Ninety seconds on Cliffs of Moher
From the southern platform the whole wall of the cliffs runs away toward Hag's Head, with the Atlantic at its foot. Tour groups crowd the centre and the tower, and you have the far ends of both paths nearly to yourself.
Two paths leave the visitor centre, one each way along the cliff top. North, the path passes O'Brien's Tower and carries on for about a kilometre, with the Aran Islands out to sea on a clear day. South, it ends at the viewing platform opposite Goat Island, where the puffins nest in burrows on the grass. Look for the white streaks on the rock: that is where the birds are. The centre is dug into the hillside under a grass roof, with an exhibition and a virtual-reality film of the cliff face; keep it for the end, or for the rain. If fog hides the view when you arrive, staff will say so at the gate, and if you are staying nearby a ticket can be reused within 24 hours.
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