WALKING TRAILS

There’s a clue in the name Burren Lowlands–that area of South Galway and North Clare that is situated in a relatively flat part of rural Ireland on the edge of the magnificent limestone region of the Burren, bedded at the foothills of the beautiful Slieve Aughty mountains to the east and buffeted by the wild Atlantic Ocean to the west.

The Burren Lowlands offers an incredibly scenic and highly diverse landscape with mountains, peatland, woodlands, rivers, weirs, and a rugged coastline. The entire area is rich in historic features and your journey will give you the opportunity to get up close and personal with many of these magnificent treasures.

Think narrow roads, dry stone walls, lush green hedgerows, lakes and the wild Atlantic Ocean crashing on the shoreline. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, there’s more than enough to see on your travels. The Burren Lowlands is a perfect setting to flex those muscles and experience nature, history and heritage during your adventure and whether you want to walk or cycle, it’s all waiting on our doorstep for you to explore.

Walks In The Region

Ballinruan:

Gortnamearacaun Loop: This looped 15km trail offers pleasant walking for those with a moderate level of fitness on minor roads, forest tracks and forest and bog paths through a variety of landscape, including farmland, evergreen and deciduous woodland and blanket bog with views in all directions including towards the Slieve Aughty Mountains and the Burren.

Ballinruan Loops: A slightly less arduous 10.5km route that covers much of the aforementioned walk. Covering forestland and bogs, this expansive bog land at the highest point is a good example of cutover and recovering blanket bog and also provides extensive views in all directions including towards the Slieve Aughty Mountains and the Burren while for bird watchers, the Hen Harrier and Merlin are resident in the general area.

Boston:

While not on an approved walking route, a visit to the area is incomplete without a quick walk along the shores of the majestic Lough Bunny. This mysterious lake can be found on the R460 road from Corofin to Gort. Lough Bunny is a permanent lake in the region and one where no streams flow in or out! How can you explain that?

Part of the Burren Geosite park, the shoreline of this mysterious lake can be explored on foot and a short 1.5km walk on the road will bring you to the nearby ruins of Cloondooan Castle, known locally as Boston Castle, which makes this little venture a worthwhile stroll.

Carran:

Temple Cronan Looped Walk starts at Cassidy’s pub in Carron. A short 5km walk that is suitable for every level of fitness, this walk will take you through parts of the stunning Burren landscape to one of the five Early Historic Church sites in the Burren region. Temple Cronin, a 10th century building, was constructed in the cyclopean style of masonry. The route is marked and easy to follow.

Carron Turlough Looped Walk:

A wonderful opportunity to walk around Europe’s largest seasonal lake, Known as a turlough, the existence of this lake is weather dependent and high rainfall will ensure its presence, otherwise it’s lush grassland. The route is an easy 5km looped walk from the starting point at Cassidy’s pub in Carron.

If you are feeling active, fancy a challenge and have a good level of fitness why not check out the Carran Loop, a 9km strenuous walk along minor roads, animal tracks and over fields littered with limestone slabs.

Taking in the sights of the seasonal turlough, Termon Hill , the holy well of St Fachtnan and walking through Clab Valley, this walk will allow you to experience the many delights this region has to offer.

Guided walks that take you through this magnificent landscape can also be arranged–See more off the beaten tracks around the Burren and lowland region.

Gort:

There are numerous routes around the town of Gort that can be explored by visitors. Below we have listed some of the most popular for your consideration:

Before you leave the town, take some time to follow the Gort Town trail –a short walk through the town that highlights the wonderful and historical relevance of many buildings in the town. This walk will take you about 30–45 minutes.

Gort also boasts a stunning newly developed Gort River Walk. This 3.5km walk starts behind Aldi in the middle of town and takes you into wide open countryside along the beautiful Gort River. While the route is still under construction in part, a significant portion allows walkers to enjoy the riverbank, walk along the paved route and visit the peaceful and recently restored Lavallylisheen burial ground.

When fully completed, this walk will loop across the river via a new bridge and will bring the walker back into Gort via another route along the northern side of the river. If you are feeling energetic however, and want to carry on, you can continue along the track over the railway bridge and onto the road, making two right turns on each of the main roadways. This will take you on a slightly longer walk that will bring you back into town on the Loughrea Rd.

Caution must be taken on this section however as these roads do not have footpaths. About 3kms from the centre of Gort is the nearby Coole Park, where visitors have the opportunity to explore a number of trails: the shorter Family Trails, a 1.75km walk around the site of the former Coole House, and nearby Walled Garden that is home to the famous Autograph Tree. Passing the deer pen and stables that are home to a lovely tearoom, this is an ideal walk for families with young children who want to have some fun in a safe environment that is off road and has something for everyone to enjoy.

The Seven Woods Trails takes you further into the woods of Coole Park, along beautiful woodland pathways made famous by the poet W.B.Yeats in his poem, The Wild Swans of Coole. This trail takes you to a superb viewing point where you can look out over the lake at Coole, see if you can find the “nine and fifty swans”, or catch sight of a passing pine martin, stoat or red squirrel. The walk is approximately 4.5km in length and a moderate degree of fitness is required.

The Garryland Woods Trails a slightly less popular trail in Coole but for good reason. The trail is a beautiful seasonal adventure that runs parallel to the turlough and is prone to flooding but one that is most definitely worth exploring during the dry summer months of the year. If you chose to walkthrough these woods, you will see Coole from a totally different perspective and walk amongst ash, yew and majestic oak trees. Walk in the footsteps of W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, the blind poet Antoine Ó Raifteirí and many other Irish literary artists when you follow the Yeats Golden Mile that starts at nearby Thoor Ballylee. This walk is well signposted with car parking at the Tower, and plenty of information available to indicate specific points of interest on the route.

Kinvara:

There are several guided walks around the Kinvara region. These bring visitors into the foothills of the Burren and introduce you to the unique flora and fauna of the region as you gain an understanding of the geological makeup of this stunning yet visibly barren landscape. Why not visit https://kinvarawalks.com/to see what interests you during your stay in the region.

Kilchreest:

At the foothills of the Slieve Aughty mountains lies the little village of Kilchreest where you can start your journey on one of the many marked trails that run through the mountain area. Visit FACEBOOK for more information on the diverse landscapes awaiting your visit. Other trails can be found in this area by visiting the nearby https://slieveaughtycentre.com/ to experience a range of self-guided and donkey trail adventures.

New Quay:

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