Posts Tagged ‘Burren’
Virtual hike along the Black Head Loop, Burren, Ireland
For the last couple of days, I have explored, virtually, the Black Head Loop, a trail called Route 7 in Tony Kirby’s The Burren & the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide. This trail includes the same ‘green road’ included in the Caher Valley Loop and the Burren Way, described in my last two ‘Burren’ posts, but also takes in some new areas, visible in Google Earth’s Street View.
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I started the trail where it intersects with the Caher River Road. The land now looks familiar to me, with expanses of green pasture land, stone fences, and the limestone pavements encountered on the Burren Way.
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About half way along this part of the trail is a ruin, a ring known as Cathair an Arc Dorais (‘the fort of the high door’). It once housed both a church and an ale house!
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At the end of this road, the trail comes to an intersection and veers to the left towards Cappahawalla Peak. This is a zig zag ‘green road’ that has no Street View but an aerial view hints at the type of terrain.
This area is known for having an abundance and diversity of wilfdflower species. The bee orchid, pyramidal orchid, fragrant orchid and autumn lady’s tresses are all found here. Also, the very uncommon Arctic sandwort (Arenaria norvegica) which is only known from two other locations in the British Isles.
This sandwort is not included in Zoe Devlin’s Flora. She does list other sandworts including thyme-leaved sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia), which also grows here in New Brunswick. It is a low-growing herb with tiny white five-petalled flowers.
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I will continue my ritual ‘walk’ along the Black Head Loop in the next post.
All my best,
Jane
Virtual hike along the Caher Valley Loop, Burren, Ireland
The Caher Valley Loop is a shorter trail (14.5 km), in the same area as the Burren Way (my recent post) and follows, in part, the same ‘green road.’ The trail begins along a main road, the Bôthar Leaca (translates to Flaggy Road). This climbs a hill and the ocean is visible to the right. The trail is included as Route 6 in Tony Kirby’s The Burren & the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide.
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I was puzzled by a couple of structures along the road. My husband says these are cisterns or reservoirs for livestock water, fed by underground springs and streams.
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Where I met the horse on my virtual hike of the Burren Way, the trail takes a left across the same ‘green road.’ The ‘green roads’ are usually lined with stone walls and are used for livestock or hiking.
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The Caher Valley Loop continues where the ‘green road’ exits to a Street View road and the trail proceeds all the way to the ocean.
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The issue of water seemed to dominate the trail. It follows the Caher River, a narrow stream, the only surface river in the area. Otherwise, water moves underground or surfaces only intermittently. This is because the limestone bedrock allows water to percolate away from the surface. The Caher River exists because of its unusual, impermeable clay riverbed. The trail crosses a couple of bridges and then leads downward to the ocean.
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The terrain is very different from what I am used to—the surface soil is known to move over the limestone substrate, making it unsuitable for agriculture other than pasture. In the photos of the river, you can see the evidence of soil movement in the ‘waves’ of mobile ground and the shallow, eroding soil above the limestone.
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To end my virtual journey, I’ll show a photo of the local terrain and a particularly interesting ‘balancing rock’ (Source:Google Earth).
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All my best,
Jane
A virtual journey to the Burren area of Ireland: Burren Way
I have been continuing on my virtual trail-walking, using The Burren &Aran Islands: A Walking Guide (Kirby, 2009). My trip yesterday was along the 22 km Burren Way. The trail starts at Ballynalackan (Clare County) and ends at Ballyvaughn to the northeast. Most of the road is on older, unpaved ways, but I was able to follow the start and finish of the trail on Google Earth Street View. Since the trail is so long, I decided to start at the Fanore Viewpoint a short distance from Ballyella, following the old ‘green road’ towards the Caher River.
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My first view of the trail involved meeting a friendly horse near the viewpoint. The trail begins to the left of the photo. You can see how open the landscape is here. Much of the trail crosses the limestone pavements mentioned in my last post about the Burren.
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The trail begins at a ‘y’ in the road. To the left is a view of Galway Bay:
Source: Google Street View
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Although there are no Street View roads to follow for much of the Burren Way, there is an image of the green road at one point (Photo Credit: Jacek D). Dry-laid rock fencing lines the road now used as a walking trail and passage for herds of sheep and cattle.
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At the northeast part of the trail, Street View shows the roadways. Along this part of Burren Way are several church ruins.
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In case you think there are no trees to be seen, here is a shot of some of the hedgerow and trees of the deciduous woodland along the northeastern portion of the trail. The hedgerow is composed of spindle, blackthorn and whitethorn.
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As a botanist, I was particularly interested in the vegetation described by the Walking Guide. Some of the plants occurring along the Burren Way include the rare pyramidal bugle and two species of heather (common and bell).
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The pyramidal bugle (Ajuga pyramidalis) is a stubby, hairy version of the bugleweed growing in my own front yard. I use the plant as ground cover so I never have to mow the ‘lawn.’ The pyramidal bugle is a very rare native perennial, growing on calcareous soil.
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Years ago, I tried to grow the wiry and pink-flowered common heather (Calluna vulgaris) on our property, but although it lasted a few years, it did not stay. Bell heather (Erica cinerea) has magenta-purple flowers and narrow upright stems with narrow, needle-like leaves. Both heathers are woody as they age.
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I will close this post with a lovely photo of bell heather (Source: wildflowersofireland.net).
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All my Best,
Jane
A virtual journey to the Burren area of Ireland
Lately, I am aware of being on the computer every time I get a free minute. I have always been a multitasker and, when we watch TV, for example, I usually write, or sew, or play a game on my laptop. Lately I have been wishing for a more relaxing break time.
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I am a botanist and in my writing life, I have collected many books. Among these has been The Burren & The Aran Islands: A Walking Guide (Tony Kirby, The Collins Press, Cork, 2014). I have never been to Ireland, but some of my ancestors lived there (my Ancestry DNA result indicates I am 4% from Connacht, Ireland, and 1% from Leinster, Ireland) and I am interested in the world they experienced.
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For this reason, I started to read The Walking Guide and quickly realized I was impressed by the geology of the area and the wildflowers found there. I also have a copy of the book The Wildflowers of Ireland: A Field Guide (Zoe Devlin, The Collins Press, Cork, 2018), so I have been able to look at a photo and description of the various species in The Walking Guide.
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I realized as I read, that I would be able to get a better idea of the terrain and landscape on Google Earth‘s ‘Street View.’ Although the specific trails are not always found on Street View, many people have posted photos of parts of the trails. So, here I am, back on the computer!
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One of the most interesting aspects of this part of Ireland is the limestone pavements. This feature is extensive in the area and is made up of limestone rock. Blocks of the pavement are called glints; between glints are fissures called grikes. The pavements are a feature of Karst topography and were created by sedimentation and glacial erosion.
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Although I know most of the flora of Canada and North America, I am encountering plants I have never seen was well as some I know well. An example of a plant known to me because it grows in our area, is yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor). A plant I have never seen is hoary-rockrose (Helianthemum oelandicum ssp. piloseelloides) a plant rare in Ireland. This is a low growing plant with 5-petalled yellow flowers.
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I will enjoy my virtual walk through the Burren and the Aran Islands of Ireland. I am currently working on Route 5 of The Walking Guide. From time to time, I will post about some of the interesting geology, plants and history I encounter.
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All my best,
Jane
