O’Brien’s Tower on the Cliffs of Moher Walk
I really hate crowds and ‘popular’ tourist sites. This makes being a ‘professional traveler’ a bit difficult at times. When my Ireland itinerary took me to the uber touristed Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, I wondered if I would really like it or if all of the people would annoy me.
Luckily Ireland Walk Hike Bike stepped in and saved me from a travel melt down. Instead of just going to the Cliffs of Moher visitor Center area to take the same photos everyone takes and fight the crowd, they suggested I walk along the Cliffs of Moher and see much more than just the visitor center section.
Cliffs of Moher Walk
This portion of Ireland’s Burren Way Trail links the villages of Liscannor and Doolin. And right in the middle of the two villages along the Burren Way is the Cliffs of Moher visitor center. The total distance is 8 miles but due to time constraints I chose to drive out to the visitor center, park my rental car and walk the 4.5 miles back into town along the Burren Way. Then my B&B owner agreed to drive me the short distance back out to my car in the visitor parking lot to pick it back up. If you can’t organize a ride then you can get a taxi to take you back out from Doolin to the visitor center easily. So with a little coordination, you can find yourself on a solo hike in some of the most picturesque landscapes in Ireland!
Escaping the crowds and beginning my Cliffs of Moher Walk
The visitor center area was crowded, however once I got out of that vicinity, everyone seemed to disappear and soon I found myself walking along some of the most spectacular cliff trails in my life – all alone. It was just me, some cows, the occasional rainstorms, and gusts of wind. I kept thinking to myself – why aren’t more people on this trail? And then remembered that I actually loved this trail because there was no one on it. The trail led you right along the coastline through fields of livestock, and sea spray. Even though I had to weather a number of storms during the walk, the best thing about a storm was it would blow through, the sun came out, and everything appeared so green and fresh it about hurt my eyes. I’ve never seen such a vibrant green like that before, it made me want to cry tears of happiness as I took it all in.
Before I knew it the sound of the crashing waves disappeared and the sounds of Irish music started wafting through the air. The trail took me right in to the village of Doolin past the pubs – which is the perfect way to end this walk.
I was overjoyed with the Cliffs of Moher walk and really found it was a great way to connect to the landscape. And of course, I took so many pictures and video I didn’t know what to do with it all, so I’ve put together a little video recap of my walk.
See my Essential Hiking Gear List
Now that you’ve chosen a hike, you need to know what gear to take with you! Don’t leave on your hike without these hiking gear essentials!
More Info on how you can do the Cliffs of Moher walk in Ireland:
Cliffs of Moher Map
Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk – plan your visit
Difficulty – easy (most is downhill or flat)
Coastal Walk Map (on your left) – The trail is well marked – no map is really necessary – just keep the coast on your left and you’ll end up in Doolin.
My B&B I stayed in – Suantrai B&B
Taxi Service from Doolin
For more hiking help – Ireland Walk Hike Bike will organize the whole thing for you including accommodation and transportation!
Burren Way website – Remember the Cliffs of Moher walk is only a small section of this overall trail.
- Wild Atlantic Way Road Trip Guide
- Driving in Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way
- Taking on the Wild Atlantic Way Solo
- 8 Reasons and Photographs to Fall in Love with Ireland
- A Day on Dingle Peninsula Hiking Through History
- Seeing Quiet
- Adventures in Connemara
- The Best Way to See The Cliffs of Moher
- Sometimes You Just Have to Walk It Alone
- The Most Beautiful Place You’ve Ever Seen
- What To Do on a Rainy Day on the Wild Atlantic Way
- Don’t Fence Me In
- Cork City Photo Walk
By Katie @ Second-Hand Hedgehog January 29, 2015 - 8:06 am
Fab tip! I don’t mind touristy sites now and again, because they’re usually touristy with good reason, but it’s also great to get away from it all and not feel like you’re competing for space with a million other people. This looks like such a beautiful walk – reminds me a little bit of a clifftop walk I did on the south of the Isle of Man. Gorgeous!
By De'Jav January 29, 2015 - 10:46 am
This looks like a magnificent place to be. Definitely feel ya on places that are touristy just being around crowds isn’t for me either. Great pics
By Amber January 29, 2015 - 9:51 pm
Great tips on how to avoid the crowds, one of the reasons I went to the Cliffs on our first visit to Ireland, and have never returned. Instead, we spend time in Kilkee, just a little father south, which has some similar cliffs, and a great cliff walk, with absolutely no tourists!
By Lillie February 3, 2015 - 12:08 am
Filing away this tip for our trip… in two weeks!!!
