Pricewatch Daily

The Cliffs of Moher are truly wondrous, writes Conor Pope, but the associated charges are wondrous, too

The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s second most popular tourist destination behind the Guinness Storehouse, is currently competing with 28 other natural marvels including the Amazon, the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef to become one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

But it is not the natural beauty of the vertiginous cliffs but the charges associated with visiting them that has left many Pricewatch readers wondering. The cliffs attract in the region of one million tourists every year, many of whom – at least those who drive – have to pay €8 to park near the site.

Effectively, this is an admission charge to see the cliffs because it is almost impossible to avoid. Given their remoteness, most would find them hard to walk or cycle to and while public transport in the area is better than at some other rural tourist spots – it is serviced by eight buses a day during the summer – it’s hardly enough to cater for all visitors. Those who take a chance and park on the road adjacent to the cliffs are liable for a €40 fine.

Parking charges aren’t the end of the story. Visitors walking from the car parks are channelled towards the €31.5 million interpretative centre (pictured), which was opened over two years ago. It costs up to €8.45 for an adult and €5.45 for a child, while access to the newly reopened O’Brien’s Tower is a further €2.

While many Pricewatch readers accept that a charge for parking in the area is understandable, most believe it to be too high: Paying “€8 to park a car in a field, on a small island in the north Atlantic! It doesn’t cost that much to park it in downtown New York”, said one.

Another reader said he wouldn’t have minded so much if they had put a time limit on the charges to cover the costs of building the facilities, after which charges could have been reduced or dropped entirely. “We should be looking for cheaper alternatives to drum up tourism business instead of turning the tourists off our country due to escalating price,” he said.

“I do think paying eight quid to park in a cemented field is way overpriced,” wrote another. “Charge for a car park by all means — but justify it,” she continued. “I’m not a begrudger or a whiner — the Cliffs are an awesome sight — just would like charges to be a little less over the top!” Director of the Cliffs of Moher visitor experience Katherine Webster offered a robust defence of the charges. She told Pricewatch that the €8 is not a parking charge but a facilities charge, which gives visitors access to the public areas of the interpretative centre.

She pointed out that the site generates no profits and the money raised is being used to repay a €15 million loan taken out by Clare County Council to upgrade the facilities two years ago.

“I fully appreciate people saying that access to nature should be free, but you need to provide proper facilities. If they are not provided, people can cause serious problems to an area of natural beauty by coming in such large numbers.” She cited examples such as the Himalayan paths, which have been redubbed Coca Cola trails because of all the litter, and the immense damage to the Great Barrier Reef because of the tourism explosion. “To properly manage the facilities, somebody has to pay – either the taxpayer or the visitors.”