Skip to content

Moderate Hiking Trails in Ireland

We track 91 routes that match this search in Ireland. They average 9.4 km and 209 m (686 ft) of ascent.

That is 29 percent of the 315 routes we map in Ireland. They are shorter than the local average, 9.4 km against 19.5 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 209 m (686 ft) against 424 m (1,391 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Moderate routes are the sweet spot for most regular walkers: enough climbing to feel like a proper day out, never enough to turn into an ordeal. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Moderate

Muckross Lake Walk

Killarney National Park · County Kerry

Distance
12.5 km
/ 7.8 mi
Elevation gain
275 m
Typical duration
3 hr 1 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Glendalough Orange Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
160 m
Typical duration
1 hr 45 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Glendalough Blue Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
300 m
Typical duration
1 hr 15 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Glendalough Red Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
10.8 km
/ 6.7 mi
Elevation gain
490 m
Typical duration
2 hr 59 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Glendalough White Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
9.2 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
380 m
Typical duration
2 hr 29 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Lough Aroher Loop

Wild Nephin National Park · County Mayo

Distance
9.3 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
204 m
Typical duration
2 hr 14 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Letterkeen Loop

Wild Nephin National Park · County Mayo

Distance
10.0 km
/ 6.2 mi
Elevation gain
220 m
Typical duration
2 hr 25 min
Moderate

Binnianea Loop

County Kilkenny · Ireland

Distance
8.0 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
176 m
Typical duration
1 hr 56 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Killamuck Bog Loop

County Laois · Ireland

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
178 m
Typical duration
1 hr 57 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Tory Way

County Donegal · Ireland

Distance
8.8 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
193 m
Typical duration
2 hr 7 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Glore River Valley

County Mayo · Ireland

Distance
14.3 km
/ 8.9 mi
Elevation gain
315 m
Typical duration
3 hr 27 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Dunmore Loop

County Laois · Ireland

Distance
13.4 km
/ 8.3 mi
Elevation gain
294 m
Typical duration
3 hr 13 min
Moderate

Howth Cliff Path Loop

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
1 hr 50 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Brandon Hill Loop

County Kilkenny · Ireland

Distance
15.6 km
/ 9.7 mi
Elevation gain
342 m
Typical duration
3 hr 46 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Clogher Bog Loop

County Mayo · Ireland

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
182 m
Typical duration
2 hr
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Glenbarrow Ecoloop

County Laois · Ireland

Distance
8.3 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
183 m
Typical duration
2 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Liam Lynch Loop walk

County Tipperary · Ireland

Distance
11.1 km
/ 6.9 mi
Elevation gain
244 m
Typical duration
2 hr 40 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Ballyvaughan Wood loop

County Clare · Ireland

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
1 hr 53 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Ballycumber Loop

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
10.5 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
230 m
Typical duration
2 hr 32 min
Moderate

Boyne Way

County Meath · Ireland

Distance
6.6 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
144 m
Typical duration
1 hr 35 min
Moderate

Cloonfad Loop

County Galway · Ireland

Distance
8.0 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
176 m
Typical duration
1 hr 56 min
Moderate

Coumduala Loop

County Waterford · Ireland

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.6 mi
Elevation gain
161 m
Typical duration
1 hr 46 min
Moderate

Dursey Island Loop

County Cork · Ireland

Distance
11.4 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
251 m
Typical duration
2 hr 45 min
Moderate

Inishowen Head Loop

County Donegal · Ireland

Distance
8.4 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
184 m
Typical duration
2 hr 1 min
Moderate

The Boolas Loop

County Waterford · Ireland

Distance
6.7 km
/ 4.2 mi
Elevation gain
148 m
Typical duration
1 hr 37 min
Moderate

Violet Hill Loop Walk

County Clare · Ireland

Distance
9.4 km
/ 5.8 mi
Elevation gain
207 m
Typical duration
2 hr 16 min
Moderate

Doolin Cliff Walk

County Clare · Ireland

Distance
7.7 km
/ 4.8 mi
Elevation gain
170 m
Typical duration
1 hr 52 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Howth Cliff Walk

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
11.7 km
/ 7.3 mi
Elevation gain
258 m
Typical duration
2 hr 50 min
  • Coastal
Moderate

Arklow Loops Glenart Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
12.4 km
/ 7.7 mi
Elevation gain
272 m
Typical duration
2 hr 59 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Avonmore Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
14.8 km
/ 9.2 mi
Elevation gain
326 m
Typical duration
3 hr 35 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Barán Loop

County Cork · Ireland

Distance
7.7 km
/ 4.8 mi
Elevation gain
169 m
Typical duration
1 hr 51 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Bearna Breac Loop

County Kilkenny · Ireland

Distance
9.1 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
201 m
Typical duration
2 hr 12 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Caesar Colclough Trail

County Wexford · Ireland

Distance
11.4 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
251 m
Typical duration
2 hr 45 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Cahermurphy Loop Walk

County Clare · Ireland

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
172 m
Typical duration
1 hr 53 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Castlemorris Pheasant Loop

County Kilkenny · Ireland

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
161 m
Typical duration
1 hr 46 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Coomkeen Loop Walk

County Cork · Ireland

Distance
6.8 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
151 m
Typical duration
1 hr 39 min
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Muckross Lake WalkKillarney National Park12.5 km275 m3 hr 1 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough Orange RouteWicklow Mountains National Park7.3 km160 m1 hr 45 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough Blue RouteWicklow Mountains National Park3.8 km300 m1 hr 15 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough Red RouteWicklow Mountains National Park10.8 km490 m2 hr 59 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough White RouteWicklow Mountains National Park9.2 km380 m2 hr 29 minModerateApril to October
Lough Aroher LoopWild Nephin National Park9.3 km204 m2 hr 14 minModerateApril to October
Letterkeen LoopWild Nephin National Park10.0 km220 m2 hr 25 minModerateApril to October
Dublin Mountains Way Hellfire & Massey SpurCounty Dublin7.2 km159 m1 hr 45 minModerateApril to October
Binnianea LoopCounty Kilkenny8.0 km176 m1 hr 56 minModerateApril to October
Killamuck Bog LoopCounty Laois8.1 km178 m1 hr 57 minModerateApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Muckross Lake Walk, Glendalough Orange Route, Glendalough Blue Route. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for