The Burren Way () is a

long-distance trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is long, begins in

Lahinch Lahinch or Lehinch ( ''or'' ) is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the N67 national secondary road, between Milltown Malbay and Ennistymon, roughly by road southwest of Galway and nort ...

and ends in Corofin, crossing

The Burren The Burren ( ; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.

, one of the largest

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

landscapes in Europe. The trail, typically completed in five days, comprises sections of tarmac road,

boreen A boreen or bohereen ( ; , meaning 'a little road') is a country lane, or narrow, frequently unpaved, rural road in Ireland. "Boreen" also appears sometimes in names of minor urban roads such as Saint Mobhi Bóithrín (), commonly known as ...

, droving road, path and forestry track. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the

Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland (), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill near Abbotstown Hou ...

and is managed by the Burren Way Committee.

Route

The trail begins at the beach at Lahinch and follows minor roads to reach the

Cliffs of Moher The Cliffs of Moher (; ) are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about . At their southern end, they rise above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, to the north, the ...

before continuing on roads to the village of

Doolin Doolin () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It is southwest of the spa town of Lisdoonvarna and 4 miles from the Cliffs of Moher. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in ...

. The route continues on roads to

Lisdoonvarna Lisdoonvarna () is a spa town in County Clare in Ireland. The town is famous for its music and festivals. Although the Lisdoonvarna Music Festival was discontinued in the 1980s, the town still hosts an annual matchmaking festival each September ...

. North of Lisdoonvarna, the Way joins a

between the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s of Ballinalacken and Formoyle, crossing the plateau above the Caher Valley below Slieve Elva mountain. This section passes a number of places of historical interest, including Ballinalacken Castle, several ruined stone forts and Newtown Castle. The trail rejoins the road to reach

Ballyvaughan Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan () is a small harbour village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located on the N67 road on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of The Burren. This position on the coast road and the close proximity ...

. From Ballyvaughan, the route mostly follows roads to Corofin via

Carran Carran (), also Carron, is a small village in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the Burren region, within a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of the same name. It is notable mainly for being the birthplace of Michael Cusack, the inspi ...

and Killinaboy. The Burren Way originally followed a trail above the Cliffs of Moher from Hag's Head. Many walkers now start from Ballyvaughan to walk the boreen the Way follows in its northern sections and eschew the southern sections altogether. A review of the National Waymarked Trails in 2010 found low usage of the Burren Way by multiday walkers but high usage by day walkers on certain sections. The report found that route has good potential to be developed as a National Long Distance Trail, a new standard of trail in Ireland intended to meet international standards for outstanding trails, but significant work to achieve this is required. The report recommended that the proportion of road used by the trail be reduced as a matter of priority.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

Burren Way
a
IrishTrails.ie

a
Shannon Region Trails
{{coord missing, County Clare Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland Geography of County Clare Tourist attractions in County Clare