A collection of walks and hikes in Ireland
The Benbulben (or Benbulbin) forest walk is a great way to get up close views of the majestic Benbulben. The walk is about 5.5km around the base of the mountain and takes about an hour and a half to complete. For more details on this forest walk, check out https://sligowalks.ie/walks/benbulbin-gortarowey-looped-walk/
Following on from a hugely successful inaugural festival in 2018, Killarney Mountain Festival 2019 will take place on the weekend of the 8th, 9th and 10th March 2019! This exciting spectacle and celebration of everything mountain and adventure- related will be run in close association with the hugely successful and world-renowned Kendal Mountain Festival in the beautiful lake district of the UK, of which Killarney is twinned.
Killarney Mountain Festival is sure to inspire and invigorate visitors with its jam-packed programme of events, some of which are free, such as live musical entertainment across the weekend including Friday and Saturday night, film screenings, family-fun activities, and well known inspirational guest speakers.
Venues for the various events taking place include Basecamp, the hub of the festival, located in a large festival tent just behind The Killarney Plaza Hotel, St. Mary’s Church of the Sloes, The Killarney Plaza Hotel, Cinema Killarney, as well as pop up events in various venues, all located in Killarney Town Centre.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to attend free talks by Motivational Speaker and Writer – Nikki Bradley, Adventurer and Long Distance Hiker – Olive McGloin, Mountaineer, Explorer and Adventurer – Mike O’Shea and British record-breaking Adventurer, Author, Keynote Speaker, and sustainability campaigner – Adrian Hayes.
Killarney Mountain Festival, 8th – 10th March 2019.
For more information, visit www.killarneymountainfestival.com or check them out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Weekly Walks in the Slieve Bloom Mountains
The Slieve Bloom Mountains are a mountain range in the midlands of Ireland that span through Offaly and Laois. The highest point is a modest 527M but the scale of the mountains are extensive. The mountain range is bordered by towns such as Clonaslee, Mountrath, Roscrea, Rosenallis, Clonaslee, Cadamstown Kinnitty and Mountmellick. The Slieve Bloom mountains are amongst the oldest in Europe and once they stood at 3700M before weathering and erosion reduced them to the current size of 527M.
The walking trails range from looped walks, long distance way-marked walks or unguided walks but don’t forget a map and compass if you are not going as part of a group! Organized walks are held every week by the Slieve Bloom Mountains Walking Group and it’s a great way to learn the full mountain history from the local experienced guides. A full list of the walks can be found at the following link.
Please refer to calendar for full list of walks
Peter Maher | Rural Recreation Officer ✆ 085 1742217 petermaher@laoispartnership.ie
For more information, check out http://www.slievebloom.ie/cms/walking/looped-walks/
Located in the Ticknock area, Three Rock mountain provides give you a great view of Dublin, Bray and the Sugar Loaf. It is 444 meters (1,457 feet) high. There are plenty of trails around this area. Below shows the location of a carpark near the mountain and some photos to enjoy. There are also a number of telecoms structures on the summit as can be seen from the photos.
Coillte have a lot of information on walks in this area, check them out here: http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/index.php?id=173&trail=272&no_cache=1
For anyone who enjoys hikes in Ireland, Croagh Patrick is a must-do. Famous for the pilgrimage walk that takes place on Reek Sunday every year, which is the last Sunday in July. This attracts tens of thousands every year and many do the hike in their bare feet (although this is not advised, it can be challenging at times with a lot of loose rock and ground).The mountain is 764 meters (2,507 ft) high and on a clear day, you have a fantastic view of Clew Bay. There is a small chapel at the summit of the mountain.
For an average person, it would take about 2 hours to climb and a bit less to descend the mountain.
The start of the climb is about 8km outside of Westport. Westport is a great town so if you have a bit to travel, I recommend you book a place to stay in Westport.
There is a large car park at the base of Croagh Patrick (53.779618, -9.640008) although it can be busy during the peak season. The location of the car park is shown below along with some photos, enjoy the challenge!
Mangerton Mountain & the Devil’s Punch Bowl are located in the Killarney National Park and offers some amazing views of the area. Hope you enjoy the photos below.
The start of the hike is about a 15 minutes drive outside Killarney town.The start of the hike is at 52.006729, -9.480471 as shown below. This is a bit challenging so be prepared!
For a good idea of the route, check out this link.
This is one of the shorter hikes to reach Wicklow’s highest point, Lugnaquilla. Start off by parking near Fenton’s Pub (link). The hike has a pretty straightforward path up to the top. Follow the route and there is a path all the way to the top. A round trip hike is just over 13km and should take about 4.5/5.5 hours going at an average pace.
Always climb with someone else and be concise of the weather and how much day light is left in the day. Enjoy!
Route (for more inforation click here)
