The Falls Hotel 30k to the Cliffs and back
The sun had yet to rise as I made my way from The Falls Hotel this morning onto the bicycle path that leads all the way to Lahinch. It was a real pleasure to ride along the four kilometre purpose built piece of cycling infrastructure.
Arriving in Lahinch I detoured via the promenade where I stopped to watch the sun rise but I was not the first to arrive. Dozens of surfers were already in the water, making the most of the Wild Atlantic Waves.
Back on the road I rolled on past Lahinch Golf club which had yet to come to life. The manicured greens, some of which are just in over the low wall, were very impressive set amongst the challenging seaside grasses on what is said to be one of the finest Links golf courses in the World.
By the end of the golf course you are half way to Liscannor just out the road. A place made famous by it’s stone, but from a cycling point of view the start of the climb to The Cliffs of Moher.
Along the way, coincidentally, as I was contemplating phone coverage in remote locations I spotted a red telephone box, far removed from its natural environment. Few would have noticed it in a car but there again lies the beauty of exploring the countryside on a bike.
The Sun had risen as I approached the Cliffs of Moher. At this hour of the morning in late October I had envisioned having them all to myself, but there were quiet a few American, German and French tourists who seemed to have had the same idea.
As I precariously balanced my bike against a step one American lady took pity on me and offered to take a photo for me. What would she have thought had she seen where I had positioned the bike just a few moments beforehand.
Usually I like to loop routes but this one had a nice downhill as a reward back to Liscannor and that nice bike path back to the Falls in Ennistymon, not to mention the view when travelling in the opposite direction, so off I set for the return journey.
The golf club had now come to life as a group looked set to tee off and there were more surfers than ever out on the water.
Back in Ennistymon I stopped by the bridge to look back towards the hotel from the Falls themselves to gain a different perspective on the fabulous view that I had been looking out on at dinner the previous evening and at breakfast this morning. The natural waterfalls that have given the hotel its name are just as impressive from above as they are from below, and the hotel is picture perfect when framed below them.
Minutes later I was at the other end looking back up from the garden in front of the hotel having had a very enjoyable morning visiting one of Irelands most famous attractions whilst also taking in the other attractions and views along the way.
This route would rate 4/7 for difficulty.
Here is the Garmin file of todays Falls Hotel 30k
Here is todays Strava file of The Falls Hotel 30k
And here is a smartphone downloadable file on mapmyride
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<a href=”http://www.mapmyride.com/courses/1452526″ target=”_blank”>View this Course</a> on <a href=”http://mapmyride.com” target=”_blank”>MapMyRide</a>
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Barry
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