Best hill Walks in Dublin
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Best hill Walks in Dublin: There are some great walks in the Dublin hills and surrounding areas which are very close to the city centre.
The Dublin hills sit south of Dublin city and stretch all the way from Bohernabreena in the west to Shankill out to the Irish Sea in the east. There are numerous loop and linear walks to explore. From The Wicklow Way to the Dublin Mountains way and many more in between. Many of the walks are in the Dublin hills and some are accessible by public bus and train from Dublin city.
I decided that I would put a list together so you can enjoy some that Dublin has to offer in great outdoors.
These walks are in no particular order of preference. I have kept the list to a walk that is manageable to walk within a day. I have also specified whether the walk is suitable for families and how to get there by public transport if possible.
So get out there and enjoy the walks within Dublin for some of the Best Hill Walks in Dublin:
You can check out some of our Upcoming Guided Walks and Hikes Here
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Tibradden (Teach Bruadain, the house of Bruadain) to Fairy Castle.
Start Tibradden Car Park
Walk length: Approx 10Km return. Type: Moderate, Linear Walk.
Height gain of 248m. Time: Approx 2-3hrs.
- Family Friendly,
- Large Public Car Park,
- Coffee, Snack shop and toilets at the trailhead
- Shorter loop walks from the same location.
This walk starts from Tibradden Wood car Park, there is a large car park here. This is also where Zipit is, Dublin’s largest zip-line adventure park. The walking trail is very well marked as its on the Dublin Mountains Way. From the car park you start walk upward through Tibradden wood on a very good forest road and track. You are surrounded by beautiful woods of Scots pine, Japanese larch, European larch, Sitka spruce, oak and beech. Examples of old pine woods planted in 1910 can still be seen. Heather, furze, gorse and bilberry grow in abundance and Sika deer, foxes and badgers are to be seen. There is also a good variety of bird life. The geology of the area is mainly granite and the southern slopes of the site are strewn with granite boulders.
Along the trail there are some stone trails and boardwalks to keep you out of the wet bog along the way.
Once you are above the tree line of Tibradden wood you will start to get great views across the whole of Dublin. Within 20 to 30 minutes of walking you will have reached the Tibradden Cairn. This is a neolithic monument from the some of the earliest settlers in this part of Dublin. This was excavated in 1849 by members of the Royal Irish Academy. During this excavation a stone lined cist grave was found with a bronze age food vessel and cremated remains. There are many burial chambers throughout the Dublin hills which haven’t yet been excavated.
You continue on from here in a southerly direction on the trail and through a small woods which will lead you to the Wicklow Way. Here you turn left and follow this trail east. You are on the Wicklow Way trail for just a short part of this walk. Then you will leave the Wicklow way trail at another junction and travel back on the Dublin mountains Way.
There are wonderful vistas of Dublin and Wicklow all around you, to the north is Dublin city and bay and to the south is Glencullen and the Wicklow mountains.
You keep walking east and the ground will rise slowly until you reach Fairy castle.
The Celts were very superstitious believed greatly in the underworld and thought that these passage tombs where the way to the other world and where the fairies lived.
They never touched these monuments and still to this day Irish people believe that its bad luck to disturb anything to do with the fairies. It was probably also out of respect for their ancestors and those who are buried here.
Either way, the views from here across Dublin, Wicklow and the Irish coastline are breathtaking on a fine day. On a fine day you can see as far north as the Mountains of Mourne in northern Ireland. This is probably why this walk is popular and why its on the best hill walks in Dublin list.
This a linear walk so after you have enjoyed the views you simply turn around and travel back the way you came.
Cruagh Wood – Dublin Mountains Way: Best hill Walks in Dublin
Start: Cruagh Wood Car ParkWalk length: Approx 5Km return.
Type: Easy, Loop Walk.
Height gain of 100m. Time: Approx 1-2hrs.
- Family Friendly,
- Large Public Car Park,
- Shorter loop walks from the same location.
- Options to extend or shorten walk.
The Cruagh woods are on the Dublin hills between the “Hell Fire Club” and Tibradden wood.
This loop walk starts at the Car Park at Cruagh woods. The loop walk is way-marked and very easy to follow. There are options on the trail to go up onto Cruagh hill and extend your walk further. This is a wonderful trail through some pine woods with great views over Dublin. As you follow the trail you can take the option to venture further out onto the hill, which is what I did. Once above the tree line on this walk you will see over the whole of Dublin and Dublin’s bay.
You can walk the trail in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. There are a few shorter trails through the woods. This is a very family friendly walk and there are even some picnic benches at the start of the trail.
Along the trail there are some stone trails and boardwalks to keep you out of the wet bog along the way.
MontPelier Hill and the Hell Fire Club. – Best Hill Walks in Dublin.
Start: Hell Fire Car ParkWalk lengths: Approx 4Km – 5.5Km
Type: Easy – Moderate, Loop Walk.
Height gain of 200m. Time: Approx 1-2hrs.
- Family Friendly,
- Large Public Car Park,
Car park opens at 7am (April to September) and 8am (October to March)
Car park closes at 9pm (April to September) and 5pm (October to March) - Cafe at Timbertrove.
