Has anyone taken one of the Burren guided walking tours. I have seen a wide variety and wonder which if any to take. I've found historical, tours explaining the ecosystem of the Burren, tours combing these aspects, and a wild kitchen tour which harvests plants for recipes. Any experience or insight would be very appreciated.
Nick
In 2015, We took one with the guy that RS uses on his tours-his contact info is in the Ireland guidebook.
Last summer we went on a Burren tour with Tony Kirby of Heart of Burren Walks. He was an excellent guide and extremely knowledgeable about the land, animals, and history of the Burren. We met at a local pub and took a short drive to the place where we parked our vehicles. From there, we toured the Burren for about 2.5 hours. He did a great job of stopping in the shade (we were there during the heat wave last summer--it was 92 degrees that day!) when he shared his information. As long as you are in reasonably good shape, you will be fine. There were teenagers to seniors on our tour. One of the women on the tour said she had toured with him about 10 years ago and this tour was totally different than that one. We are glad we spent the time and money to learn more about this amazing area from Tony.
We also enjoyed the Tony Kirby guided Burren tour. Tony has such a wonderful understanding of the land and clearly loves what he is doing. He covers history and the ecosystem. My family of 5 with interests ranging from horticulture and ornithology to photography and history were all highly satisfied with the experience including the 14 year old!
I also highly recommend lunch afterward at the Burren Perfumery and a walk thru their gardens.
I can't imagine a more perfect itinerary for visiting the Burren.
Thank you on the description and your testimonies. This sounds perfect!!
Nick
One more recommendation for Tony Kirby - we used him in 2011, before he was included in Rick's guidebook -- glad he's included now.
