The Doolin Cliff Walk: A Unique Way to See the Cliffs of Moher
If you’re planning a trip to Ireland there’s a good chance you’ve come across the Cliffs of Moher in your research. The Cliffs of Moher are the stunning, hundreds-of-feet-high cliffs along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way featured in all things Ireland-related. You have a few different ways to visit the cliffs, but I’m here to tell you that hiking along the Doolin Cliff Walk is the most rewarding.
By hiking the Doolin Cliff Walk you get to actually experience the Cliffs of Moher instead of just driving up and looking at them. The distinction may seem arbitrary, but you’ll understand what I mean once you’re hiking along the cliffs. You get a much more intimate perspective by actually experiencing the cliffs in this way.
If you’re still unsure if this trek is for you, keep reading to learn more about what you can expect along the Doolin Cliff Walk!
Updated November 2024
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The Doolin Cliff Walk at a Glance
| Length: | 10 miles out and back |
| Elevation Gain: | About 500 feet |
| Time: | 4 – 6 hours |
| Difficulty: | Moderate due to some inclines and precarious terrain, more difficult in windy or rainy conditions |
| Highlights: | Many views of the Cliffs of Moher, Doonagore Castle, friendly horses, Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre |
Doolin Cliff Walk Guide
Described below are the more distinctive sections of the Doolin Cliff Walk in the order you’ll encounter them from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. I discuss the return trip later in this article, but it’s essentially the same, just in reverse.
This isn’t a step-by-step guide to the hike. Nevertheless, I do want to stress one thing to remember along this hike: Be careful and stay away from the edges. Many parts bring you close to the edge, some more so than others, so proceed with caution. The cliffs are also prone to high winds, so take extra care on windy days.
For this reason, if traveling with young kids, you may want to skip the hike and just drive to the visitor center.
At the Doolin Cliff Walk Trailhead
As you reach the southern end of Doolin, instead of following the main road right to go to the docks, continue straight. Walk about a hundred yards or so till the road forks to the left this time. Again, stay straight to continue on to the Doolin Cliff Walk. You’ll know you did the right thing once the trail changes from paved road to dirt.
The hike actually begins at that first branch in Doolin. So, if you want to record your hike on a GPS device, this is where you should click to start.
Views of Doonagore Castle
Doonagore Castle was one of my favorite castles throughout our trip to Ireland. It’s not the most impressive-looking castle, but it sits perfectly on the landscape as if it were a natural feature.
This castle will be with you for much of the first couple miles of your hike, looming large on the horizon on your left. These aren’t the best views of the castle (try to drive up closer to it at some point during your stay in Doolin), but they’re impressive, nonetheless.
Farm Pastures Along the Doolin Cliff Walk
If you read my post about running while you travel, you know I’m a fan of close-up encounters with farm animals. I don’t know what it is, but something about seeing farm animals in other countries is so much more endearing than seeing them in America.
Regardless, much of your hike is going to be along farmlands. The best portion comes around the second mile and extends for another mile or so. Around this point, Michelle became BFF’s with a particularly friendly horse.
Maybe if you’re from Ireland or the UK, this isn’t much of a highlight. For an American, though, it is quite unique to be hiking along lands right next to pastoral fields like these.
Viewpoint With Binoculars
Around 2.5 miles or so you’ll come across a small jut of land with binoculars for you to view the cliffs farther south along the coastline. You can see the first views of the more iconic Cliffs of Moher from this viewpoint.
Asides from that, this segment of the Doolin Cliff Walk doesn’t have much else worth noting. We saw a couple get engaged here, so that was kind of neat.
Cow Pasture and Closed Trail
This is where the trail started to get a little confusing. Technically, the main trail was closed from this point on when we visited, and I believe still is as of this update (more on this below). There is a detour you can take that goes along the road until it reaches the visitor center. The other option is to just ignore the signs saying it’s closed and continue along the main trail – as many people do.
Now, I’m not condoning you do anything dangerous, but we saw many people continue along the main trail. Further, everyone we talked to in Doolin who recommended we do this hike never mentioned anything about the trail being closed.
