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.

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.

I was in Dublin recently and went for a walk in the Dublin Mountains with Liz from Trails & Tales…read more What a wonderful experience and the weather wasn't even that great! The scenery was beautiful; it was so peaceful, the terrain was diverse in its beauty and appeal. The tales were interesting and stimulating and it was obvious that my guide, Liz, was familiar with the territory, its history and it myths. My 10k walk was leisurely, but if you like you can do a longer, more strenuous one. All you have to do is ask. My advice is that if you go to Dublin contact Trails and Tales. Get a group together and have a wonderful "walk". You will fill your memory bank and be glad you did.

From the owner: We specialise in short walking tours for visitors to Dubllin. Our tours take place in the Dublin…read moreMountains and we can collect from Luas green or red line or indeed your hotel. Our aim is to show you the sights of the Dublin Mountains which has varied scenary from lake views to scenes of the city below.

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!!

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

Djouce wood is an extensive area of forest managed by Coillte and bordered to the south west by…read moreDjouce mountain close to Dublin in the Wicklow mountains. The wood is a mix of forest roads, trails and paths laid out and useable by walkers and mountain bikers alike. The area was once part of the Powerscourt Estate. The trails in the forest offer excellent views over the River Dargle valley to the Powersourt Waterfall which is the highest waterfall in Ireland and to Djouce Mountain (725m). The area has many other great walking trails including accessing the mountain area of Djouce, War Hill, White Hill and Maulin. It also gives access to the Wicklow way heading north through Crone and Lackan or south to Ballinastoe. There are two specific trails in Djouce wood, the red (Deerpark) and the blue trail. The red trail is approximately 3 hours long and deemed a moderate level walk. It's along mostly forest paths and a few forest roads. It can be quite wet, muddy, and open to the elements so this trail is best approached with appropriate wet gear and walking shoes or boots. The blue trail at one and a half hours is an easier route on drier woodland trails which wouldn't require the same level of dressing for the weather and environment. The carpark is well maintained and at the moment is open until 4pm in the afternoon. Coillte's website www.coillteoutdoors.ie provides driving directions and maps of the trails available in this wood.

Just 20 minutes from Dublin, you can easily get to a lot of way-marked walks through the mountains…read moreoffering gorgeous views of the city and coastline. Carrickgollogan offers some of the best vantage points, for the perfect photo op and a comfortable hike through the woods. Carrickgollogan is easy to get to from the city on the N11 but be wanted there are some tight country roads before reaching the car park. The only negative about this spot is the car park closes at 4pm so make it an early start - the walk is approx 2km but there's lots of detours to take so it's easy to spend a few hours wandering around. If you think you're going to be later than 4pm, you can park in front of the car park on the side of the road but it's pretty tight so not recommended if you drive a wide car.

"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.