Go Walk: Fanore to Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

Emer McCarthy was a difficult woman to say No to. Undoubtedly, this attribute helped her charm a way through the minefield that surrounds access to private land in Ireland. Retired recently as rural recreation officer for Co Clare, she left behind an enormous choice for all future trail users, including the incomparable Cliffs of Moher coastal walk.

Having been drawn to Clare many times since to explore her legacy, I recently travelled westwards again to sample the mouth-wateringly titled Fanore to Ballyvaughan Trek.

From the R477 just north of Fanore Bridge (see panel), I followed a lane uphill before crossing an ancient stile into fields. Joining an old Famine road offering sympathetic going underfoot, I glided spryly onwards with absorbing coastal views to the Aran Islands and Connemara filling the horizon.

Rounding Black Head, I noticed the Atlantic Ocean lay calm as a milk pond, while directly below a battered old steamer seemed to be making little progress on its journey towards Galway.

With Galway Bay now to my left, I sashayed over easy terrain until the going became rougher and I was forced to divert uphill where the Green Road became overgrown.

Briefly losing the route, I began descending, but realising my mistake, I retraced my steps to join a path following a stone wall. Tagging this eastwards for about 20 minutes, I came upon the medieval pilgrim path to Gleninagh Church which emerged over a stone stile to my left.

Both routes now coalesced and doglegged steeply to reach Gleninagh Pass . Lingering here, I reflected that this part of the trail is almost exactly as I had imagined the perfect pilgrim path – an evocative, unaltered and serene upland experience with stunning views and an inescapable sense of being drawn, somewhere, beckoning irresistibly from beyond the horizon.

Beyond the head of the pass, the trail shadowed a stone wall leftwards and then offered an overwhelming sense of emptiness on the shoulder of Capanwalla Mountain and a photographer’s dream of expansive views across the Burren landscape.

Waymarkers now led me to a sandy track descending to a surfaced lane bisecting the rustic charm of the Feenagh I proceeded left through a junction to join a scenic byway running south and then east to the Lisdoonvarna/Ballyvaghan road. Avoiding this busy main road by going immediately left, I ambled instead along a minor road past the cylindrical 16th-century O’Brien stronghold of Newtown Castle which now houses the thriving Burren Art College.

Soon after, I turned right and almost immediately a sign pointed left through a field and into a hazel wood of the type which once covered the entire Burren.

Emerging from the trees, I traversed more small fields before the route conceded to a gravel path leading to the centre of Ballyvaughan.

Here, a quality repast in the Monks pub neatly bookended what I reflected was yet another inspiring outing.