I'm traveling in April, planning to stay in B&Bs, and concentrate on the south, southwest and up thru Burren/Galway and as far north as the Connemara region. Doubt I'll do Northern Ireland. I'm looking for 1-5 mile hikes that I can do spur of the moment on my own. Elevation gain fine. Especially ones with great views and safe for a single hiker. I would enjoy hiking with a local person but don't really want to sign up for a tour so to speak as that costs money, and I want to be more spontaneous. Any ideas? Thanks.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2776 posts
Hiking in Connemara National Park is wonderful. There are some well marked trails that take you pretty high up without too difficult a climb, and you are rewarded with beautiful views. Hiking on the Dingle Peninsula is also great. There are a number of places you can hike that give you great views of the sea. My favorite place to hike is Great Blasket Island, but I don't know if the ferry runs in April. The views are spectacular and you will feel like you have the island to yourself if you don't mind climbing up the hill. (Most people stick to the village.) No one lives on the island, so it's very safe.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
We did hike in Dingle this April. It was beautiful, not too steep but wheather in April is still cold, especially due to the wind chill factor and it was rainy every day. Next time I'd try May but other than that it was just fine.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
The nicest hike I did in Ireland was through a forest from Killarney to Ross castle. We started at the church/cathedral in Killarney. Across the street from the church looked like a gate into a cemetery. It was actually the entrance to a National Park. We followed the trails to the castle, it was well signed. It was pretty flat and the trail was easy to follow. It might get muddy in the rain, however.
Posted by
Laurel, MD, USA
75 posts
Take a look at the Lonely Planet guidebook on hiking in Ireland, a lot of good ideas.
Tom