Mullaghmore Loop, Perfumery and the Dinner Which Never Ended.

18th July – Mullaghmore Loop Hike and The Burren Perfumery

Today brings an immersion into the unique geological and natural wonder of The Burren, a remarkable landscape characterized by its glacially sculpted limestone pavements and bursts of colourful wildflowers. The day begins at Poulnabrone Dolmen, Ireland’s oldest dated megalithic monument, an iconic portal tomb standing amid a field of fractured limestone slabs.

From there, you’ll embark on the Mullaghmore Loop, a 7.5-kilometre trail that winds through striking karst formations, revealing the region’s haunting beauty and biodiversity. Highlights include Sliabh Rua, a limestone hill often described as resembling a giant fossilized cinnamon roll—an unforgettable sight for nature enthusiasts and photographers alike.

To conclude the day, we visit The Burren Perfumery, a small, artisan workshop that captures the essence of the Burren’s flora in its handcrafted perfumes, soaps, and creams. Take time to enjoy the fragrant gardens, sample locally inspired scents, and perhaps relax with tea in their delightful café before returning to Lahinch.

Karen's knee was playing up since our first hike, probably due to the uneven limestone surface. She made about half of yesterday's hike and wisely rested. Today she is sitting out and looking around the village while we do the hike.

On the way to the hike we passed the ruins of red Mary's castle. Her name was actually Máire Rua O'Brien, but nick-named red Mary for her bright red hair and volatile temper. She married 3 times to protect her wealth and land and was known to hang incompetent servants by their hair from the battlements. The ruins are purportedly haunted, but records show she died peacefully in 1686.

Mullaghmore translates to "Great Summit" and this was my favorite hike of the trip. It went to the top of a hill that looked amazingly like a cinnamon roll.

The temperature was more moderate and it was great to walk through the wind.

The hike itself was about 5 miles and about 1200 feet of elevation gain.

It included some scrambling and I was amazed no one sprained anything.

The views from the top made the trip up worth it.

This hike was in The Burren which is a unique landscape. This area has been inhabited for about 6,000 years (hence the famous Dolmen - below). In addition to the interesting landscape, it boasts a unique micro-climate where arctic, alpine and mediterranean plants grow side-by-side. 24 of Ireland's 31 orchid species can be found here. We were lucky to find 2 different types, as the season is pretty much over and it has been so dry

Which leads us to The Burren Perfumery. Although they don't use actual flowers growing in The Burren, they do import the same plants from other areas where they are grown commercially for their scents. This is Irelands oldest perfumery, opened in 1972. It has grown to employing about 40 locals and everything is done by hand on site. Being able to see their production facilities and learning about their history made their products and even more special souvenir.

Our tour started in the cafe for lunch. There were so many options for cakes, I couldn't make a decision. By the time I came back to order, the carrot cake was already gone - just as well.

Our tour of the facilities included "taste-smelling" many scents. By the end of the hour, my nose was so confused I didn't know what I liked any more.

Next up was the Poulnabrone Dolmen.

This is the oldest dated megalithic monument in Ireland. For those of you who have read my other blogs, you will know that I love looking at megalithic tombs and this was a good one. It is especially unique because, when excavated in the 1980s, they found remains of around 30 individuals. Normally, they are for individuals, normally the leaders. These bones showed signs of excarnation - left to decompose elsewhere and selected bones were relocated to this Dolmen.

Before dinner, Lisa, Karen and I walked over to the famous golf course club house for a drink. Curiousity satisfied.

Dinner was at the Barrtra Restaurant.

Lisa's friends came to Lahinch a week before we did and scoped out several restaurants for us to try. This was not one of them, but there was no way to get a reservation anywhere else. Tomas asked if we wanted to try something different which featured a "surprise menu" and he was able to convince them to take us in, but we couldn't start our meal until 8pm.

The Barrtrá Seafood Restaurant is a family-run establishment, Chef Ruben O'Brien, specializing in locally sourced seafood, premium Irish beef, and vegetables grown in their own garden. It's been in business since 1988 and overlooks Liscannor Bay on the Wild Atlantic Way. Named Seafood Restaurant of the Year in 2002 by the Georgina Campbell Guide.

The nightly 5 course "Surprise Menu," means we could choose between fish, meat, or vegetarian options. At least the waitress also asked if there way anything we "wouldn't eat" when we chose one of the options.

I went with vegetarian - my "go to" when traveling and not knowing what will be in my food. Some people had so many restrictions, they had real issues choosing an option. I started with a nut pate, then a sort of vegetable crab cake, followed by a vegetable casserole and a fruit ice cream/vegan sort of cake. We also went for some rose champagne. My food was tasty, but...

what they didn't tell us was that this meal should be treated as an "experience". It took over 3 hours to get fed and the group was impatient. At several points the waitress apologized and said the kitchen was overwhelmed and that meals were "just being plated". The service was so slow, I started tearing the bread into small pieces and passing it out as an "amuse bouche".

I think the general thought was Tomas shouldn't have pushed and the restaurant shouldn't have accepted the reservation. We started at 8pm and didn't get back until 11:30. Everyone was exhausted.