By Don February 5, 2015 - 10:54 am
Hey Sherry! I’m looking at parking at the visitor center around 7PM-ish and then hiking down to Nag’s Head and back to catch the sunset around 10PM (I’ll be there in June). Did you have a chance to hike south from the visitor’s center?
If so, I was wondering if you felt there was a “more dramatic” section of the trail.
By Lynn Greene March 18, 2016 - 6:12 am
Hi, Your info and tips are great but would like to say that your map says ‘Nag’s Head’. It is actually called ‘Hag’s Head’. I live in nearby Limerick and the Cliffs are a favorite place of mine.
By Sherry March 18, 2016 - 11:45 am
Argh! That was on the map that I used from the internet! I didn’t create it. Well – I will see if I can find a different one. Thanks for letting me know!
By Mary Henry October 23, 2016 - 3:01 pm
We are traveling to Galway, Ireland and flying into Shannon. Arrival time 8:30 a.m. There are 4 of us and we would like to schedule a tour through the Burren and Cliffs of Moher. Can you recommend a tour group or Taxi driver who could pick us up at the Shannon airport then drop us off at our hotel in Galway after our tour?
By Sherry October 23, 2016 - 3:12 pm
Hi Mary! Sounds like you have an exciting trip planned! The company I used (and LOVED) to help me set up the BnB’s, taxi, and gave me route maps was Ireland Walk Hike Bike – a local company that has been operating in the area for year. Here’s their website – http://www.irelandwalkhikebike.com/ – but I recommend calling them and talk to Maurice about maybe customizing something for your group – I think they can. I did a self guided option that they set up for me and there are long hikes you can do along the Cliffs of Moher too that they do. If you do contact them – tell them I sent you (just passing on good karma) and let me know how it goes!
By Suzanne King July 16, 2017 - 12:04 pm
We will be in Galway this Sept at the end of a biking trip in the area. we have 2 days in Galway then have to head to Dublin to catch our flight home. Can you tell me the name of the B&B you stayed in. I was planning to stay in Galway both nights but this sounds like much more fun, how far is this from Galway proper. Thanks for a great suggestion, it sounds like fun.
By Sherry July 18, 2017 - 8:55 am
You mean the B&B I stayed at in Doolin? Here’s the link – http://www.bedandbreakfast-directory.co.uk/info.asp?id=46861
I hope you do the hike – it’s great! And much better than simply staying in Galway! 🙂 I don’t recall exactly how far it was from Galway – maybe a few hours of driving. If you stay in Doolin it’s a great small village where you can listen to local music and meet locals.
By Jean Farrell August 31, 2017 - 11:25 am
That’s fantastic. I wish I’d known about that when I last visited the Cliffs of Moher, although it wasn’t obscenely crowded, just regular crowded, when we were there. Next time.
By Sherry September 1, 2017 - 5:04 pm
Yes – next time! It’s just a lovely hike!
By Mickey August 21, 2019 - 4:44 pm
Hi Sherry, This is exactly the walk I want to take but everyone keeps discouraging the walk from the visitor center to Doolin and suggest taking the opposite route from Doolin to the tower.
I have a difficulty with uphill climbs due to back issues but feel I could make the walk downhill to Doolin much easier. And I plan to take lots of photos so I don’t really want to go with a large group.Just my husband and me. I would really like to get some sunset pictures but don’t want to navigate the trail at dark.
Can you recommend a good time to start at the visitor center and still be at the end before dark. I will be going the last week of September. Also, is there a car park near the end or the trail at Doolin? If not, how far is it in to town once you leave the cliff path?
By Sherry August 22, 2019 - 9:43 am
I have no idea why anyone would discourage it. I did this about 4 years ago – but I can’t imagine it has changed. If I recall – there is a car park near the end of the trail – however I don’t remember for sure. I just walked into town – and I don’t recall it being far at all. It all depends on where you are staying I suppose. I was at the opposite end of town so I had a little further to walk. I honestly don’t know why you could just take a taxi to the visitor center and walk back like I did. It wasn’t a hard hike at all – the hardest part for me was the changing weather and getting rained on occasionally! I would look up the sunset times for the end of September. I took a lot of pictures along the way and took my time – but I think it took me about 2 hours. I hope you do it!
By Mickey August 22, 2019 - 12:04 pm
Thank you for clarifying that because that is what I hope to do. We plan to leave the car at the end of the trail and take a bus or something up to the visitor center and walk back. I had searched everywhere on this topic because everyone only talks about the trip from Doolin up the 5 mile hike. So glad I ran across your blog. I just couldn’t imagine why people were saying, no you can’t walk down from the tower, but offered no explanation as to why? So thank you again.