Best Walks in Ireland - Inspiring Irish Trails

Hiking in the Los Picos de Europa national park. Photo: Simon Dubreuil

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Hiking trail in northern Spain has all the elements of a sublime tableau

From the dormitory window of our mountain hut the breaking dawn is a symphony of colour – pumpkin, saffron and pale purple – blazing in the eastern sky. As the sun slowly emerges, it unfurls a salmon pink carpet across the limestone. That’s when I see it for the first time.

Deirdre McGlone, Noel Cunningham and Peggy Stringer at Slieve League

Seven-day Donegal Camino aims to become ‘No 1 hike in Ireland’

From Urris Hills in Inishowen to the stunning heights of Slieve League, a ‘Donegal Camino’ will shortly get under way – and its ambitions are as impressive as the landscape.

Cuilcagh's 'Stairway to Heaven', from The Sunday Independent

25 best autumn walks in Ireland for families

Welcome to our guide to 25 wonderful autumn walks for all the family.

Multi-generational family get-togethers. Photo: Getty Images/Caiaimage

25 best family walks in Ireland: From coastal trails to forest paths and a giant's story trail

This guide to the best family walks in Ireland was born in lockdowns, and we're updating it as travel restrictions fall away and families are free to explore again.

32 winter walks with the wow factor – and a cosy meal or pint at the finishing line

Winter is a great time for walking in Ireland, all the more so if you have planned a cost meal or pint for the finishing line. Here's an option for every county...

Walking on Slieve Beagh. Pic: Monaghan Tourism

Ireland's best walks 25 best summer walks in Ireland - from coastal paths to summit tombs

Here, you’ll find 25 one-day hikes chosen from the country’s most famous long-distance trails or way-marked ways by guidebook writer Helen Fairbairn.

Looking toward Bray Head and Little Sugar Loaf from the summit of Carrickgollogan, From ‘Family Walks Around Dublin – A Walking Guide’, by Adrian Hendroff, Collins Press, 2017. See ‘Explore Ireland’s Mountains’ at adrianhendroff.com.

25 Best Walks in Ireland: No matter what your fitness level!

Where can you find the best walks in Ireland?

Roz Purcell's best hikes and dips around Ireland

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From secret coves to hidden waterfalls – Roz Purcell's guide to the 30 best walks with a wild swim in Ireland

All the best walks in Ireland with a cooling dip en route.

Trolltunga in Odda, Norway. Photo: Scott Sporleder

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Top five overseas hiking holidays this summer - the Holy Grails of European trails

Although Ireland offers spectacular hikes, from the Burren in Co Clare to Slieve League in Donegal, after two years in lockdown it’s time to stretch the legs and discover new horizons.

10 of the best coastal walks in Ireland - a 7,000km coastline with a trek for everyone

With winter storms behind us, spring and summer are the best times to explore Ireland’s 7,000km-long coastline, with its wide beaches, sand dunes, towering cliffs, and numerous accessible islands.

Pilgrims trek the trail to O Cebreiro on the final section of the route to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia

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Oh, come all ye faithful and atheist – the Camino Frances is for anyone with walking boots

“Covid closed the Camino,” a fellow pilgrim on the Camino Frances tells me. “Not even Spanish flu or the plague had the same impact.” The pandemic certainly forced the closure of churches, cathedrals and albergues (hostels) in 2020 but, as they say on the Camino, “ultreia et suseia” – onwards and upwards.

Five little walks in Ireland that pack a big punch

It appears the world and its dog is out walking these days, gulping down fresh air, enjoying Covid-safe, outdoor activities and carrying on connections with nature forged during lockdowns.

The 'Pilgrim Path' is said to cure headaches...

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk the Pilgrim Path to Sliabh Liag – a walk said to cure headaches, with a cosy pub near the finishing line

Is there anything better than a winter walk with a cosy pub at the finishing line?

Il Cammino di Dante passes through rural Italy, including areas such as this pasture outside of San Benedetto in Alpe. Photo by J.R. Patterson for The Washington Post.

