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Welcome to the hiking, trekking, and wandering section off our website. Ireland is a fine destination to get out of that rental car, bus, or train and explore on foot. The network of waymarked ways is superb, in addition to the spectacular vistas of cliff walking, hillwalking, and rock climbing.

The Various Types of Walking in Ireland : parklands and estates, forest walks, coastal walks, waymarked walks, hillwalking, and rock climbing. Parklands and estates There are many public parks in cities and towns throughout the country which offer a respite from the concrete and traffic. In Dublin, the best parks include Marlay Park and Bushy Park. All suitable for family walks. There are also large parklands and estates where walkers are welcome. The Phoenix Park in Dublin, Muckross Park in Killarney, Belvedere near Mullingar etc. Inquire locally. Forest walks Many forests in Ireland are managed by Coillte Teoranta, the State forestry board. Coillte operates an Open Forest policy and the public are free to walk at their own risk in Coillte woodlands. During felling etc. this access may be temporarily suspended. Several forests are managed as public amenities e.g. Lough Key Forest Park and Glendalough with nature trails and picnic facilities. Coastal walks You are rarely very far from the sea in Ireland and there are many opportunities for coastal walking. The east coast has many long shingle beaches and mud flats while the south, west and north coasts are characterized by cliffs. Many local walks on paths are developed in places such as Bray Head, Co.Wicklow or Ardmore Head, Co.Waterford. Elsewhere, beach walks and rough clifftop paths are possible but beware of unexpected dangers due to coastal erosion. Waymarked walks A network of waymarked walks covers the country - view an index map. These are signposted walking routes which offer easy access to the countryside. The National Waymarked Ways Committee approves 27 ways to date, totalling 2700 km. There are also many local waymarked trails. Inquire locally. These include the Slí na Sláinte walks set up by the Irish Heart Foundation e.g. Dunlaoighre Pier, Co.Dublin and St.Mullins, Co.Carlow. Hillwalking Ireland has been likened to a saucer - the central midland bogs surrounded by a rim of hills. There are many ranges of hills in Ireland suitable for hillwalking. Though the hills are mostly less that 1000 meters in altitude, they tend to be relatively remote and trackless and therefore require good equipment and competent navigation. You will certainly encounter other walkers in the Dublin/ Wicklow Hills but often rarely in other ranges. Go to The Mountaineering Council of Ireland's site. Rock climbing Ireland is not a mountainous country but there are a variety of rockclimbing areas ranging from mountain crags to sea cliffs. Granite crags are found in Wicklow, Donegal and The Mournes. The Burren has short but steep limestone crags whilst Fair Head has 100 meter plus routes on steep dolerite sea cliffs.
	Current Featured Waymarked Way: The Ulster Way --- six hundred miles in length with connecting ways to the Causeway Way and through Donegal! Get our recommended guidebook at left, written by the man that first rambled it's entire length. The Beara Way: Guides to Way Marked Trails by Michael Fewer. This definitive guide to the walk includes ordinance maps. Don’t hike without it. If you're going to hike the full route, count on at least a week. Make sure to stop at the Hungry Hill lodge near Adrigole; the lodge is an excellent hostel and campground.



Trekking the Slieve League at Glencolmcille - calling all you vertigo-loving thrillseekers ! I couldn't have said it better: read Malcom Roger's account of his trek to, and on top of, the Slieve League (sliab liag) at the Irish Abroad magazine website. The Slieve League is reportedly the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The cliffs lies between the remote gaeltach outposts of Carrick and Glencolmcille in Co. Donegal, about 30 miles west of Donegal Town. Even the Rough Guides describe it as hazardous as the wind is often steady at 40 mph. The track approaching the cliffs narrows at several points where there is nothing but abyss on either side, the renowned "One Man's Pass". Definitely a vertigo-inducing narrow ridge if there ever was one. The Slieve League summits, at 2,000 feet above the sea, are often capped in clouds, and one should scratch the trek if there is danger of losing visibility along the way. Having said all that, I must say that it's the most spectacular trek in all of Ireland !
the path to Slieve hotel @ Carrick Derrylahan hostel the trek from the head





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