Dromore Woods in Co Clare

Dromore Woods- Castle Walk – Hidden treasures in Co. Clare

Dear Readers,

Sundays is usually downtime in our house, which means having Sunday dinner (Roast chicken or any other type of meat in the oven), potatoes, and vegetables, and then oodles of cups of tea, and a good read of the Sunday papers( we are avid Sunday Times Reader).

Today was no different really, except that, before we chilled out, we went for a walk.

Castle Walk at Dromore Woods

We went to a place called Dromore Woods, which is is a wonderful nature reserve with 1,000 acres of woodland.The remains of the 15th century Ruan Church is right next to Dromore Lake.

Tours and booklets are available and admission is free. Dromore Woods is about 13km north of Ennis and 10 km from Gort. The nearby village of Corofin, surrounded by lakes, is a good area for trout fishing

The Burren has a lot to offer, Dromore Woods is probably one of the lesser known places you can go to explore.

The Castle trail is about 45 minutes and has some fabulous views across the lake and the castle.
There are 12 markers, and if you bought the trail guide, you can read you some interesting information about each location on the trail.
It’s pretty uneven/hilly/narrow/stoney  territory and not really suitable for parents with buggies or wheelchair users.
It’s 45 minutes, but  there are a lot of benches to take a break or to take in the views.
We had brought some fruit and tea, next time I am bringing lunch, as it would be great to have lunch, overlooking the lake..:)
I am enclosing the main nature visiting places in the Burren : http://www.burrenbeo.com/visitor-info/attractions/nature

How to get to Dromore Woods?

Here is just a little map on how to get to Dromore Woods.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to get there by public transport, so you’ll need a car, but it’s fairly well signposted once you are outside of Crusheen ( passed the bridge on the way to Ennis, on the “old” road” – as Crusheen is now bypassed – since the new motorway to Shannon was built)

Where to park at Dromore Woods Nature Reserve

Just a word of advice, once you arrive at the entrance, you might be tempted to park your car.

By all means, park your car, you can start walking, however it’s a very long walk from the parking at the top to the visitors centre.(The drive reminds me a bit of a jungle drive, as it’s a very narrow road, and you are in the middle of dense woods, I just kept thinking there might be some wild animal that would jump in front of us!!) It’s better to drive to the visitor centre, as all the walks start from the visitors Centre.
 
The Visitor centre itself  is worth a visit, as it has a great display of fauna and flora in the wood, some information on types of bats you can find in the woods, and some brochures about the walks. We bought the Dromore Wood Trail Guide, as it gives you some information on  two of the walks.  We once did the Rabbit Walk, so today we did the Castle Trail. There are a few more trails you can do, but those are not documented in the guide.
 
 
Have a great day!

Katleen

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One Comment

  1. Pingback: A picnic bench with a view : Dromore Woods in Co. Clare | Working, living & Travelling in Ireland

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