The Burren, Ireland

Rocks, rock walls, and ruins. Ireland is littered with both, and the ruins are invariably made of rock. As the guidebook says, the Poulnabrone Dolmen (meaning “the hole of the sorrows” – it’s a portal tomb), in the Burren, County Clare, south of Galway, is one of Ireland’s most photographed and ancient monuments. The top stone weighs five tonnes. Built 5,000 years ago, it housed sixteen human remains. As it was winter, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There are about seventy of these dolmens scattered about the Burren. Bleak place, but an amazing site. It would appear in Ireland that you can't throw a rock without hitting a pub, a sheep, or some ancient historical site. Pretty cool, all in all.