Howth Black Linn Loop Walk

Howth is a peninsula in the Northeast of Dublin City. It is a busy fishing port, has a lovely village and offers some maintained walks around Howth Head with great views. This is one of the four walks / hikes, Howth Black Linn Loop Walk. These details were taken from fingaldublin.ie a number of years back. For more info on Howth itself, check out this link.

There are three other loops, Tramline Loop Walk , Lower Cliff Walk and Bog of Frogs Loop.

Howth Black Linn Loop Walk

1. Starting from the DART Station follow the red arrow onto the promenade along the harbour. You are also following green, blue and purple arrows for other loops. At the end of the prom, veer right onto Balscadden Road and ascend to reach Kilrock car park from where you join the well trodden cliff path.
2. Follow the cliff path for approximately 3km before turning right (leaving the longer purple loop) and ascending to reach The Summit car park.
3. Exit the car park through the height restriction barrier and join Bailey Green Road. Follow this road downhill to reach a junction of roads at The Summit Stores and pub. Turn left here.
4. Follow the tarred road past The Summit Stores and, after approximately 100m, turn right onto a grassy pathway. At the end, cross Carrickbrack Road to join another pathway whcih ascends ‘Tweedy’s Hill’. Joining Windgate Road at the top of the short climb, turn right and travel for approximately 200m to reach the entrance to the hillside at a gateway on your left.
5. You now follow a series of paths across an open hilltop section known locally as ‘Black Linn’, where it picks up the purple loop before descending through the grounds of the local GAA Club, and eventually reaching the Balkill Park estate.
6. Entering Balkill Park, you pick up the green and blue loops as you join the tramline pathway. Follow the pathway downhill to exit directly opposite the DART Station – picking up the green, red and purple loops along the way.

Descriptions
Ascent : 160m
Distance : 8km
Estimated Time : 2hrs – 3hrs
Grade : Moderate
Trailhead : Howth Village
Terrain : Laneways and clifftop paths
Minimum Gear : Walking boots, raingear, snack and fluid
Theme : Coastal