My husband and I stopped by here while heading out of Dublin to do a bit of a tour of manor houses…read morebetween Dublin and Wexford. I had heard they had beautiful gardens and a nice place to stop for lunch. I have to say, the gardens were indeed absolutely beautiful. There was a wedding being prepared inside the house, so you weren't allowed to go inside when I was there. However, I'm not sure if you're normally allowed inside or not. After spending about an hour walking around the grounds and snapping photos, we stopped at the little outdoor cafe by the manor house for some coffee and lunch. We each had a sandwich which came with a little side salad. There was also nice classical/light jazz music playing in the background. I have to say, it made for quite the relaxing afternoon. From the area where they serve food, you overlook the gardens as you sit out in the sun. If it does start raining, which, because this is Ireland, invariably it will... they do have some limited seating. Would love to come here next time and sit outside with some wine. :)

Stopped into the Saturday market September 2018, at first glance did not seem to have much but most…read moreof the vedors were inside, we purchased some lovely pies and quiche. A nice coffee bar can make any type of espresso drink. We had a lunch of quiche and flat whites, inside seating is available. There were also several vendors selling locally made gift items, including beautiful wood tables. One of us had a 15 minute massage which was very relaxing. Lots of options for relaxing afternoon.

Big open park without much by way of features. Parks really are a mood thing. If you want a nice…read morewalk, stroll, or search for inner peace then, by all means, piss off up to Stephens Green or Merrion Square. But if you just want to kick a ball about then come here. It's big, open and mostly flat.

Very open. Playground not much the pond is a good place to go and see the ducks and the kids live…read moreto feed them. It is not really a day out but amazing for a picnic in summer with a great location everybody's a winner

I heard of Altamont Gardens before but it took until now that I finally got to visit - if I'd live…read morecloser I would be a very regular visitor now! It is a huge park where you can spend hours if you like with lots of different flowers, trees, plants - most of them with name plate. I had my camera with me so took my time, but even without or with your kids running around it's well worth a visit (and any detour) I think. It has formal gardens (not ususally my taste, but these were still nice to look at), with a rather derelict old house, a huge informal park inclusive a smal temple, river walk and a sea full of water lilies. And there's also a walled garden, parts of it rather organised and other parts just full of flowers in all colours side by side. There's a lovely little cafe in the walled gardens - as I don't find much information about it I don't start an own business entry for that. I had a savoury scone (buttermilk and soda) with local cheese and beetrot chutney and a large cappuccino - for € 6.40. Apart from it being very tasty I loved the cafe for being in the middle of a garden with little bits and pieces selected to make it feel like home. There is also a hen family running around in the walled garden / cafe which makes it even nicer to sit there and relax. It belongs to OPW which means it has the added advantage of free entrance. And they have a nursery / shop so you can buy flowers and trees for your own garden.

This is one of my favourite places to go when I'm home. The gardens are huge and you can walk…read morearound for hours. Even though the car park always seems to be full the gardens always seem peaceful. They have a section where you can buy plants and a lovely little cafe run by the forge where you can grab some tea and cake. I have even here live music there occasionally which adds to the atmosphere. Bring waterproof shoes though as the grassy paths can be damp!

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

We visited Mount Usher Gardens last Sunday morning with some of the kids and we all had a really…read moregreat time. While I have come to appreciate beautiful gardens and views over the years, I was quite surprised at how much the kids enjoyed the walk through the gardens, along the riverbank, through the wildflower meadows, around the rare trees and shrubs and across the suspended walk-bridges. It cost about EU 25 for the 5 of us, and we got a couple of hours of real enjoyment from this. Over the next few months the trees and shrubs will bloom at different times and I expect to visit again to see the colours change. We finished up with lunch in the Avoca restaurant in the gardens. The restaurant is excellent, as all Avoca's seem to be. Great food and excellent service. Next time I visit Mount Usher, I will book a table in the restaurant before I start the tour of the gardens so that I can avoid queing for a table when I'm ready for lunch. The only snag was the very limited parking.

I guess the middle of winter isn't the best time to visit a botanical garden however we still…read morereally enjoyed ourselves while on the tree trail. It's nice to have outdoor options during covid times so this was a perfect spot to spend some time outside the house.

You can't expect to grow if you keep hanging around the same crowded spots or scrolling your phone…read moreall day. Donadea offers peaceful trails, fresh air, and a chance to clear the fog in your head. Walking those trails, you'll feel the stress melt away while surrounded by towering trees and calm waters that reset your energy and mindset

Lovely walk with amazing history to research. For kids, I can only imagine that their imaginations…read morego wild. 12th century castle ruins, old graveyard & church, lake, ancient stone walls--great place to explore. As an expat who survived 9/11, I was surprised by the 9/11 memorial on the grounds as well. Very thoughtful & moving tribute.

A bright sunny and hot Sunday afternoon was in the offering, so, family plus dog was packed up and…read morewith the intention of picking up picnic goods on the way, we left for Marley park. Now, being nearly 40 and increasingly removed from popular culture I miss the odd fact, like this weekend Marley Park was playing host to 30,000 music fans, which makes things like a picnic on the main stage a bit of a challenge. "What's that?" my wife asked as I drove on, wondering where the hell to go and 'I wonder if the people in that house would mind if we just set up camp on their front lawn?' It would probably be fine (picture worried looking people peeping out the sitting room curtains as the family Q picnic on their lawn)... till we start nipping behind the shrubbery for a pee... "What?" I reply and then see the sign for the Padraig Pearse Museum & St Enda's Park... I had never heard of it but having nowhere better in mind we decide to give it a bash. It's days like this where I should have done the lotto - we struck lucky with a spectacular park and grounds, full Brambles café (for those without picnic) and the weather to match. There is also an old castle ruin (a folly I'm pretty sure) which kept junior amused for ages. Well worth a visit, we didn't go into the museum, will save that for a more inclement day.

Really gorgeous well kept park. I mainly go to Marlay Park with my toddler because the playground…read moreis so good but decided to stop here for a change earlier this week. We had a nice little adventure. Would love to stop into the Pearse Museum but my two year old's attention span and noise levels wouldn't allow for a museum visit at the moment, another day perhaps! Not sure it's the most dog-friendly of places, spotted a very strict sign about dogs!! I could be wrong though. Regardless it's very peaceful and lovely spot for a picnic.

Love this park. A…read morehuge children's playground including a zip line (very cool), grounds that are immaculately maintained and a few bits if art scattered around for good measure. Also noteworthy - the sand pit in the playground, it includes a water fountain, diggers and an Archimedes screw.... brilliant, my lad loves it.

Lovely park in Dublin, with dog off a leash section, play area and Cabinteely house. It has a Cafe…read moreand Japanese garden as well. As David said, it seems more controlled and in better care than most parks. Always plenty of walkers around but for runners like myself, it is one of the most hilly parks in Dublin, we relatively few long flat sections. Good workout overall!

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.