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, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents excep ...

in County Clare,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is long, begins in Lahinch and ends in Corofin, crossing The Burren, one of the largest

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

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

boreen A boreen or bohereen ( ; ga, bóithrín , 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 ( ga, Bó ...

, 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 ( ga, Spórt Éireann), 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 ...

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 before continuing on roads to the village of Doolin. The route continues on roads to Lisdoonvarna. North of Lisdoonvarna, the Way joins a

between the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

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 Newtown Castle is a 16th-century tower house, located close to the village of Ballyvaughan within the Burren area of County Clare, Ireland. Uniquely for a tower house of its type in Ireland, Newtown Castle is mostly cylindrical in shape but ...

. 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