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North of Doolin, the coast remains spectacular but bleak and empty. The first place to stop is FANORE . A number of excellent Burren walks are easily accessible from here, the best of which is the magnificent walk up to the Caherdoonfergus ring fort and the heights of Dobhach Bhrainin and Gleninagh - a round walk of nine and a half miles. If you decide to use Fanore as a base, you'll find pleasant B&B at Monica's (tel 065/707 6141; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79) or cosy hostel accommodation at Bridge Hostel (closed end Oct to Feb; tel 065/707 6134), which also does camping and evening meals; it only has eighteen beds, so in July and August it's best to ring ahead. Horse riding is available at The Burren Riding Centre (tel 065/707 6140; one and a half hours GBP20/?25.79, three hours GBP40/?50.79). Beyond, the scenic coast road to Black Head and Ballyvaughan is well worth taking. Beautifully poised between Galway Bay and the Burren, BALLYVAUGHAN is an attractive village with a quay of neat grey blocks. Its significance as a trading centre has dwindled into tourism, but it makes a calm haven from which to explore the Burren hills, and it's also the northerly limit of the Burren Way . At the Whitethorn Visitor Centre , on the Galway road east out of the village, Burren Exposure (April-Oct daily 10am-6pm; tel 065/707 7277; GBP3.50/?4.44), a 35-minute audiovisual display on the geology, history and flora of the Burren, is shown. It gives a good overview and the aerial photographs of ring forts are particularly interesting. There's also a restaurant and a craft shop at the centre. Further along this road (about one and a half miles from the village centre), a signposted lane leads to the tranquil and sandy Bishop's Quarter beach. B&Bs in the centre of the village include: the comfortable Gentian Villa (tel 065/707 7042; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79) and the luxurious and welcoming Ballyvaughan Lodge (tel 065/707 7292; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84). About half a mile east along a quiet green road, there's Dolmen Lodge (closed late Oct to mid-March; tel 065/7077202; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84), while a short walk beyond Monk's pub will take you to Oceanville (tel 065/707 7051; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79). For a secluded Burren location try Merrijig Farmhouse (tel 065/707 7120; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), three miles inland; head out along the Lisdoonvarna road and take the right fork towards Lismacsheedy Cliff Fort; it's on the right after about a mile and a half. Bicycle rental is available at J. Connole Laundrette. Whitethorn Restaurant & Crafts (tel 065/707 7044; mid-March to Oct daily 9.30am-6pm, July & Aug open for dinner Fri & Sat), located in the Whitethorn Visitor Centre, is worth calling in on for its stunning setting and offers inexpensive, tasty self-service meals during the day and formal a la carte dining in the evening. Monk's bar does good seafood and the bar meals at Hyland's Hotel cater for hearty appetites. You can get tea and snacks at An Fear Gorta Tearooms in an attractive setting down by the quays. Traditional music is played several nights a week during the summer in Hyland's Hotel and Monk's bar. From Ballyvaughan, interesting routes strike south through the heart of the Burren. Within three miles of Ballyvaughan lie Newtown Castle and the Aillwee Caves, both signposted off the Lisdoonvarna Road. Although the newly restored sixteenth-century Newtown Castle is nothing more than a fortified tower house, the guided tour is interesting, telling of the medieval law and bardic schools of the surrounding area. The mile-long guided Newtown Castle Trail takes one hour and covers folklore, botany and history (April-Oct daily 10am-6pm; castle GBP2/?2.54; castle and trail GBP3.50/?4.44). The well-lit tour through the two-million-year-old Aillwee Caves (daily: March-Oct 10am-5.30pm, July & Aug 10am-6.30pm; Nov-Feb 11.30am-4pm; www.aillweecave.ie ; GBP4.75/?6.03) will take you past amazing caverns of stalagmites and stalactites and spectacular rock formations. All along this coast, east of Ballyvaughan, where the Burren borders Galway Bay, short stretches of well-tended farmland reach from the foot of the hills to the shoreline, and water glints through gaps in the high stone walls, while way over Galway Bay the muted cobalt mountains of Connemara lie hazy in the distance. There's a wealth of birdlife along these shores: cormorants, guillemots, terns, herons, grebes, fulmars, mallards, teals and swans, as well as sea-otters and seals. Heading towards Galway on the coast road, you pass through BELL HARBOUR ( Beulaclugga ), at the southern tip of Muckinish Bay, where the road towards Killinaboy sets off, soon passing the placid Corcomroe Abbey signposted on your left. A twelfth-century Cistercian foundation, its considerable remains are beautifully set in a secluded valley. NEW QUAY , around seven miles east of Ballyvaughan, signposted off the main Galway road, is famous for Linnane's seafood bar - in fact there is little else there. It's a cosy bar serving delicious seafood year round and is renowned for its traditional music sessions on Friday.
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