Cavan Burren Fieldtrip

Facilities: there are accessible toilets at the Burren car park visitor centre, a sheltered area with information boards, and picnic tables. 

Accessibility: the northern part of the park is laid out with gravel trails, forest roads, and boardwalk sections.  Some of the boardwalk is narrow, consisting of two broad planks, and can be slippery when wet.  Some of the narrow boardwalk has steps.  Uphill and downhill sections will be encountered, however no uphill section will present a sustained climb nor steep gradient.  The southern section of the park has grassy and occasionally boggy trails with uneven surfaces and occasional fallen branches but no sustained slopes through densely wooded areas.  At planned stops the trip will leave the trails for short distances.  Hiking shoes or boots are recommended.  Trousers and long-sleeved shirts will offer some protection from vegetation.  Wet and cold clothing as appropriate to the conditions – the park is between 200m and 260m altitude.  Bring lunch/water/tea/coffee/snacks etc (sometimes a small catering trailer for tea & coffee is present, but not always).  The nearest villages (Belcoo and Blacklion, en route from Belfast to the Burren, approximately 4 miles from the park) have shops and garages, and there are electric car chargers in Blacklion.  We will divide the day into two parts, with the lunch break at the car park and facilities. 

The field trip will be led by 

Dr Les Brown, hydrogeologist, who will discuss the five catchments of the Burren park and their relationship to the caves of the Cuilcagh area.   

Magda Kluj, geologist, who will present the geology and geomorphology of the park and the surrounding area, a karst region.   

Gaby Burns, geographer and landscape historian, will show the various ways in which prehistoric people modified the erratic sandstone boulders of the area.   

Dr Alasdair Kennedy, historical geographer and speleologist, will introduce some of the caves within the park and discuss recent underground exploration. 

Further information can be found here: 

https://cuilcaghlakelands.org/itinerary/cavan-burren-park/ (general visitor info) 

http://www.cavanburren.ie/ (Gaby’s archaeology website)