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/
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/
More great photos from Anthony Kelly (Instagram @miamikelly30), this time of Bray Head and the stand.
If you get a chance to pop out to Bray, take a walk along the strand or a short hike up Bray Head. There is also a great cliff-walk from Bray to Greystones, check out a previous post on this here bray-to-greystones-cliffwalk
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Recently visited the lovely town of Ardmore in Waterford. It is believed to be the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland. It offers many attractions including cliff walks and an open farm but if you are looking for a nice short walk check out the beautiful beach. It’s about a mile long and there is parking available by the beach. Enjoy!
Below is the location of the carpark to the beach.
The river Dodder is 26km long and passes Dublin suburbs of Tallaght and then Firhouse, travels through Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Rathgar, Milltown, Clonskeagh, Donnybrook, and Ballsbridge, and enters the Liffey near Ringsend, along with the Grand Canal, at Grand Canal Dock.
As it goes through these area, there are a range of walkways and green areas to enjoy.
This post focuses on a short but very enjoyable 2km walk from Mortons in Firhouse to Knocklyon. The track is in good condition and is suitable for buggies.
To the west of this section, the walkway also feeds into the River Dodder Linear Park.
While already an enjoyable place to walk through, this area has huge potential and many groups like Dodder Action and Knocklyon Network are pushing to get the local councils to invest is this great amenity to maximise its potential for the local communities.
Marlay Park is a 121 hectares (300 acres) suburban public park located in Rathfarnham in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. Lying about nine kilometers (5.5 miles) from Dublin city center, the parkland comprises woodlands, ponds and walks. Marlay Park is the official starting point of the 132 km Wicklow Way a long-distance walking trail, that begins at the car park adjacent to Marlay House. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlay_Park).
Along with the great walks, there are plenty of facilities and activities in the park such as:
The Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 11 km perimeter wall encloses 707 hectares (1,750 acres)it is also one of the largest enclosed recreational spaces within any European capital city (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Park).
The park provides the public with a variety of walks and loops around this amazing green area. The park is home to a herd of wild fallow deer which can often be seen, especially near the Papal Cross (which was erected in 1979 for the visit of Pope John Paul II).
Along with the availability of a large green area to walk, run and cycle the park also contains:
Parking is available on Chesterfield Avenue and a number of other locations in the park.
For more information go to http://www.phoenixpark.ie/
This 42km Greenway from Westport to Achill (through Newport and Mulranny) offers a fantastic way to enjoy the Mayo countryside. This walk or cycle gives you the chance to enjoy amazing views of Clew Bay and the track is very well maintained (http://www.greenway.ie/index.html).
While we concentrate on walking and hiking at takeahike.ie, cycling is also highly recommended and bikes can be rented from a number of companies such as Clew Bay Bike Hire. The great thing is if you are based in Westport, they will shuttlebus you to Achill and you can cycle from Achill back to Westport (http://www.clewbaybikehire.ie/bikes/bike-packages/).
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
Bertra Beach is a wide strand located about 12km (20 minutes drive) from Westport in County Mayo. The beach gives you a great view of Clew Bay, it’s ilands and drumlins. There is a carpark at Bertra Beach, location shown below.
As with many beaches in Ireland, even if the weather doesn’t suit for a dip into Clew Bay, you can also enjoy this lovely walk.
For more information on this beach, check out http://www.destinationwestport.com/places-to-visit/natural-beauty/beaches-ireland-mayo/
