Said It Here

Why are safety walls at tourist viewpoints blocking the view?

High stone safety barriers built near cliff edges dramatically decrease landscape visibility for both shorter and taller visitors. This obstruction ruins the natural experience and makes it impossible to get the vantage point needed to appreciate the scenery.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    taking a boat cruise instead of walking the trails
  2. 2
    visiting alternative, less-crowded cliffs and scenic spots
  3. 3
    exploring lesser-known regions off the beaten track

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

“Now, there is a rock wall about 4 feet (1 meter) high that is dug into the earth as a prevention to near the Cliff's edge. As a shorter person, I felt as though I needed a step stool to be able to have a proper view. While I understand why this was done, it dramatically decreases the visibility of the landscape.”source ↗

coolhappygenius · r/travel · 170 upvotes

“Imagine our disappointment with the wall. It not only detracts from the natural beauty, but as a 6ft person myself I felt like I couldn’t get the vantage point to appreciate the cliffs at all.”source ↗

Thundergreek · r/travel · 10 upvotes

“Just came back from Ireland and was equally disappointed with the Cliffs of Moher.”source ↗

Willing-Bad3824 · r/travel · 2 upvotes

Where this came up

r/travelsightseeingtourismtravel

People with this problem also raised