Mullaghmore Loop in the Burren National Park

I recently found myself in County Clare once again. I spent a lot of time here a few years ago completing the amazing Burren Way. This time, my reason for being in this beautiful part of Ireland was to celebrate my Parent’s 50th Wedding anniversary. 15 of us spent a wonderful weekend in Doolin to mark the occasion. We soaked up the atmosphere and each other’s good company and ticked off many of the wonderful attractions from my guide for what to do in Doolin. I’ve always wanted to complete the Mullaghmore Loop located within the Burren National Park. So, I rose early on the Saturday morning in order to complete the walk at sunrise.

Mullaghmore Loop Details

Distance: 7.5km
Time Required: 2.5 hours taking a good steady pace
Elevation Gain: 212m
Grade: Difficulty. You need a reasonable level of fitness to complete the Mullaghmore Loop. The reason I’ve noted this one as difficult however is underfoot conditions. Much of the walk brings you along the Burren’s famous limestone pavements. This uneven surface can be tricky and good hiking boots are a must. In addition, I needed to do a small bit of scrambling near the top of Mullaghmore. Nothing too difficult but I did need to use both my arms and legs to climb up through a couple of places.

Getting There

The Mullaghmore Loop starts at Gortlecka Crossroads close to the village of Killinaboy. I drove and parked in the designated lay-by.

Another option would be the free Shuttle Bus that runs from May to August from the Burren National Park in nearby Corofin (10 mins drive). See the information page on nationalparks.ie for full details.

While I found the parking area deserted when I arrived, this probably was down to the fact that I arrived just after 6a.m.

Other Nearby Trails

Blue markers denote the path for the Mullaghmore Loop. Gortlecka Crossroads also acts as a trailhead for a number of other marked routes. These are:

Mullaghmore Return (Green Route) – 6.5km. Follows the same path as the Mullaghmore Loop to the top of the mountain but then retraces the same trail back.
Mullaghmore Traverse (Red Route) – 6km. Another one that goes to the top of Mullaghmore but this one then continues on down the other side of Mullaghmore.
Knockaunroe Turlough (Orange Route) – 1.3km. Short stroll through fields and woodland that takes in the Knockaunroe Turlough.
Nature Trail (White Route) – 1.5km. Another short walk available with a focus on the varied nature on offer in the Burren.
Lough Avalla Farm Loop – 6km. Would recommend this one if not completing the Blue Mullaghmore Loop. The route travels through a variety of terrains with some amazing views in places.

Starting the Mullaghmore Loop

After parking up at Gorklecka Crossroads, I quickly found my bearings and entered a field through a little gateway through the stone wall. I followed the blue signpost and ventured along a gravel path at the side of the field.

A stile through a stone wall. The wall has 5 different coloured markers on it directing walkers where to go. Bare trees grow on either side of the path up ahead. The sun rises in the distance showing lovely yellows and orange colours on the horizon.

After a couple of hundred metres, I joined the public road and headed east towards the rising sun.

While the blue markers were easy to follow for the course of the Mullaghmore Loop, Alltrails provide a good map which is useful to have.

_{1 – Lough Gealan. 2 – Mullaghmore Summit}

The Limestone Pavement

After a kilometre or so of road walking, I turned left and over a stile on to the Limestone Pavement of the Burren. Mullaghmore loomed impressively in front on me with the sun rising behind it. What a beautiful morning to be out walking!

I followed a gravel path towards Lough Gaelan initially. When that path ended, I found myself more or less trekking along the pavement itself for the next 5km or so.

A gravel path next to the limestone pavement which seems to stretch for miles. In the distance are two mountains with a lovely dawn sky behind them

A path of stone running through a the limestone pavement of the Mullaghmore Loop. Mullaghmore can be seen at the back left of the picture with an orange sunrise to the right.

The trail usually stood out by the many thousand of boots that have slightly wore away this well trod path. However, if in doubt, I just needed to look around for the little blue markers that were never too far away.

Walking over the karst limestone was definitely a different sort of experience than my usual walking and hiking.

The limestone pavement of the Mullaghmore Loop stretches out with Mullaghmore in the distance. The dawn sky is beautiful.

Moving Uphill

The trail ascended steadily. While I needed to be careful of my step on the uneven terrain, I kept stopping to look around and take in the amazing landscape around me.

Looking back on the trail of the Mullaghmore Loop. A path winds down the slope on the right of the picture. Loose stones litter the ground on the right. A lake can be seen in the distance.

The further I travelled – over stones, through stiles and up the sides of sheer walls of rock – the more I can get a sense of the Burren stretching out all around me.

Limestone pavement of the Mullaghmore Loop.

Reaching the Summit

As I approached the top of Mullaghmore, some of the trail required a small bit of scrambling to pick my way through the rocks.

After just over an hour and 3.5km of walking, I reached the top of Mullaghmore. A stone cairn marks the top. I climbed up to the top of it to take in the amazing views. The rising sun provided amazing light which made everything look even more spectacular.

A view of the sunrise from the summit of the Mullaghmore Loop.

While standing at the top I met the only other hiker I would see on the trail that morning. I think we were both as surprised as each other to see another human. We said a quick hello and I left him alone at the top of the mountain. This felt like a place for solitude rather than chats.

Views of Sliabh Rua

I headed north to descend from Mullaghmore. Directly in front of me lay Sliabh Rua. The wonderful shape of this peak really was a sight to behold. Everything feels different and out of the ordinary in the Burren. This bizarre rock formation is a great example of the type of thing you won’t see anywhere else in Ireland.

A view of Sliabh Rua with golden sunlight on the right and blue sky on the left.

Continuing Along the Mullaghmore Loop

The blue trail circles around Mullaghmore and brings you back to the edge of Lough Gealan. As I moved down the side of the mountain, I started thinking to myself that a house in the distance looked really familiar. It took me a little while to place it as the Father Ted House! If walking this trail with someone else, it might be a good idea to have all your Father Ted quotes prepped in advance. That would be an ecumenical matter though.

Completing the Loop

I took a very slight detour to get down to the edge of the water of Lough Gealan. This gave me the opportunity to take some time to look back up towards Mullaghmore. With the sun now higher in the sky, it gave me a different perspective of the mountain. No longer shrouded in as much mystery, the views still however looked majestic with a backdrop of a bright blue sky.

A view over a shallow lake to a mountain in the distance. Clear blue sky over the Mountain

Soon I found myself retracing my steps along the path and then the road back to my car. I completed the walk before 8.30a.m. This meant I still had the whole day in front of me to spend with family and loved ones. I figured they would just about be starting breakfast by the time I got back. So all in all, perfect timing for a beautiful sunrise hike in the Burren.