- Choice of loop walks.
- Extension of walks at Massey’s wood.
The Walks: There are two looped walking trails in the Hell Fire Club forest. Both walks start from the Hell Fire car park. The Forest Loop Trail (Green) (5.5kms, 1 ½ hr, moderate) takes in a loop of the whole forest and gives you a good stretch of the legs; the Montpelier Loop trail (Blue) (4 kms, 1 hr, moderate) is a gentler walk through the forest but takes you up to the ruins of the Hell Fire Club house itself. There are magnificent views from the top of Montpelier Hill across the whole of Dublin and its coastline. These are some of the best hill Walks in Dublin.
Permanent Orienteering: The Hell Fire Club has 3 permanent orienteering courses, Beginner (short), Intermediate (medium) and Advanced (long).
There are many stories about the Hell Fire club and the events that have taken place there.
Initially the building on top of the hill was built by William Conolly as a hunting lodge around 1725and he called it Montpelier. The hill is called Montpelier today and its original Irish name has been lost in time but may have been Suidi Celi.
Originally there was a cairn with a prehistoric passage grave on the summit. Stones from the cairn were taken and used in the construction of Mount Pelier lodge. Shortly after completion, a storm blew the roof off. Local superstition attributed this incident to the work of the Devil.
William Conolly:
Was the son of an Inn-Keeper in Donegal and studied law in Trinity College and was the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, he is known locally as “Speaker Conolly”. He was one of the wealthiest men in Ireland at the time and 1694 he married Katherine Conyngham, daughter of General Sir Albert Conyngham. The Conynghams were an Ulster Scots family who were originally from Mountcharles in County Donegal.
He made his fortune from land transfers, following the confiscations by the Crown of lands after the Battle of the Boyne belonging to supporters of King James II, in the wake of the Glorious Revolution.
He built the first winged Palladian house in Ireland, Castletown House in Celbridge, County Kildare, starting in 1722, and specified that every part of it had to be made from Irish materials.
Conolly was reputed to be the wealthiest man in Ireland at the date of his death. He had no children and his fortune was inherited by William James Conolly, his nephew by his brother Patrick.
The Hell Fire Club:
The Irish Hell Fire Club was founded around 1737 by Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse. In 1725, he was elected the Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Ireland, a post he held for the next six years. At some stage the lodge at Mount Pelier was let to the Hell Fire club by the Conolly family. The hell fire liked the remoteness of the lodge on top of a hill in the countryside. They were notorious for their party’s, orgies and practicing of satanic rituals.
One of the best known of these tells of a stranger who arrived at the club on a stormy night. Invited in, he joined the members in a card game. One player dropped his card on the floor and when he bent under the table to retrieve it noticed that the stranger had a cloven hoof. At this point the visitor disappeared in a ball of flame.
Other tales recount numerous drinking sessions and black masses at which animal sacrifices, and on one occasion the sacrifice of a dwarf, took place.
Today the building and hill are better known as the Hellfire Club rather than Montpelier lodge. It is a wonderful derelict building with an eerie and scary atmosphere. This is one of the best hill walks in Dublin.
Massey’s Woods: Best hill Walks in Dublin
Just across the road from the Hell Fire Club is the Massey’s Woods. This is another very popular walk in the Dublin hills. You can extend your walk on the Hell Fire and include a walk through the woods of Massey’s Estate. There are a variety of short walks within these woods. It offers great views of flora, wildlife, tree species and heritage features belonging to the estate. The major forest road goes around the wood and it is called the Nature Trail.
A variety of European, American and Asian tree species was planted creating a perfect environment for many plants and animals.
There was once a large estate and gardens here owned by the White and then the Massey family. Today you can see the remains of this once great gardens, while the house was demolished in 1930s. There are also the remains of the origional miltary road that the British army bulit in 1803 to gain acess into Wicklow.
According to Frank Tracy’s book “If Those Trees Could Speak”, the estate collapsed due to the extravagant lifestyle of the sixth Baron Massy. In 1924 his grandson Hamon Massy was evicted from Killakee House and deposited by the road on his mattress.
Irish Times – Massey’s Woods walk
You can check out some of our Upcoming Guided Walks and Hikes Here
Kilmashogue Loop Walk and Fairy Castle. Best hill walks in Dublin.
Start: Kilmashogue Car Park
Walk lengths: Approx 10Km
Type: Easy – Moderate, Loop Walk.
Height gain of 350m. Time: Approx 2-3hrs.
- Family Friendly,
- Large Public Car Park,
- Variety of forest trails.
The origin of the name Kilmashogue, could be “coill na fumsaoige”, which means “the wood of the ash”; or “coill na fuiseoige”, which means “the wood of the lark”.
Loop Walk: There are various walks within Kilmashogue woods. This walk is a circular loop walk taking in Fairy Castle, 2 rock, 3 rock and back to Kilmashogue via Ticknock woods.
The trail follows along part of the Wicklow Way and if you wish to extend this walk you start from Marlay Park just a few Kilometres from here. It’s a good forest road from the car and it travels south east around the side of Kilmashogue mountain.
