Dublin and it’s inhabitants have a fierce and probably deserved reputation for overindulging, but we are also cute enough to know that an invigorating walk can be just the cure. Here are our favourite 5 great walks in Dublin. Perfect for blowing the cobwebs out when you have taken a drop too much of the Black stuff or indeed for avoiding it altogether !
1.Howth Head peninsula
Just hop on the Dart or the no 31b bus from Isaacs hostel in Dublin and you will be there in 20 mins. Following the marked cliff path from the harbour for stunning views across Dublin bay to the Dublin mountains and beyond. There are loads of trails which you can download here. Varying in length from an hour up to the Summit Inn pub ( there we go again!) or do the whole loop commonly known as the Bog of the Frogs. It can get very busy so avoid weekends if you prefer a quieter walk.
2.Bray to Greystones ( or vice versa)
This is another very easy walk to reach by public transport. t Take the frequent dart service to the seaside town of Bray and walk the spectacular coastal cliff path to the charming village of Greystones which is awash with good cafes, restaurants and you guessed it; Pubs! It should take you about 1.5 hours to walk one way and you can either walk back the same route or across the top off the cliffs, or better still just hop on the train all the way back to Dublin. Simples!
3.Bull Island
No excuse to get there for this one. A short bus journey( 31b) to Clontarf will take you to Bull island – it’s a low lying sand spit in the heart of Dublin bay. Teeming with birds and wild life and sand dunes, it’s 5k long by 1k wide so you can do as little or as much walking as you want. There is no Pub ( boohoo! ) but a great a new coffee spot called Happy Out which serves to die toasties out of converted shipping container. Always good to reward yourself after a long walk we say !
4. Dublin Mountains
One of the great things about Dublin is that we are enveloped by mountains so we obviously had to include a bit of a hill walk . The Tibradden mountain trail is doable at 5k even with an almighty hangover and is well marked.
You ideally need a lift or a car for this one– but there are ways and means by public transport . There is a very nice pub called the Merry Ploughboy serving excellent chicken wings to finish off your day ( surprise !)
5. Dalkey
The very charming and historic village of Dalkey and is home to some lesser known mortals such as Bono and well worth a trip in itself. For the energetic however, there is a lovely steep but short walk to the to the top of Killiney head with amazing Coastal views. This section of Ireland’s east coast is not called the Sorrento of Ireland lightly. Plenty of watering holes in the village and easily accessible again by Dart – What’s not to love ?
