(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Standing on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, staring down a precipitous, near-vertical drop of 702ft, I can feel my stomach acids churn. My vertigo is rearing its ugly head again.
But I'm determined to battle my demons in order to enjoy the view. After all, how could one visit one of Ireland's most stunning spots - a UNESCO heritage site to boot - and forego the Cliffs' head-spinning views?
Doonagore castle, about halfway between the village of Doolin and the cliffs of Moher
So I take a deep breath and inch, ever so slowly, towards a cliff that had viewing balconies, and sit down and let my feet dangle in the Atlantic ocean breeze - warily, at first, but soon more excitedly - from under the balcony's railings, as many others around me were also doing. With my fear rapidly abating, I begin to enjoy myself, my pleasure amplified by the sound of ocean waves crashing into the rocky shore below.
The entire panorama in front of me offers rich pickings for the camera, from the jagged sandstone and shale rocky formations and the multi-hued striations on them, to the Aran islands dreamily drifting near the horizon, the lush green valleys girded by centuries-old stone walls. This is a quintessentially Irish landscape
Sheep grazing on the cliffs are a common sight
SIGHTS FROM THE EDGE
The Cliffs of Moher Geopark, located on Ireland's west coast, between the cities of Limerick and Galway, offers some pretty unique floral diversity and fascinating archaeology. The geology is characterised by fossil-rich limestone hills, dramatic seascapes, seasonal lakes and a gargantuan network of subterranean caves. The area also hosts rare natural habitats and unique floral assemblages not found anywhere else on Earth, as well as abundant proofs of human settlement dating back over 6,000 years.
To reach the cliffs, we leave the Irish capital of Dublin in our cosy deluxe coach one early morning, with enough croissants, coffee and fruits for gastronomic company. Travelling westwards along the Atlantic Ocean, our coach windows are constantly filled - like a 3D movie screen - with magnificent Atlantic coastal landforms and breathtaking green pastures dotted with skewbald cows. This route is christened the Wild Atlantic Way, our guide informs us.
Just over a couple of hours later, we disembark from the vehicle at Galway, the starting point of our walking tour. Stretching our limbs, we gulp our drinks down and begin the trek. After hiking for about 40 minutes through enchanting countryside vistas, we stop at a vantage point to snap some pictures of the gorgeous valleys. The Cliffs of Moher come into view around midday, and this day is particularly beautiful, with blue skies and plump white clouds and a refreshing breeze blowing. More importantly, for a place that experiences 250 days of rain a year, there is no rain today!
But it's easy to see why a million visitors nip up to this vertiginous wonder each year - the sight of the lapis lazuli-coloured ocean and the waves gently eroding the soft shale and sandstone is quite breathtaking. We hiked for another 30 minutes on a mildly steep gradient to get to O'Brien's Tower - the peak, so to speak. The rock-shaped building was built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien; for a small additional fee of ?2 you can climb even higher for an even more gob smacking view.
All along the incline, we spot musicians playing sundry instruments -fiddles, harps, accordions. Some even have their CDs displayed next to them in case you feel the urge to take some of that music back with you. At the tower, the sky suddenly closes in, bringing a wispy curtain of rain. Then, just as quickly, the cloudy formations rolled over and retreated, leaving shadows over the inland hills and an iridescent sun shining through, lending the Cliffs an even more mesmerising beauty.
NATURAL WINGED WONDERS
Apart from the gorgeous natural vistas, Moher boasts an amazing, diverse fauna. Puffins, guillemots, gannets, and shags inhabit the cliff face and feed in the waters below. Hawks, gulls, ravens, and choughs comprise the other 30,000 birds among the 29 species nesting here. The famed Atlantic Puffins live in large colonies in the Cliffs' isolated parts, and on the small Goat Island. As the Cliffs' 8km range also hosts Ireland's largest mainland seabird nesting colony, it's been marked a Special Protected Area under the European Union Birds Directive of 1979.
Many of the region's winged creatures can be viewed at an exhibition at the Visitor Centre, which showcases the Cliffs and its natural environment. It tells several stories with images, interactive exhibits, displays, and captivating short films. The 'Ledge' - an amazing 3D virtual reality cliff-face adventure - allows one to see the cliffs through the eyes of a seabird!
My guide, Christine, fills me in: "The cliffs mainly consist of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom. One can even see the 300 million-year-old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs on a bright, sunny day."
After spending half a day at the cliffs, we head back to Dublin, with a brief stopover at The Burren, a unique, windblown limestone moonscape that provides a superb ecosystem for flora, fauna, caves and plenty of history. The Burren is home to more than 90 megalithic tombs along the villages of Kinvara and Kilfenora, with their famous stone Celtic crosses.
Final stop: Poulnabrone Dolmen - a portal tomb made of limestone slabs dating back to the Neolithic period. During the final leg of the journey, winding up the emerald hills, our guide points out Corcomroe Abbey, a 13th century monastery, and the Ballyalban Fairy Fort, a prehistoric ring fort with mythical Irish folklore origins of fairies and leprechauns. Majestic views or magical characters, clearly, there wasn't a single dull moment for us on this trip!
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