Eastern Ireland

From a walker’s perspective, the biggest “name” in eastern Ireland is the Wicklow Mountains. The Wicklow Mountains run in a north/south direction, starting just south of the outskirts of Dublin and extending southwards for over 100 kilometres. The mountains incorporate the most extensive area of continuous high country in Ireland.

The Wicklow Mountains are home to the Wicklow Way, Ireland’s first waymarked trail and the best known multi-day walk in eastern Ireland. It starts on the southern fringe of Dublin and runs south to Clonegal in County Carlow.

There are a number of other very appealing walking regions in eastern Ireland. In particular, the southern counties of Carlow, Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary are well-off for walking trails. Generally, the trails are lowland walks following rivers and streams. The gentle green landscapes of these regions also provide idyllic settings for numerous grand country houses and their accompanying gardens, many of which are open to the public.

East and north-east of Dublin are two long and historic canals, the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal. Today, these canal routes, each of which extends for over 100 kilometres, provide well-treed walking terrain close to Dublin. They each have tow-paths or quiet roads along their length which allows for pleasant walking.

Some of the best walks in Eastern Ireland are set out below