice another detail… a
natural bridge, color variations and texture variants. The gulls are in, soaring in the constant
wind that blows up the steep rock faces, diving to take fish and nesting in the
crevices of the walls. We walk and look
and snap and selfie and 7km goes by in a flash.
We end up at the visitor center, a brilliantly designed two level
structure cut right into the rock. The
big parking lot and well designed ramps lot makes the cliffs accessible to
virtually everyone, but also makes for big crowds, so we grab a cab back to our
car.
We’re doubling back to Spanish Point for tonight, so we
drive through Lahinch again and decide to head back Kenny Woolen Mills, the art
gallery we visited after lunch. It’s all
local artists and we strike up a conversation with the owner, Rosie. The gallery and the attached general store
were started by Rosie’s mother and now Rosie is happily carrying on the family
business. It’s well curated and Rosie
tells us about how each artists background influences their aesthetic. We select a nice framed piece, bringing a bit
of this beach to our own back home.
We finish the trip back to Spanish Point where we check into
the Armada Hotel. The Armada was built
on the site of the old Johnny Burkes Pub.
Well, it was actually built ON Johnny Burkes Pub which they kept intact
and in operation and made into one of the front entrances to the hotel. The other public spaces are well done, the
chic, modern restaurant and bar in stark contrast to the funky old pub. We have nice cocktails and sizzling crab
claws in modern bar before having dinner at Johnny’s. After dinner we hop in the car to take in the
sunset over the beach, but unfortunately my iPhone can’t capture the true hues
of pink and purple as the sun sinks below the horizon. A grand old dame with a lovely aire about it,
alas the Armada is starting to show its age with frayed awnings and stained
carpets. When we found no washcloths in our room, we
called down and were surprised to be told that “We’re out. Sorry.” We do wish the place well and hope it can someday
be returned to its former status.
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