VISITOR charges at one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions remain a major bone of contention with tourists and locals complaining about having to pay steep fees to park their cars and visit the Cliffs of Moher.

The Journal reported in July that locals in Co Clare were complaining about the council over a range of new measures which they say are prioritising profit over community welfare.

Clare County Council was then accused in September of blatantly “ripping off” tourists by charging €99 to allow people to watch the sunset with a box of craft items atop the Cliffs. 

• Why does it cost so much to park at the Cliffs of Moher? The Noteworthy team wants to find out. Support the project here.

Documents published following a Freedom of Information Act request now show that the Cliffs of Moher Experience received multiple complaints between 9 January and 31 July with one person saying they felt “scammed”, another saying it was like passing through border control in “Nazi Germany” while one group were told they were being charged because they had left a “carbon footprint”.

In one gripe, a person who had visited multiple times said they had arrived at the cliffs with two people in their car expecting to be charged €10 for parking.

However, they were hit with a €32 charge and said they were “shocked at this huge increase”.

A message said: “I am most annoyed at being ripped off in this way and would like to complain and request a refund of this huge overcharge.

“I know the entry gate has [the] price displayed but I feel the difference in the charge at the gate is outrageous, and I also feel there should be some allowance for visitors from County Clare, particularly frequent visitors.”

In another, a person wrote of how 15 teenagers from various countries had arrived at the Cliffs of Moher intending just to go for a walk only to be told they would have to pay €10 each.

A report of the complaint said: “I spoke with a manager of the facility today who told me quite clearly that it was because they came off a bus and did not walk to the amenity.
“I asked why [and] he said because they left a carbon footprint, I asked was it a carbon tax or an entry fee?”

One person griped about being very “rudely haggled” for an entrance fee to the cliffs after arriving on a Bus Éireann route that said entry to the attraction was free.

“I travelled regularly to [the] Cliffs of Moher by Route 350 Bus Éireann and the bus has always dropped off and picked up inside the parking compound for years,” they said.

Another couple were unhappy they were hit with a fee even though they wanted “to stay in [their] car”.

“Explained that it was an all inclusive admission,” said a review of the complaint.

One person said it was unfair to be hit with a charge for using the visitor centre and other facilities when all they wanted to do was go for a walk along the cliffs.

“I reluctantly paid the fee so as not to disappoint my son,” they wrote.

“I was even more disappointed to discover that not one person asked to see my ticket after this. I felt at this stage that I was scammed out of money.”

Another said it was unfair to charge per person and that it should be a fee for each car instead.

They said: “The car should be charged and not the people in the vehicle. I personally think this needs to be improved and not charged at all as it should be a public place for people to go in, not to be charged ridiculous fees.”

The most furious complaint came from a woman who visited the cliffs with her daughter and husband. However, her husband wanted to just stay in the car.

A message said: “A male attendant ANGRILY directed me to a lane and proceeded to practically shout to the female cashier about how my husband had left the car and was waiting up the road.

“I felt thoroughly violated. I felt like my husband and I were on the run and we were at a border control in Mexico or Nazi Germany.”

The complaints were released under FOI by Clare County Council.

A spokesman for the Cliffs of Moher Experience said it was a purpose-built safe viewing point that provided information and services to visitors.

“The charge on entry to the car park or coach park is not a parking charge, it is a per person charge for an all-inclusive experience ticket with parking included. We do not offer separate charges or parking only charges,” he said.

He added that there was an on-site team to provide assistance to visitors, complimentary services, and who also carried out litter picking and conservation work around the cliffs.

With reporting by Eoghan Dalton