Ireland’s tourism authority has launched 360° videos of stunning sights along The Wild Atlantic Way. Today’s, mountain biking the Burren, in County Clare, gives viewers the virtual reality experience of a cyclist negotiating the undulating terrain of one of the country’s most singular landscapes.

These 360° videos allow viewers to click and drag, within the footage, to view the experience from a different aspect. This video was taken by Patrick O’Regan from Burren Way Mountain Bike Tours, which used a specially designed GoPro camera to capture the unique experience.

The Burren National Park covers a remarkable 1,500 hectares of limestone pavement, hazel scrub, woodland, springs, and cliffs. Its distinctive topography is a result of intense activity beneath the earth, which was then forced high and dry by great geological force.

Read more: View the Wild Atlantic Way in 360° video: Horse-riding on Streedagh Beach, Sligo

This is the perfect place for cyclists, or walking enthusiasts, to get away from it all and connect with nature. Every summer, its abundance of wildflowers provides a blaze of color and horticultural lovers everywhere continue to be drawn to this tranquil place of stunning, unspoiled beauty in County Clare.

The virtual reality experience of these 360° videos allows yet another level of immersion for those interested in what Ireland has to offer or those who are planning a trip along Ireland’s west coast. These videos, released by Failte Ireland, afford the viewer an almost life-like experience. The videos can be viewed on desktop and mobile websites as well as on VR Headsets, Google Cardboard.

The first of the 360° videos promoted publicly, Surfing at the Cliffs of Moher, has already generated 150,000 views among potential visitors.

Along the Wild Atlantic Way there are 188 Discovery Points and Failte Ireland plans to create 360° videos for the 15 Signature Discovery Points, among them.

These include:

Malin Head, County Donegal

Fanad Head, County Donegal

Sliabh Liag, County Donegal

Mullaghmore, County Sligo

Downpatrick Head, County Mayo

Keel Beach, County Mayo

Killary Fjord, Connemara, County Galway

Derrygimlagh, Connemara, County Galway

Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

Loop Head, County Clare

Skellig Islands, County Kerry

Blasket Island, County Kerry

Dursey Island, County Cork

Mizen Head, County Cork

Kinsale, County Cork

The VR and 360° experiences were commissioned by Fáilte Ireland and filmed earlier this year using a combination of drone, custom built mounted back packs and GoPro equipment to truly give this immersive perspective.

Fáilte Ireland, Ireland’s tourism authority, recently piloted this virtual reality experience as a potential sales tool at ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest tourism trade fairs with 10,000 exhibitors from 187 countries in attendance. Following on from the successful demonstration to the international trade, Failte Ireland is now giving everyone the chance to view the experiences for themselves.

Speaking about how Fáilte Ireland is using this technology, Head of Marketing, Daragh Anglim, said, “Using this new technology to bring almost life-like experiences to visitors as they research and book their holidays will ensure that Ireland can stand out in a crowded marketplace. Furthermore, it also proves that Ireland can compete with the best when it comes to employing emerging technologies and using innovation to drive tourism numbers.”

For more of this amazing technology visit www.WildAtlanticWay.com.