Playful Rooted

When we were planning our trip to Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher were number one on my list of “Must Sees.” They are on a lot of people’s lists, actually. They’re Ireland’s most visited natural attraction and one of the country’s most famous sights. I’m so glad we made them a priority; for more reasons than one, it was an experience I’ll never forget.

The Cliffs are insanely beautiful. Insanely! I felt like I was on another planet or something; just the most gorgeous, dramatic, jaw-dropping view I had ever seen. This is one of Mother Nature’s true masterpieces. Untamed, crazily bold, and stunning, with rocky, rugged cliffs, powerful ocean waves, salty air, and ancient rocks beneath our feet. I couldn’t get over how WILD it all felt. It was such a rush, nature at its most extreme.

I was totally enamored.

And also terrified.

Why? Well, here’s why: A lot of the area around the Cliffs is fenced in, but as part of the experience of visiting, you can go walk a path along the edge of the Cliffs (and I’m serious when I say edge. The path is ALONG THE EDGE, and I don’t understand why. There’s plenty of room for a path to be in the middle. Whyyy the outer edge?). There’s a south path and a north path, and our travel buddies, Andrew and Rachel (hi guys!!), got there before we did and had already walked the south portion before we arrived. So since they had already done that one, we agreed that we’d join them for the north path.

Well. I hadn’t realized, when I was doing my research, just how close to the edge the path was (again, why?). And just how vertical the cliffs are, meaning that the drop is abrupt. Before this trip, I didn’t necessarily consider myself to be afraid of heights, but….I made it about 30 feet along the north path, and BAM. My heart started racing. My palms were suddenly drenched with sweat and I felt woozy and light-headed and just very, very scared. I’m not sure if it was the height, the sheer cliff face, or the fact that Ben was ahead of me wearing our CHILD in a carrier on his back. I just. couldn’t. do it.

I told Ben to go ahead without me and returned to the fenced-in portion, trying to act like everything was semi-okay, but I was FREAKING OUT. Even now, just writing this, I can feel the knot in my stomach, the pure terror of knowing that one wrong step – one slip, one trip, one stumble – and my son and husband would both be dead. Not even “could” be dead; WOULD be dead. There was no room for error on that tiny path! As I stood in the fenced area and saw dozens of people venturing out, I couldn’t believe (still can’t) that more people aren’t afraid of this!

So apparently, I may have a legitimate fear of heights. Or perhaps, more technically, a fear of falling. We’ve talked and read a lot about this in the days since, and it’s not exactly the height I’m afraid of; it’s falling from the height. Or witnessing someone fall. Or having one of my people fall. Is this an irrational fear? I don’t know, but you guys! They put these signs here for a REASON.

I looked it up, and at least twelve people per year die here. That’s one per month! That’s not a tiny number, in my opinion. Also, I read a horrific story about a mom and her four-year-old son who fell to their deaths here; if I had read this story prior to our visit, there is no way on God’s green Earth that I would have let Ben take our son up that path. For the record (if you’re reading this, husband), I trust Ben very much and know that he’s climbed dozens of mountains and stuff….but I also know that people lose their balance sometimes!

From what I could see and what other people were saying, the south path was a lot less scary, so I actually do wish I had gotten to do that part. I think I could have hacked it. I think.

I don’t even know how long the troops were gone, but a long time. At least 45 minutes and probably longer! It felt like an absolute eternity, especially because I could see them (Ben was wearing coral pants, insert dancing man emoji) the entire way. Including when they stopped to take pictures and were mere FEET away from the highest drop ever. Again, feeling nauseous while writing this a month later. It’s fine, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.

While I was waiting for everyone to make it back to the fenced area, I walked around and stared at the other side of the cliffs, mostly just to have a focal point so I wouldn’t have a full-blown panic attack right there. I kept looking at this one cave in particular, wildly carved into the bottom of one of the Cliffs, and thinking how much it reminded me of that scary cave scene in the sixth Harry Potter movie. (I even mentioned this to Rachel later!) So imagine my shock when I found out, weeks later, that THIS IS WHERE THAT SCENE WAS FILMED. I was standing there oblivious, literally staring down at the cave where Tom Riddle placed the horcrux that almost killed Dumbledore!! MIND BLOWN. And there’s a little bit of justification for my crazy amounts of fear: it’s a scary enough location to film a terrifying movie scene. And not just one! This is also the location where they filmed the Cliffs of Insanity for The Princess Bride! So yeah, you guys. It. Was. Scary. (To some one of us.)

Finally, finally, finally my husband and son arrived back to the fenced area fully alive. Probably the biggest relief of my life. Oh, and Andrew and Rachel made it back too. 🙂 I was so happy that we were all together and okay and could still gaze at the beautiful scene before us, just in a completely safe area. We spent the next hour or so taking photos, talking, playing with the kiddo, and waiting for the sun to set. That, my friends, was definitely worth it. Easily the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever witnessed.

After the sun went down, we were freezing, so we got out of there pretty fast. And honestly, I left feeling so weird! It’s hard to describe the slight let-down I felt, even though we had just been to this insanely gorgeous place. It was still absolutely a huge thrill to see the indescribable beauty in person (words and pictures don’t do it justice), and I’m SO glad that we went and that I got to see it. But I felt sort of….left out, maybe, for being too afraid to hike the path. I shared a little on Instagram about the experience, and a friend told me she had felt the same way about the Grand Canyon. These things are supposed to be so awesome (and the Cliffs of Moher were definitely awesome), but having kids there makes it really scary and just a little less fun than it would be otherwise. (This is coming from a couple of moms though. Dads seem to be immune to this kind of fear!)

So. Cliffs of Moher. Definitely a MUST DO if you’re ever in Ireland! Whether you’re immune to heights (or don’t have a child with you) and you’re brave enough to venture out on the path, OR whether you stay in the safety of the fenced-in area, the absolute wildness of nature is something you should not miss. Inhale the salty sea air, listen to the cry of the birds, watch the waves break at the cliff base, gaze at the cliff face dramatically jutting out from the ocean. It’s an experience like no other. Oh, and go at sunset. You’ll thank me later.

xo!

(Credit to Andrew for the watermarked photos – I clearly didn’t take the ones of the boys out on the cliffs!)