Cliff Walking in Howth, Ireland
As much as I love city life, it’s sometimes nice to escape the busy streets, constant cars, and general hustle and bustle of Dublin. Well luckily, there’s plenty of beautiful natural landscape that can be seen by just doing a day trip from Dublin!
When I first moved to Dublin I posted about the cute little village of Howth, just a 20-30 minute train ride North of Dublin’s city centre. Besides being a great and easily assessable getaway for anyone living in Dublin, it’s also great for visitors wanting to see a bit more of the renowned Irish landscape that may not have the time/money to travel far (a day return ticket on the DART train to Howth is only €6!!!)
The best part of this cliff walk, and the day in general, is that I hadn’t planned it at all. I had heard about the cliff walk, but I thought it was just a short trail. We ended up walking for hours (because we chose the longest trail of the 3 options).
If you want to see some breathtaking Irish nature and stunning views, this is something I DEFINITELY recommend.
Getting there
First of all, let’s start with getting to Howth. You’ll take the northbound DART train from any of the DART stations in the city. If you’re in the city, you’ll most likely be closest to Connolly, Tara Street, or Pearse Street. Howth will be the last stop, so you just need to go to the northbound platform and get on a train with HOWTH as the final destination. It depends on the day/time, but there should be a train every 20 minutes or so. You can see the timetables here.
The train leaves you right in Howth village, and it’s only about a 10 minute walk down the main road of the village before turning right onto Balscadden Road, where the walk up to the cliffs starts.
The Walk
There are 3 different paths, or “loops,” to choose from:
1. Cliff Path Loop
Length: 6 km / 3.73 mi
Climb: 130 m
Estimated Time: 2 hours
2. Black Linn Loop
Length: 8 km / 4.97 mi
Climb: 160 m
Estimated Time: 2 hours 30 mins
3. Bog of Frogs Loop
Length: 12 km / 7.46 mi
Climb: 240 m
Estimated Time: 3 hours
All 3 loops start on the main road in Howth, and pass the harbor and lighthouse. They take you past a little hidden beach and gorgeous houses on the coast before eventually splitting off their separate ways. Each path is clearly marked with it’s own color, and there are signs frequently on the trail so you don’t get lost!
Of course, we chose the Bog of Frogs Loop, AKA the longest one. This particular walk goes along the cliffs to beyond Red Rock, passing the Baily Lighthouse, and then climbing to circle the Ben of Howth to return along the old tramline. The views of Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye as well as Dublin Bay are spectacular. The cliffs are great for birds and grey seals may also be seen near the harbor!
We also took much more than 3 hours to complete it because we stopped a lot to take photos and relaxed at a beach and on top of the cliffs. On several occasions we literally had to stop because we were in such awe of the view, and the fact that it felt like we had just stumbled upon these trails; like it was our little secret. Because we had just stumbled upon these trails, and because we didn’t encounter too many people along the way, what was supposed to be a casual day in Howth ended up being a truly memorable day.
A fun way to exercise? Check. Fresh air? Check. Stunning views? Check. And easy enough for a day trip, or eve an afternoon trip, from Dublin? Double check. And SOOOO MUCHHHH GREEENNNN EVERYWHEREE. Talk about the quintessential Irish landscape!
I can’t say enough good things about cliff walking in Howth. I definitely recommend doing any of these 3 trails. It’s the perfect day trip from Dublin! Again, its the perfect way to see some great Irish landscape for anyone who doesn’t have time to make it out to some of the more well-known spots, like the Cliffs of Moher. For more information on these 3 loops in Howth and other trails in Ireland, check out this super helpful website on Irish trails!