Use your best judgment when deciding which way to go. I recommend taking the detour to the main road to be safe if it’s windy or rainy.
We ended up going to the visitor center via the detour and coming back via the actual Doolin Cliff Walk trail. Once we were at the visitor center and saw people going back along the cliffs, we decided to return this way, as well.
One last time for posterity: I am not recommending one way or another. I am simply telling you that some people, including Michelle and me, have still done the original Doolin Cliff Walk trail. The ultimate decision depends on what you are comfortable with.
In August 2024, more sections of the trail were closed due to recent accidents. As far as I can tell, you can still access the closed sections if you ignore the posted signs, but you do so at your own risk. While we did that, we understood the risks and were extra careful. Always be aware of your surroundings while hiking and be extra cautious, especially in bad weather.
Detour Through Cow Pasture
Here’s the rub: Finding the detour to the main road is not obvious, not when we visited, anyways.
I read different things online beforehand with some ambiguous direction about turning left through a narrow passageway next to the cow pasture. However, once you’re there it is unclear where you’re supposed to turn left.
After several minutes of deliberation, walking back and forth, and consulting with another group of people about what to do, we decided to carefully climb over the fence at a spot with some rocks built up along the trail and veered left.
You should also be careful because somewhere around here is what I think must be stinging nettle. All I know is I rubbed my leg against some plant here, and it felt like someone was stabbing me in the calf and shin for the next half hour. Not pleasant.
There’s no denying it: The detour is pretty boring. Once you get to the main road from the cow pasture, it’s just a walk along the road till you reach the visitor center. It is at least a half mile shorter than the main trail, so there is that perk if you’re getting exhausted.
Staying on the Doolin Cliff Walk
As I just mentioned, this is the route we took on the way back from the visitor center. It is infinitely more picturesque than the detour. This part of the trail takes you right along the land’s edge to the visitor center, sometimes literally hugging the abyss as you hike to your destination.
The views along this section of the trail are simply astonishing. They’re easily some of the best views of the Cliffs of Moher along the entire trail.
If you don’t feel comfortable going along this section of the trail, you can still go along it part of the way from the visitor center to escape the crowds before walking back to take the detour. I recommend doing this at the very least.
Danger: Exposed Cliffs!
That said, the reason I emphasized several times now how you should only do what you are comfortable with is because there are several parts of this section of the trail that are genuinely dangerous.
The trail has eroded away enough at a few points where you are right along the cliff’s edge. In fact, there was at least one spot where I had to actually hop over the abyss. It’s just a small hop, but it is scary.
Only continue along the original Doolin Cliff Walk trail if you are confident in your abilities and the weather is cooperative.
The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre
Finally, after nearly five miles you’ve arrived at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. These are the views most people are familiar with when they think of the Cliffs of Moher. While technically the Cliffs of Moher run all the way from Hag’s Head farther south to Doolin, this section is the most impressive.
The visitor center has various activities to take advantage of, including several stores to shop at and two different dining options. Here are the more prominent things worth checking out during your time there.
Take in the Views
This might seem a little obvious, but you should spend most of your time walking along the paved paths admiring the views. They are absolutely incredible to behold. Check out the museum and O’Brien’s Tower briefly. Then get back to the cliffs to take them in for as long as you can.
The Cliffs Featured in Movies
For any Harry Potter fans, see if you can find the cave leading to Voldemort’s horcrux from Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince! It’s a little tricky because the outcropping Dumbledore and Harry stood on was a CGI effect.
You can also spot a part of the cliffs that was featured in The Princess Bride. The scene in question is when they’re climbing up the Cliffs of Insanity towards the beginning of the film. If you’re familiar with the movie or recently watched it, it’s fairly easy to locate this section.
Visitor Center Exhibits
Within the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre is a small museum with various exhibits about the history of the region, the geology of the cliffs, local wildlife and the visitor center itself.
A few of the exhibits were interesting to stop and look at briefly. Nevertheless, I did, in fact, only look at them briefly because I wanted to get back outside to walk along the cliffs.