Dante’s Walk – a 400km camino that follows the poet’s footsteps through the heart of Italy

‘The Divine Comedy’, the poem-story of Dante Alighieri's journey from desperation to revelation, is so established in most people's minds that even those who haven't read it have an idea of what it contains: The eternally dammed of the Inferno. Demons with pitchforks. Burning popes. A frozen Lucifer. The redeemable sinners climbing through the Purgatorio. The angelic Beatrice. The bliss of Paradiso.

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk Sliabh Beagh – an off-radar hike from Ireland's only community-run hotel

“Every time you come out, the mountain has changed,” said Martin Connolly.

Tulach a tSolais at Oulart Hill, Co Wexford. Photo: Pól Ó Conghaile

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk to Tulach a’ tSolais - the short Wexford hike that takes you inside a hill

Did you know you can walk inside a hill in Wexford?

Stopping at O Cebreiro along the Camino.

John Connell Opinion Walking the Camino de Santiago is a quest for answers found only within yourself

In the foothills of O Cebreiro, close to the provincial border between Castilla y Leon and Galicia in northern Spain, the walk was long and steep.

The West Highland Way passes by ruins of a stone house, Tigh-na-sleubhaich, between Kinlochleven and Fort William. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Kathryn Streeter

In the Scottish Highlands, a hiking dream fulfilled on the West Highland Way

My husband and I plotted to disappear for four days to fulfil an old hiking dream.

Northern Ireland was made for walking – from challenging summits to leisurely towpaths

Whether you’re a leisure walker who prefers lowland strolls or are a seasoned hiker who bags several summits a week, there are beautiful routes aplenty in Northern Ireland to explore.

Pól Ó Conghaile walking in Deputy's Pass, Co Wicklow

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10 micro hikes to try in Ireland - easy walks that take less than an hour

You don’t have to walk for hours to discover something new. You don’t even have to work up a sweat.

A view from the abandoned village in Cumeengeera. Photo: Pól Ó Conghaile

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The Rabach Way: ‘I’ve explored Beara many times, but had no idea of this secret place’

There is a lonely valley on the Beara Peninsula where a tough but short walk will suck you out of the 21st century and, cell by cell, feel like it is reassembling you as a time-travelling wayfarer.

'Hiking in Ireland is the total experience, and it is right on your doorstep': Roz Purcell

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Trailblazers: Roz Purcell’s 45 best walks and hikes in Ireland to suit every level

No matter where you are in Ireland, there’s a trail nearby, offering you an escape from the pressures of daily life.

Caroilín and Jim at a memorial along the National Famine Way

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‘At 86, he announced he was going to walk the National Famine Way with me — all 165km of it’

‘Bell!” my father bellowed for the umpteenth time — taking up his new, self-appointed position as Bicycle Bell Inspector on the National Famine Way. The startled cyclists waved their apology for whizzing by us unannounced along the Royal Canal.

Allihies Copper Mine Trail, Beara Way, Beara, Co Cork

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How hiking on the Beara Peninsula helped our family heal after lockdown

I’m a recent convert to walking.

Catherine Murphy at the wheel with Skipper Fico sailing The Way

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Sailing the Camino - now pilgrims can do the world's most famous walk by boat

If only I could freeze this moment in time. I’m sailing along the Costa da Morte in Galicia, following a section of the Camino de Santiago. Skipper Federico Fernández-Trapa Fontán – Fico to his friends – seems to fuel the 49-foot yacht with jokes and laughter, while his cousin Tai Gonzalez sings songs about the sea and the Way.

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Walks

Best Walks

10 of the best coastal walks in Ireland - a 7,000km coastline with a trek for everyone

From secret coves to hidden waterfalls – Roz Purcell's guide to the 30 best walks with a wild swim in Ireland

25 Best Walks in Ireland: No matter what your fitness level!

10 micro hikes to try in Ireland - easy walks that take less than an hour

Top 25 summer walks in Ireland - from coastal paths to summit tombs

Inspiring Irish Trails

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk the Pilgrim Path to Sliabh Liag – a walk said to cure headaches, with a cosy pub near the finishing line

Trailblazers: Roz Purcell’s 45 best walks and hikes in Ireland to suit every level

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk to Tulach a’ tSolais - the short Wexford hike that takes you inside a hill

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk Sliabh Beagh – an off-radar hike from Ireland's only community-run hotel

