Cow encounters, rock scrambling and beautiful views on one of the Burren Mountains known as Cappanwalla!
This self guided hike is a must do! You can find out more about the best routes to take and getting permission to do it from The Burren College of Art. It starts as an easy walk down a road and after heading up a farmers road it is about a 15 minute climb until the road dead ends at a green field, which was filled with sheep when we were there. From there you make your own path mostly following cow paths up the mountain. There are a few moments you have to get up close and personal with some rock walls. My hiking partner and I had to climb over two different rock walls as this was the easiest route due to thorn bushes! After about 30 minutes you should reach your first real view of the famous karst landscape.
At this point it should not be much farther till you reach your first real landmark. It is a large pile of rocks and behind it is one of the tallest rock walls I have seen yet this whole trip!
From here you want to make sure to take the most direct route to avoid coming down in thorn bushes! Make sure to keep track of good markers for your return trip. You will do some rock scrambling to get over the initial wall and after that the terrain is pretty much formed in steps. You do a step climb for about 50 feet and then it levels out for about 100 feet. You will get a good look at the famous Burren limestone karsts up here. And if you are lucky you may run into a herd of cows like we did. There are also wild goats in the mountains as well although we did not come across any. If you do come upon animals just make sure to give them plenty of space or let them pass through before you continue. Since it is private land you want to make sure to be extra respectful to the area and the animals in it.
The Burren karsts are a very special place and are home to many little creatures and plants. If you keep an eye out you may spot a snail or if you are lucky and out during the right season some little flowers, which the Burren mountains are famous for housing. We came across a bloody cranesbill and a hoary rock rose. There are beautiful mini ecosystems happening in the cracks and crevices so be sure to keep an eye out to witness some beautiful sites that are hidden from the surface.
I did not personally summit but we still got a breath taking view of Ballyvaughan and had lunch with a view and a chair made out of rocks! Overall the hike took us about an hour and a half or so. It really depends on how many breaks you take for pictures, to take in the view, etc. I suggest to do this a lot! This place is truly gorgeous and you get a great view of the valley and the bay from the mountain behind Newtown Castle.
Find out more about Newtown Castle Hike here: