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.

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.

An enormous reservoir serving much of Dublin city's water, the Blessington Lakes (aka Poulaphouca…read morereservoir) seem natural enough - but were, in fact, made by damming the Liffey in the '30s. The dam at Poulaphouca is still used to generate electricity. Why the lakes don't show up on Google Maps is uncertain. Since then the lakes have proved popular with day trippers from Dublin - fishing, hiking and nature-watching are all typical pasttimes. There's a leisure centre in the area, focal point for many of these activities. Don't trip over the fishing poles on the bus on the way down. Motor boating is banned on the lakes, but canoeing and sailing are popular. Pity about the swimming though - it's strictly prohibited due to dangerous underwater currents and obstructions, the legacy of the flooded valley. Get there via the 65 bus from Eden Quay, Dublin. A drink in one of Blessington's numerous pubs is often an adventure before setting home.

This is just such a gorgeous spot! On sunny days, it actually feels like somewhere far away from…read moreIreland. You could nearly be on the coast of France or Spain! It's a bit of a walk down but so worth it. Bring a little picnic and chiiiilllllll time. Now all we need is a little bitta sun...

Beautiful beach . . . a bit of a hike down all the millions of steps but always worthwhile.read more

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.

The Wicklow Mountains are a stunning expanse of nature. Everything is so green and due to the low…read moretemperature, it stays all green. There are so many outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, birdwatching, and scenic driving. A hike or walk here will ensure you some nature backed peace and calmness. the park is close to Dublin making for an easy 1/2 day or day trip. In my brain, mountains are supposed to be rock with no greenery: The Wicklow Mountains, however, are unlike many traditional mountain ranges and have lush greenery all over them. We did the Glendalough Lake upper and lower lakes hike.

If you have a few days to spend in Dublin, don't skip out on a visit to Wicklow…read more You'll need to rent a car or book a tour to get up here (about 40min from Dublin City Centre) but it was worth the trek. I had a friend drive me here and it was such an incredible experience. If you're visiting during the winter months, layer up. It gets cold and windy up there, but it's 100% worth it.

One of the most amazing beach in dublin. Liberty is the word. You feel appart and you can have an…read moreinspiring walk on the beach . Colors of the sunset are amazing.

I think this is the closest to a beach Dublin has to offer. A little away from city's usual hustle…read morebustle, this place offers a pleasant change. A good location for a run/ walk. Wish there wasn't low tide most of the times I have visited. Would love to see a real beach but hey the view is good particularly on a nice sunny day.

The Howth Cliff Walk in Howth, Ireland offers BEAUTIFUL views of the ocean, Irish countryside, and…read morein the distance, you'll see the Bailey Lighthouse that looks straight out of a storybook! (fyi, the lighthouse is on private property so you can't access the lighthouse up close) See pics/videos included w/ this review of the beautiful cliff walk. There are a few different routes you can do but my hubby and I did "The Howth Summit Walk" on Friday, 10/10/2025, which took us about 1.5 hr to complete & this was w/ us stopping to take in the beautiful view and taking lots of pics/videos along the route. This route was fairly easy going down, w/ only a few spots along the route when coming back up that got your heart rate up. I do recommend that you wear tennis shoes (even better hiking shoes) and comfortable clothing. We saw so many people not wearing tennis shoes and instead thought they were doing a fashion shoot on the trail & it did not look comfortable at all - not to mention, not safe! We did a day trip to Howth from Dublin and it was a straightforward and short trip. Fyi(s) - ---- There are a few portable toilets onsite and there is a private parking lot for those who drive themselves. ---- The was also a mobile truck onsite that sold coffee. --- It was cloudy on the day we hiked but the views were still so beautiful! -- - We started our hike around 12pm and despite there being plenty of people there, we were able to have the hiking trail to ourselves. Hope this info helps!

What's up: Wrapping up my trip with one last hike/walk. Since I was in the Swords area, Howth was…read moreone of the places I wanted to check out due to its views. Transit: From Swords, I took Go Ahead Ireland 102 from Forest View bus stop to Sutton Station bus stop and then transferred over to the DART Howth from Sutton Station to Howth Station. If arriving by car, there is a small parking area available right before the trailhead. Environment: There is a single outhouse near the parking area before you head out on the trail. Since it rained overnight, the route was a bit muddy. And as expected, the view was not great lol. However, the trail was well marked and had markers with colored arrows directing your way; I followed the Green Loop. While I didn't get much of a view due to the fog and cloud coverage, the trail did take me past historical marker Eire 6 which is an aerial recognition sign (that was kinda cool). And towards the end, it did clear up and I was able to get a view of Ireland's Eye. The end of the Green Loop will take you into the residential area to loop you back towards Howth Station. Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay, this was a nice hike along the cliffs. There are also benches along the way. Overall, it was a nice hike.

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.