Beyond beautiful. Busy on the weekends - no bathrooms at the summit but down the road at the summit…read moreinn there are some if you grab a pint. To me, this is the pinnacle (literally & figuratively) of Howth, and well worth the bus ride to the top. On a sunny or cloudy day, the view is worth it just a little bit down the trail.

Nice free car park with a great view over Dublin…read more There's a pub at the bottom. They serve nice snacks, breakfast dishes. You may reach this summit with Dublin bus.

Venturing down a woodland trail puts things into perspective. Trees join limbs before the sky and…read moresunshine filters down in golden patches. Bees land on wild flowers and the sound of birdsong is powerful. All of a sudden, the softest blanket of purple haze shimmers before me. A shock of bluebells huddle together, their heads downcast. The astonishing splendour of nature has awoken me and I feel like telling the bluebells to look up. Look up and appreciate the beauty around you. The magnificence of yourselves.

Went for a lovely walk here recently. It's a bit out of my way but I wouldn't mind coming back,…read moreespecially in Spring when the bluebells and wild garlic are in full bloom. Seemingly there are walks to the extend of 10km and well sign posted. Some of the ways we walked are lovely small. Just pure nature. A nice suurounding to unwind.

Absolutely beautiful location with a great guide who was friendly, informative and fun to spend…read moretime with. Bikes were great too.

From the owner: Dublin’s leading provider of adventure experiences and award winning family run tours, whose…read morepassion is sharing the beauty, history and nature of Howth with locals and guests from around the world. Our eco-friendly activities include walking, hiking, electric bike and boat tours. Howth Adventures are family and friends whose passion in life is to share the beauty, history and nature of Howth with locals and guests from around the world. We go out of our way to create exciting, meaningful, personal and memorable, adventure experiences connecting the stories, people, land, sea and sky in Howth. Howth is part of the Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere and our mission is to share this beauty, leave no trace and keep it a unique and glorious sustainable treasure where nature, people and culture can thrive.

Gorgeous weekend destination with lots to do and see in the downtown area and the outskirts. Plan a…read moresummer getaway here and include taking in the lough, beaches, castle and monastery ruins, downtown area, restaurants featuring oysters, and overall natural beauty!

The walk that starts from Sean Moore Park and ends a little after the Pigeon House (another Dublin…read morelandmark) is a perfect spring/ summer outing. On a nice sunny day, I can think of nothing better to do then spend the afternoon strolling down the pathways of the Irishtown Nature Walk. The walk itself is not arduous but still not easy. The trail bends and twists and is at times hilly, but there are a number of benches to rest and to gaze at the beautiful view of sand and sea. The hike will take you through blackberry bushes and tall grass. There are a number of sea birds to look out for. This activity is popular with athletic types. Joggers, dog walkers and cyclists raced past me. Overall, it was a quiet and relaxing hike, one that will work up an appetite.

I am incredibly lucky to have this right on my doorstep, a headland with lovely sea views and wild…read moreovergrown parkland to explore at the same time... lovely. Sometimes when I really want to shake things up I go and join the local druggies and alcoholics in the park to discuss the deeper philosophical quandaries and questions like when the fridge door closes does the light go out. A few of them having recently slept in a fridge were able to confirm that yes, the light does go out. ..er... yeah, deffo only to be explored during daylight hours.

"The Great South Wall (also sometimes called the South Bull Wall) took some fifty years to…read moreconstruct and was finally completed in 1795. It was the world's longest sea-wall at the time of its building and still remains one of the longest in Europe." what a great walk! its never too crowded because other people are walking along the beach. the surface is a bit uneven so you definitely need to wear runners, no fancy high heels here! What i love about this place, being a south sider i always have one perspective of Dublin city and this gives a totally new view. it is breathtaking really.

I love this walk, how did I not know about it for so many years of living in Dublin??…read more It's just about long enough for a nice post teatime walk in the working week. The views both left and right are nice. While the lighthouse at the end of the wall is nice to inspect on your first visit. The bird life is good too, if you are a bit of a twitcher. And the great big boats coming and going are something to watch as you make your way there and back. The only reason I don't give it five stars is because the ground can be quite uneven. So be careful if you are not sturdy on your feet or have a dodgy knee like me.

A lovely place. Great scenery on top with nice rocks. You can see the whole Dublin…read more Coming here mostly with a road bike. A good challenge to get up there. You may park at the bottom and walk up. Be prepared to sweat a little bit. There're at least two ways. I tried the other one and it was all gravel. No good for road bike. But nice walking experience.

