It’s a 16th-century farm trail that veers miles away from any modern road through Ballycroy park and finishes at handsome town of Newport – with its landmark viaduct – on the shores of Clew Bay. It starts amid the heath-cloaked foothills of remote Slieve Carr and continues across soggy terrain, with only North Mayo’s ever-changing skies or occasional otters for company. More experienced hikers might enjoy the 24-mile Bangor Trail. Head five miles south of the visitor centre for a gentle coastal walk along timber decking in a valley below Claggan mountain. Each hike is coded in blue, red and purple, ranging from moderate to difficult. It’s also the trail head for three looped walks in Letterkeen Woods that meander past forests, sandy lakes and mountains. Visitors who want to explore the heavenly views over the north-west Atlantic coastline can stay in the park’s bothy, a simple sandstone hut at one of the darkest corners of Wild Nephin. More information Visitor centre, Killarney House and Gardens Wicklow Mountains Stay Killarney Glamping at the Grove in Ballycasheen (on the north of the park) offers the great outdoors without discomfort (from €99 a night, two-night minimum) The estate, with its network of sunken gardens, streams and rockeries, attracts horticultural enthusiasts.Įxperience Killarney stables offers horseback trails through the park from €50ppĮat Bricín in Killarney offers traditional staples such as chowder, boxty (potato pancakes) and hake for €24 for a two-course early bird menu The Herbert family, originally from Wales and grown rich from copper mining, also left their mark, with rambling neo-Tudor Muckross House (admission €7). Refurbished Ross Castle (admission €5) on the shore of Lough Leane was built by one of the O’Donoghue chieftains in the 15th century. Photograph: Henk Meijer/AlamyĪs with most of Ireland, from the 17th century much of the land fell –violently or gradually– to new ownership. Towering sessile oaks define the lowland’s forest growth – this is the largest woodland in Ireland – and the higher bog lands are roamed by the country’s last remaining herd of wild deer. The park’s geology gave rise to a copper mining industry during the 18th century, and an overexuberance of oak tree felling followed, but these days yew trees thrive in the rocky limestone soil while alder grows in the moist lake lands. It earned its nickname by being the favourite viewing platform of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting. They join at a single point called the Meeting of the Waters, and on a high ridge overlooking this splendid setting is Ladies View – a vantage point that offers the perfect panorama. Killarney is home to Ireland’s highest peak, Carrauntoohil, but the park’s star attraction is the lakes in the valley at the foot of the mountains: Leane, Muckross and the Upper Lake are each peppered with small islands. Beyond the park’s main trailhead is the more comedic setting of the house from Channel 4’s Father Ted series.īut by avoiding peak times and visiting in late spring or early autumn, visitors can enjoy the park while it’s ablaze with heathers, gorse, Kerry violets and bilberries, or the turning colours of oaks, alder and ash, without having to queue behind tour buses. The mild climate means that plant life, from hardy gorse and hazel to rare species such as eyebright, bloody crane’s-bill and wild orchids – flora typical of diverse regions from the Mediterranean to the Alps – thrives here, much of it in the crevices in the vast limestone pavements.Įntry to the park is at the 16th-century Kilnaboy church, which has a rare Sheela-na-Gig, a lewd stone figure that stands like a pouting gargoyle over the ruin’s south wall entrance. Mullaghmore attracts experienced hikers, but other trails in this stark landscape, shaped millions of years earlier, are equally rewarding. In the sunshine, it’s near brilliant as the sun sets over Loch Gealain and ricochets off its still, crystal-clear surface, it flares up in hues of copper and coral. Its shades of pewter and pearl are whipped with smooth ringed contours that never fail to reflect the day’s mood. The park’s most significant landmark is Mullaghmore, a time-sculpted barren hill that lures visitors in search of a spiritual reboot. But this lunar landscape on Ireland’s Atlantic coast is also a living geological and cultural museum. The Burren is a park within a park, part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Unesco global geopark.
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