It then leaves the forest road and onto a smaller mountain trail towards Fairy castle. The views above the tree lines are spectacular across the Dublin and Wicklow hills. From Fairy castle you take another small mountain trail in the north east direction towards 3 rock. As you make your way towards 3 rock you will be looking across Dublin Bay, Howth and the Irish sea.
Take some time here to enjoy the views and admire the giant Granite tors from which 3 rock gets its name. Then you can follow the forest road north and down towards Ticknock along the way there a road to your left that will bring you back onto the Wicklow Way. You can then follow this back to the where you started.
Stepaside to 3 Rock and Fairy Castle.
Start: Stepaside Village
Walk length: Approx 10Km
Type: Easy – Moderate, Loop Walk.
Height gain of 420m. Time: Approx 2-3hrs.
- Family Friendly,
- Starting from Stepaside village.
- Variety of forest trails.
- Shorter loop walks from the same location.
- Public Bus available to start – Route 44 bus.
The village of Stepaside sits in the south east of Dublin close to Dundrum. The 44 bus from Dublin city passes through Stepaside of its way to Enniskerry.
Loop Walk: You can start this walk from Stepaside. From the Garda station in Stepaside walk along the R117 for approx. 500m north until you reach a large roundabout. At the roundabout you will see an entrance into Fernhill lane.
This is a right of way lane towards Barnacullia. Once you reach the top of this laneway and out at a road right and walk approx. 600m and to your left you will see a small road rise sharply. This is the route you take which will eventually lead onto a smaller mountain trail towards the top of 3 rock.
There are a few trails that you can use to access the top of 3 rock, the choice is yours. Once you reach the large pylons at 3 rock you continue on a westerly direction on the Dublin Mountains way towards Fairy castle. From here you can decide to come back the way you came or continue on in a south direction towards a small woodland and follow another trail back.
You will notice when you are on 3 Rock that there are a lot of trails bit be careful many of these are mountain bike trails but are clearly marked.
On you return you could visit the Bluelight pub for a refreshment before continuing back to the start. Another one of the best hill walks in Dublin.
Bohernabreena Upper Resevoir Loop Walk.
Start: Bohernabreena Water Works Car Park
Walk length: Approx 10Km
Type: Easy, Loop Walk.
Height gain of 60m. Time: Approx 1-2hrs.
- Family Friendly.
- Access routes to other longer trails.
- Tarmac roads and forest trails.
- Public Bus to Kiltipper 54a or the Old Mill Pub (Oldbawn) 49 route.
The original name “Boher-na-Bruighne”, meant ‘the road of the mansion’ and dates back to a time where great houses of hospitality or ‘breens’ were kept by chieftains for the benefit of travellers.
This trail is also part of the Dublin Mountains Way and you could extend this walk by starting in Tallaght.
Loop Walk: The loop walk brings you into the Glenasmole valley and around the upper reservoir of Bohernabreena. The trail is very well marked and its also a very well-kept track. Quite a bit of the track from the start is along a tarmac road until you reach the top of the first reservoir and then it starts turn more into a forest trail. When you cross at the upper the reservoir to the other side, the trail can become quite mucky. It’s a wonderful walk almost entirely on the flat with one two small inclines. The River Dodder which flows from its source on Kippure Mountain is the river which feeds into this valley and it’s reservoir.
Views of the highest peaks in the Dublin Mountains including Seefingan, Corrig and the highest, Kippure can be enjoyed in this area, which shares a border with the Wicklow National Park. The peaks of these nearby mountains contain archaeological sites stretching back up to 5,000 years and afford spectacular views of the city and Dublin Bay.
History of the Resevoir: The reservoirs at Bohernabreena were constructed between 1883 and 1887 for the dual purpose of supplying Rathmines with drinking water and of ensuring a constant supply of water to the many mills along the River Dodder. There were, at the time, forty-five mills served by the Dodder, of which fifteen were flour mills.
The waterworks consisted of two impounding reservoirs, the upper or clear water reservoir and the lower or mill owners’ compensatory reservoir. The gathering ground consisted partly of bog land which comprised the mountainous area around Castlekelly and stony land free from peat which lay on both sides of the glen. It was from the latter area that clear water was collected into the upper reservoir for drinking purposes.
The shores of the reservoirs are clothed in a mixture of trees and shrubs and bird species present in the area include gulls, kingfisher, dipper, grey wagtail, heron and moorhen.
Mythology and local folklore: Glenasmole is the location of many of the mythical stories of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his band of Irish warriors, Na Fianna, who protected the king.
According to legend, one of Fionn’s favourite pastimes was hunting in Glenasmole. Fionn hunted with his two favourite dogs, Bran and Sceolan. They mainly hunted the red deer and the now extinct Great Irish Elk. One of the mountains overlooking Glenasmole is called Seefin, which means “the seat of Finn”. Fionn and Na Fianna were reputed to have feasted there after the hunt.
The Dublin Historical Record says that up to 1800, few people in the valley spoke English and the Irish language was spoken there well into the 20th century.
These are just some of the Best hill Walks in Dublin, there are plenty more great walks to discover.
You can check out some of our Upcoming Guided Walks and Hikes Here