Ticknock has up to 10 km of mountain and forest walks catering to seasoned hikers, mountain bikers,…read moreskateboarders, mountain runners, Sunday strollers and everyone in between with fantastic views from Dublin City to Bray Head. The forest has an extensive network of forest trails managed by Coillte and Ticknock is part of the Dublin Mountains Partnership which aims to improve the recreational use of the Dublin Mountains. The area comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains. There are two trails specific to just Ticknock with the addition of the Wicklow Way Trail. The first trail 'Mountain Access Route' starts and finishes at the Ticknock Forest carpark. It meanders through the woodland paths before going straight up to the summit of Two Rock at Fairy Castle. This trail comes back down the same way. It's an 800m walk which takes about 20 mins. It's marked by Coillte and the Dublin Mountain Partnership as moderate and it seems to be used by runners a lot for training, as well as the occasional skateboarder on the lower part of the trail where it is tarmacadamed (I know this isn't a word, but you get what I mean!). I tend not to do this trail as it's a bit too short. The ground is partially forest walk, partially forest road and partially uneven mountain trails. It's a nice short, steep walk to the great views from Fairy Castle. The second trail 'The Fairy Castle Loop' starts and finishes at the same point but covers 5.5km and takes an estimated 1hr 45mins although as we took the wrong path for a little while on Sunday it took us closer to two hours, but hey, it was a lovely sunny day so no harm done The trail is also considered moderate. It's grand, a little uneven in places and some parts are a little on the steep side, but if you have any level of fitness you should be fine. This trail loops past Fairy Castle at the summit and passes Three Rock on the way back down (or up if you go in the opposite direction). Another thing to note is that the Dublin/Wicklow Way also runs through this part of the mountains, and so there are often other walkers coming from further afield. You can also extend your walk by heading along the Wicklow Way to either Tibradden Wood and joining the 'Tibradden Mountain Trail' or to Kilmashogue Forest which is another lovely walk. The Coillte and Dublin Mountains Partnership websites both have handy downloadable free maps which I would recommend taking if you're unsure of the trails and you don't want to bring an OSI map with you. The trails are well marked in places but not at every possible diverging fork. There is quite a lot of parking available at Ticknock as it is a very well used part of the mountains. Apparently the 44B is the closest public transport but I've had a look and it seems the closest stop might be at Lamb Doyle's.

My return to Knocksink Wood really surprised me, it's not the same place I remember…read more To find it, as you drive down into Enniskerry via the Monastery Road, you will see the wooden sign by the entrance. If on a Dublin bus, I would say its the second stop after you pass the stop at the closed down Texaco garage. About a mile in off the road is a car park and an education centre. This was all new to me and both great additions to the woods. We didn't go into the centre, so cannot comment on that. I should have though and I will next time I am back. The trails that are marked out are very even and safe, for anyone who prefers a safe stroll. There appears to have been some work done to make these paths quite safe, especially a long parts of the river bank. For the more adventurous there are some paths that deviate from the main foot paths, but prepare to get a bit muddy. The Glencullen river runs through the woods and this is really the highlight of the woods. The view and sound of the river is a tonic. Of all the dogs being brought for a walk here, there was many of them enjoying a dip in the river. In fact the whole woods is perfect for dog walking. They all seemed to be really enjoying their walkies. It was a Sunday afternoon in March and by the time we were leaving, at about 15:30, the car park was getting very busy. I look forward to going back for another walk in the woods.

A very nice woodland walk - quite short and easy without and major hills. The Glencullen river…read moreruns along side with a couple of little waterfalls and bridges. Very well signposted and with a big car park

The plan was to go to Glendalough for a hike, but at the last minute we decided to climb the Sugar…read moreLoaf instead and we were so glad we did. It was a clear cool day, with blue skies. Perfect for a climb of the Sugar Loaf. When the incline became steeper, we had to unzip our raincoats. Close to the top it becomes a bit of a scramble, with loose scree under foot. So you need to be sure you can cope with these conditions before attempting the last part of the climb. But if you can make, it will be worth it, the views were smashing. The clear conditions of this day probably made for near perfect views, although we couldn't quite see Wales :) One other thing to note was the drop in temperature when we neared the top, so we zipped up our jackets and put on our woolly hats again. The car park at the foot of it had ample space when we arrived at midday, but by the time we got back it was full. Maybe a early start is advised, but that said cars were coming and going all the same.

The sugar loaf mountains are absolutely beautiful, it just so happened we got a perfect day for it…read more The climb up the mountain isn't very tough and there was lots of different ages of people doing it, from small children to older people. The view from the top is breathtaking!! I'd recommend wearing comfortable gym clothes and good runners. OHHH and don't forget your water!!

Gord and I came across St. Mary's Church while wandering around Howth Saturday afternoon…read more The first church built in Howth was on the site of Howth Abbey, in Howth village. It was founded by Sightrygg, King of Dublin around 1042. Around 1235, the old church was amalgamated with the church on Ireland's Eye and a new church was built - founded by Luke, Archbishop of Dublin on land granted by Sir Almeric St. Lawrence. Little remains of either of these churches and most of the present abbey dates back to the late 14th century or early 15th century.

If you are planning a day trip out to Howth or even just visiting the market this is a little…read moredetour well worth making. Not only for its historical value but it also has one of the best views in Howth out over the harbour to Ireland's Eye and Lambay Possibly the view is the reason King Sitric decided to build his Church here in 1042 but that structure is long gone and the current ruins are of an Abbey built by the St.Lawrence family in the early 15th Century - none the less it is an impressive site. The church was a indented in 1630's for a larger nearby church but a lot of the origami features like carvings and tombs remain. On the site there is also a little graveyard which has some interesting things to see. There is a section of the graveyard called the "strangers bank" which was for unidentified people who had died at sea. You may notice here there is a makeshift grave of tram rails. This marks the grave of a young Englishman who was working on the construction of the Howth tram in 1895. He had kept to himself so when he died suddenly his colleagues did not know his name or his family so they buried him here and made him a gravestone from the rail tracks The entrance is off abbeys street very close to both the harbour and the village - there are steps leading up to it just beside The Abbey Tavern