Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #6: Howth Cliff Walk

You don't always have to travel all the way to the other side of Ireland to be able to enjoy gorgeous views. The east coast might not be as impressive as the Wild Atlantic Way, but it is definitely worth a visit.

Half an hour train ride away from downtown Dublin you will find Howth, a popular destination for Dubliners for a quick visit and dinner. It is a small fishing village on a small peninsula (former island) located north of Dublin.

^Source

The easiest way to get to Howth is by taking the Dart, that stops on the edge of the town centre of Howth. In the immediate area of the train station, you will find the harbour and many fish restaurants and bars.

Do take a little time to walk the piers of Howth. Visit the lighthouse and make a panoramic photo of the Howth harbour. And while you are walking around the pier, check out the waters a few times. You might see the local seals swimming around there, hoping for a little leftover fish from the fishermen.

View from the west pier of the Howth Lighthouse

But the most fun around Howth starts at the foot of the east pier. This is where the Howth Cliff Walk route leaves the town. The first bit you will walk past a few amazing villas. That might make you think you are on the wrong route. But after some time you will leave the houses behind and walk on the cliffs.

The lower cliff road (Ballscadden Road) brings you closest to the sea. It isn't a very challenging hike. The path is rather flat with a few small climbs. You will slowly climb towards Howth Summit, where you will have an amazing view over Dublin Bay and the Baily Lighthouse.

There are even stairs at the lower cliff section

If you have the option, try to time your visit around the end of the summer to see the amazing purple heather in bloom. The purple combined with the yellow gorse and the blue water is almost a guarantee for amazing photos ;). I didn't time it right and I ended up with brown, green blue and a grey sky. But I know I will be back anyway...

Getting closer to the summit

We were walking there. It was cold and halfway in it started raining. The cliff walk was almost empty, but we thought it was still amazing. At some point, you get to the summit where you can chill for a bit and turn around for the upper cliff road that goes back to Howth and runs parallel to the lower road. But we were so cold and wet that we decided to find a bar and get some hot chocolate instead!

Baily Lighthouse

We followed the old tram rails back to the Dart train station and due to the cold we were pretty sad that the tram isn't running anymore. And so we ended up walking the full tramline loop. We ended up in the same bar that we started at, and we got an extra large hot chocolate to fight the cold. But in the end, it was all worth it. Howth Cliff Walk is stunning and in good weather, takes only a few hours to walk.

View of the Howth pier and the island Ireland's Eye

Also in this series:
Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #1: Aran Islands
Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #2: Cliffs of Moher
Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #3: Gap of Dunloe & Lakes of Killarney
Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #4: County Donegal
Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #5: Dingle Peninsula

Europe series:
Somewhere in Europe #1: San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain

My California series:
Exploring the Golden State #1: Northern Highway One, Avenue of the Giants, The Lost Coast, Eureka!
Exploring the Golden State #2: Marin County