There is one exhibit that was closed at the time of our visit due to Covid-19 that sounds like it would be worth checking out. That’s The Ledge 4D Experience. It’s a 5-minute film showcasing the relationship between the cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean.
O’Brien’s Tower
It’s impossible to miss O’Brien’s Tower as you hike to the visitor center along the Doolin Cliff Walk. It’s the white tower that you first start noticing from about a mile away.
This tower was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brien in 1835 to act as an observation point for visitors. It still serves in that capacity today. Supposedly, on a clear day you can see all the way to the Aran Islands and the Twelve Bens near Galway.
We weren’t able to experience this when we visited due to the tower being closed for Covid-19 restrictions. I’ve read mixed things about it. The general negative against visiting the tower is that it does not offer much better views than you get on the ground. Still, it could be a fun experience if you have extra time and don’t mind spending €8.
Continue the Doolin Cliff Walk to Hag’s Head
If you haven’t had your fill of hiking yet (and remember, you still need to go back to Doolin), you can extend your hike all the way to the southern edge of the Cliffs of Moher at Hag’s Head.
The distance from the visitor center to Hag’s Head is an additional 3.5 miles. This would make a pretty long hike to do in one day, though (just under 17 miles total). If you want to do the entire Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk, you could always try to get an Uber or shuttle back from Hag’s Head to Doolin.
Returning to Doolin
The return hike to Doolin offers just as many stunning views of the cliffs as before albeit from different perspectives now. In particular, the first three miles coming back will keep your jaw dropped as you admire everything.
With that said, the last mile and a half gets kind of tedious as the more impressive cliffs fade away to rocky coastline. It’s not so much that it isn’t impressive as it is you will likely be flat-out fatigued by now and ready to be done.
It was especially difficult on our hike because the sun was out, and you’re totally exposed. Who goes to Ireland and gets sun burnt?! Us, apparently.
Gus O’Connor’s Pub
Once you finally get back to Doolin, stop for some well-deserved drinks (and water) at Gus O’Connor’s Pub. This prospect is what helped to keep our feet moving for that last bit of the hike!
Gus O’Connor’s is located on the main road through Doolin. Turn left once you come to the end of the trail on to the road like you’re going to the dock. You can actually see the pub from the trail, so you can’t miss it.
After hiking 10 miles, a Guinness or two really hit the spot. Take your time to relax while sipping on your drink of choice. You earned it.
Gus O’Connor’s has indoor and outdoor seating in case the weather isn’t cooperating. There’s also a food menu if you want to replenish some calories from your hike. I can’t speak to the quality of the food because we didn’t have any. What everyone else was having looked good.
Important Things to Know Before Doing the Doolin Cliff Walk
The Doolin Cliff Walk is a long, moderately strenuous hike. It’s important to be mindful of several things when preparing for your hike so you can enjoy yourself.
The number one thing is to be aware of the elements. That means having suntan lotion on hand, dressing appropriately, and wearing sturdy shoes to hike in. For starters, the entire hike is exposed to the sun. Ireland is known for being cloudy and rainy, but we had nothing but sun when we did this hike. We ended up getting sunburnt because we weren’t prepared.
Similarly, because you’re exposed the whole time, you need a rain jacket and warmer clothes in case it gets cold or windy. Even though we got sunburnt, the first part of our hike was earlier in the day when it was a little chilly. Those temperatures can change quickly in Ireland.
Sturdy shoes are another must. Some of the hike is on even ground, but a lot of it is uneven and close to the edge of the cliffs. This hike isn’t the time to be concerned about looking stylish.
It should go without saying to have water and some small snacks before you set off on the Doolin Cliff Walk, too. One item you may not consider is a first aid kit. We always have a small travel-sized kit handy when we go hiking because you never know when you may have an accident. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
You may also want to grab a small picnic lunch in Doolin that’ll fit in your backpack. You can get food at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre, but it’s likely going to be more expensive than what you’ll find in town.
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