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Moderate Hiking Trails near Dublin

23 routes near Dublin qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 8.8 km and 216 m (709 ft) of ascent.

That is 32 percent of the 71 routes we map near Dublin.

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.

Trails

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
  • Mountain
  • Wildlife watching
  • 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
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
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
  • Mountain
  • 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
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
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

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

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

Sean Linehan Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
7.3 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
160 m
Typical duration
1 hr 46 min
  • Mountain
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

Greystones Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
8.2 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
181 m
Typical duration
1 hr 59 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Howth Black Linn Loop

County Dublin · Ireland

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

Howth Bog of the Frogs Loop

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
12.3 km
/ 7.6 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
2 hr 55 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Howth Tramline Loop

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
7.0 km
/ 4.4 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
1 hr 40 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Slí na Sláinte

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
7.1 km
/ 4.4 mi
Elevation gain
157 m
Typical duration
1 hr 43 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Deerpark Trail

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
9.3 km
/ 5.8 mi
Elevation gain
204 m
Typical duration
2 hr 14 min
Moderate

The Sugar Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

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

Blessington Greenway

County Kildare · Ireland

Distance
7.1 km
/ 4.4 mi
Elevation gain
157 m
Typical duration
1 hr 43 min

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
Glendalough Red RouteWicklow Mountains National Park10.8 km490 m2 hr 59 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough Blue RouteWicklow Mountains National Park3.8 km300 m1 hr 15 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough Orange RouteWicklow Mountains National Park7.3 km160 m1 hr 45 minModerateApril to October
Glendalough White RouteWicklow Mountains National Park9.2 km380 m2 hr 29 minModerateApril to October
Dublin Mountains Way Hellfire & Massey SpurCounty Dublin7.2 km159 m1 hr 45 minModerateApril to October
Howth Cliff Path LoopCounty Dublin7.8 km130 m1 hr 50 minModerateApril to October
Ballycumber LoopCounty Wicklow10.5 km230 m2 hr 32 minModerateApril to October
Boyne WayCounty Meath6.6 km144 m1 hr 35 minModerateApril to October
Howth Cliff WalkCounty Dublin11.7 km258 m2 hr 50 minModerateApril to October
Dublin Mountains Way Hellfire & Massey SpurCounty Dublin7.5 km166 m1 hr 49 minModerateApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Glendalough Red Route, Glendalough Blue Route, Glendalough Orange 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

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