How to hike to Ireland's heart-shaped lake - Lough Ouler in Co Wicklow

165km National Famine Way launched - 'The trail has the potential to open up rural Ireland'

Video

Walk to Tulach a tSolais in Co Wexford - a short hike that takes you inside a hill

Walk the Gobbins - an Edwardian tourist thriller rebooted for a new era

Is this Ireland's coolest coastal stroll? Try the Ardmore Cliff Walk in Co Waterford

The Boyne Ramparts Walk - take a trip back in time on this 8km riverside trail in Co Meath

Walk Wexford's Raven Point Loop - from forest to beach in just over two hours

Coastal Walks

Walk the Gobbins - the century-old coastal path rebooted for the modern day

10 of the best coastal walks in Ireland - a 7,000km coastline with a trek for everyone

Walk the Ardmore cliff walk in Co Waterford - it only takes an hour

Top 10 Wild Atlantic Way walks - a day out for every fitness level!

Connemara: Hiking in a landscape with views to drop the jaw

Pól Ó Conghaile: Why Sligo’s Knocknarea is a stroll with soul

Walking the Camino

Top 10 tips for the Camino: Break in your boots, avoid cotton and pack Vaseline to bust those blisters

Camino Love Affair: Why the Irish love the world's best walk

Bairbre Power's Camino: 'This was not a race... It was about discovering a little bit about myself along the way'

Secret Camino: The Camino de Santiago's most scenic shortcut

Kindness on the Camino: My three lessons from the world's greatest walk

'I thought the Camino was for old people' – A teenager’s take on the walk of a lifetime

Walks Across Europe

20 new walks in Ireland and around the world to look forward to after lockdown

Dante’s Walk – a 400km camino that follows the poet’s footsteps through the heart of Italy

Top five overseas hiking holidays this summer - the Holy Grails of European trails

Walk this way: Europe's great walking holidays - from the Camino to the Wild Atlantic Way

Six alternatives to the Camino: Beat the crowds on the world's greatest walk

A winter Camino? Try these terrific treks and trails in Tenerife

August 2022

Hiking trail in northern Spain has all the elements of a sublime tableau

Seven-day Donegal Camino aims to become ‘No 1 hike in Ireland’

25 best autumn walks in Ireland for families

25 best family walks in Ireland: From coastal trails to forest paths and a giant's story trail

32 winter walks with the wow factor – and a cosy meal or pint at the finishing line

Ireland's best walks 25 best summer walks in Ireland - from coastal paths to summit tombs

25 Best Walks in Ireland: No matter what your fitness level!

July 2022

From secret coves to hidden waterfalls – Roz Purcell's guide to the 30 best walks with a wild swim in Ireland

May 2022

Top five overseas hiking holidays this summer - the Holy Grails of European trails

April 2022

10 of the best coastal walks in Ireland - a 7,000km coastline with a trek for everyone

March 2022

Oh, come all ye faithful and atheist – the Camino Frances is for anyone with walking boots

February 2022

Five little walks in Ireland that pack a big punch

January 2022

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk the Pilgrim Path to Sliabh Liag – a walk said to cure headaches, with a cosy pub near the finishing line

November 2021

Dante’s Walk – a 400km camino that follows the poet’s footsteps through the heart of Italy

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk Sliabh Beagh – an off-radar hike from Ireland's only community-run hotel

October 2021

Pól Ó Conghaile Opinion Walk to Tulach a’ tSolais - the short Wexford hike that takes you inside a hill

John Connell Opinion Walking the Camino de Santiago is a quest for answers found only within yourself

In the Scottish Highlands, a hiking dream fulfilled on the West Highland Way

Northern Ireland was made for walking – from challenging summits to leisurely towpaths

September 2021

10 micro hikes to try in Ireland - easy walks that take less than an hour

August 2021

The Rabach Way: ‘I’ve explored Beara many times, but had no idea of this secret place’

Trailblazers: Roz Purcell’s 45 best walks and hikes in Ireland to suit every level

‘At 86, he announced he was going to walk the National Famine Way with me — all 165km of it’

July 2021

How hiking on the Beara Peninsula helped our family heal after lockdown

June 2021