The Burren begins immediately behind Doolin and extends north and east across a vast plateau of cracked grey limestone. The landscape is unlike anywhere else in Ireland or Britain — the bare rock, exposed after glaciation scraped off the soil, has a lunar quality that photographs cannot fully convey. Walking it in the right light, when the low sun catches the grikes (the cracks between limestone slabs), is one of the better experiences in the west of Ireland.
The spring wildflower display, from April to June, is the Burren at its most extraordinary. Rare orchids, gentians, spring sandwort, and mountain avens grow in the grikes and on exposed ledges. Several walking routes cross the plateau from Doolin, including a path toward the abandoned medieval village of Caherconnell and the ring forts scattered across the limestone.