Burren County Clare Ireland - a haven for nature lovers and foodies

Burren County Clare Ireland

Nature lovers and foodies will fall in love with the Burren in County Clare.  The Burren is a noted tourist stop on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’- “Ireland’s first long distance touring route”.  The region is surrounded by the villages of Kinvara, Ballyvaughan,Tubber, Corofin, Kilfenora and Lisdoonvarna  - famous for its dramatic beauty, Karst landscape and unique flora and fauna (www.burrengeopark.ie).  

 However nature is not the only unusual ingredient in the Burren.  When visitors touring this part of the “Wild Atlantic Way” feel peckish there are speciality bagels fresh from the oven, ice-cream made using milk from cows grazing on the peninsula and ‘bean to bar’ chocolate of the sort hard to find in the most sophisticated of cities. 

Meadow of the Fairies 

Roy & Mary Bermingham with 'Frisky' their pet goat

An essential stop for anyone interested in learning more about the Burren and its unique wildlife is ‘Cloonasee’ the ‘meadow of the fairies’ and home to the Burren Nature Sanctuary – an enchanting place just 1km outside of Kinvara village where the visitor could be forgiven for expecting fairies to pop out at any moment from under a rock or behind a flower.

The Burren Nature Sanctuary is on a 50 acre farm run by Mary and Roy Bermingham.  It has wonderful nature walks including a popular ‘fairy wood’, ‘disappearing lake’ and nature exhibitions showcasing the flora and fauna of the Burren.   Farm pets include ‘frisky’ a feral goat who loves going for a walk with visitors.  The nature sanctuary also has an indoor and outdoor play area with lots of fun activities such as a double zip wire. 

There is a farm café with a great selection of healthy homemade fare and treats for hungry visitors including crepes, Wild Atlantic fish cakes and a children’s menu. The cafe has a healthy food ethos – “we don’t sell chips or fry ups and we use produce from our garden as much as possible.”

For directions to the nature sanctuary and information on opening hours and entry charges check  www.bns.ie.

A Mecca for cyclists  

Mike Cahill at DIY Pursuits 

The Burren is a “mecca for cyclists” - voted by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s top ten greatest cycling routes.  Mike Cahill caters for all the needs of visitors wishing to explore the Burren by bicycle from the leisure cyclist to the more serious cyclist in his shop called ‘DIY Pursuits’ in Kinvara. 

Cycling is in Mike’s blood – he grew up helping his father in the family bike shop in cork.  Mikes father was “heavily steeped in cycling and represented Ireland” as a young man.  Mike recalls “from an early age I was drafted in as an apprentice and spent most of my life around bikes.”

For visitors who want to explore the Burren by bike or on foot or engage in other outdoor pursuits in the Burren such as fishing or kayaking ‘DIY Pursuits’ is definitely worth a visit and Mike is always on hand to give advice. 

Galway Bay Bagels

Carl & Martina Fahy

After working up an appetite on your bicycle a ‘bagel sandwich’ from the Galway Bay Bakery at the Kinvara Farmers Market is a welcome treat.  The Galway Bay Bakery produces Bagels and Pretzels – all made from natural ingredients.  

These days the owner Carl Fahy is taking the Bagel one step further with his- Bagel Sandwiches, Salt Beef Bagels and Pizza Melts.  These are Carl’s “signature Bagels.”

The Bakery is based on the Burren peninsula in Newquay and sells its produce in the local market in Kinvara from April to October- -For information on markets see the ‘Galway Bay Bakery’ Facebook page.

Local Ice-Cream Treats 

Brid & Roger Fahy

Home for locally made Linalla Ice Cream is also in Newquay on the flaggy shore – here the owners Brid and Roger Fahy will serve you their artisan ice-cream in Café Linalla which has magnificent views of Galway Bay.  If you are lucky you might even spot the shorthorn cows producing the milk for the ice-cream.

Linalla Ice-Cream is sold in their shop and café on the flaggy shore as well as other outlets across the country - check www.linnallaicecream.ie for directions.

Bean to bar chocolate

Kasha Connolly

Hazel Mountain Chocolate is just one of two ‘bean to bar’ chocolate producers in Ireland -    located on John and Kasha Connolly’s family farm at the foot of the Burren mountains in a place called Oughtmama.. 

Hazel Mountain Chocolate manufactures its chocolate from scratch using cacao beans bought directly from a small farmer in Madagascar.  They opened to the public in 2014 - manufacturing and selling chocolates on site as well as having a quant Café where visitors can enjoy the rich ‘melt in your mouth’ chocolate experience. 

For more information on Hazel Mountain Chocolate and directions visit www.hazelmountainchocolates.com

Accommodation 

There is a wide choice of accommodation in the Burren to suit all budgets.  Establishments worth checking include FallonsBed and Breakfast and Kinvara Guesthouse in Kinvara and Logues Lodge and Hylands Hotel in Ballyvaughan.   For tourists looking for a more upmarket experience Gregans Castle on Corkscrew Hill in Ballyvaughan is worth investigating.