The Burren is the limestone karst region in north Clare that starts about twenty kilometres inland from Lahinch and runs to the coast at Black Head. It looks like nothing else in Ireland. The poet Eavan Boland called it a moonscape, which is wrong; it is its own thing. Here is the half-day version most visitors should do.
Poulnabrone Dolmen
The most famous single thing in the Burren. A portal tomb dating from around 3500 BC, sitting on a limestone pavement that stretches in every direction. The dolmen is a ten minute walk from the small free car park on the R480. Allow forty-five minutes including time to walk around the surrounding pavement, which is more interesting than people expect. Free.
Caherconnell Stone Fort
A circular stone fort dating from around 1000 AD, three kilometres south of Poulnabrone. Self-guided audio tour explains the dry-stone construction and the family that lived there. The cafe on site is one of the best lunch options in the Burren and the sheepdog demonstrations (twice daily in summer) are genuinely impressive.
The Burren Perfumery
In Carron, in the centre of the Burren, the Perfumery makes scents from local plants and runs a tea room with proper home baking. It is set in a series of small old buildings around a courtyard and feels like a time capsule. Worth an hour, especially on a wet day.
What is the difference between the Burren National Park and just the Burren?
The Burren is the geological region, around 250 square kilometres. The Burren National Park is a small protected area within it, around 15 square kilometres around Mullaghmore Mountain. The National Park has signposted walking trails of varying lengths and a free shuttle bus from Corofin in summer. Most of the Burren is private farmland with public access on tracks.
Where should I walk?
The Mullaghmore Loop in the National Park is the proper Burren walk: ten kilometres, three to four hours, with the limestone pavement at its most photogenic. For shorter walks, the Carron Loop and the Cassidy Loop are both well-marked and under two hours. The Burren Way is the long-distance trail (123 km) for serious walkers.
What about the wildflowers?
The Burren's most famous feature is its flora. It supports Arctic, Mediterranean and Alpine plants growing side by side, a combination that exists nowhere else in Ireland. Peak flowering is mid-May to early June; the gentian, mountain avens, bee orchids and bloody cranesbill are all visible from the walking trails. The Burren in May is a different experience to the Burren at any other time.
Should I visit Aillwee Cave?
Aillwee Cave at Ballyvaughan is the touristy option, a cave with stalactites, an underground waterfall, and a cafe and gift shop on top. It is fine. If you are doing the Burren on a wet day with children, it works. If you have a choice between Aillwee and Caherconnell, choose Caherconnell.
Lunch and coffee in the Burren
The Burren Perfumery tea room, the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, and Linnalla Pure Irish Ice Cream at New Quay are all worth detours. Vaughan's Anchor Inn at Liscannor (between Lahinch and the Cliffs) does the best seafood in the region.
How long do you need?
A morning covers Poulnabrone and Caherconnell with lunch at the Caherconnell cafe. A full day adds the Burren Perfumery and a Mullaghmore walk. Two days is enough to feel you have seen the Burren. A week is enough to start understanding it.