Walking Trails in Leinster: A County Guide to the Best Waymarked Walks
A standout walk in every Leinster county, and how to make a day of it: where to swim nearby, a piece of history to see, and the local guide for the rest. The walks are from the Sport Ireland register; the day out is ours.
A day out in Dublin
Coast, mountains and city in one county. A cliff walk, a sea swim and an ancient ruin can sit inside one afternoon, much of it reachable on the DART.
Walk. National Famine Way, Easy, 168.6 km.
Swim. Donabate, Balcarrick Beach (Blue Flag), Excellent water quality.
See. St. Audoens Church, Dublin City, Church.
Plan the day: things to do in Dublin →
A day out in Kildare
Big skies and bigger horses. The Curragh plains and the Grand Canal towpaths give an inland county plenty of flat, easy days out.
Walk. Royal Canal Way, Easy, 146.3 km.
See. Old Kilcullen Monastic Site, Co. Kildare, Ecclesiastical Site.
Plan the day: things to do in Kildare →
A day out in Wicklow
The Garden of Ireland. Glacial valleys and the highest mountains in Leinster meet a string of Blue Flag beaches, with monastic Glendalough at the heart of it.
Walk. Wicklow Way, Challenging, 128.1 km.
Swim. Brittas Bay North (Blue Flag), Excellent water quality.
See. Baltinglass Abbey, Religious House, Cistercian Monks.
Plan the day: things to do in Wicklow →
A day out in Meath
The Royal County. The Boyne Valley holds Bru na Boinne and the Hill of Tara, layered with thousands of years of Irish history along a gentle river.
Walk. Royal Canal Greenway Walking Trail, Easy, 121.4 km.
Swim. Laytown/Bettystown (Blue Flag), Excellent water quality.
See. Bective Abbey, Religious House, Cistercian Monks.
Plan the day: things to do in Meath →
A day out in Louth
The Wee County, but dense with it. The Cooley Peninsula drops to Carlingford Lough, with medieval Drogheda and a working fishing coast close by.
Walk. Tain Way, Moderate, 40.3 km.
Swim. Port, Lurganboy (Blue Flag), Excellent water quality.
See. Proleek Megalithic Tombs, Megalithic Tomb, Portal Tomb.
Plan the day: things to do in Louth →
A day out in Wexford
The sunny south-east. Long sandy strands, the Norman Hook Peninsula and sheltered harbours make it Leinster's classic seaside county.
Walk. The Columban Way - Nine Stones to Magany, Moderate, 50.1 km.
Swim. Morriscastle (Blue Flag), Excellent water quality.
See. Ferns Castle, Castle, Anglo-Norman Masonry Castle.
Plan the day: things to do in Wexford →
A day out in Kilkenny
Marble city and mellow countryside. The medieval mile of Kilkenny city anchors a county of river walks along the Nore and the Barrow.
Walk. South Leinster Way, Moderate, 103.6 km.
See. Dunmore Cave, Cave.
Plan the day: things to do in Kilkenny →
A day out in Carlow
Small county, outsized landscape. Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs rise over the Barrow valley, with Ireland's largest dolmen at Brownshill.
Walk. Barrow Way, Easy, 116.9 km.
See. Browneshill Megalithic Tomb, Megalithic Tomb, Portal Tomb.
Plan the day: things to do in Carlow →
A day out in Laois
The quiet middle of the country. The Slieve Bloom Mountains hide waterfalls and blanket bog, some of the most peaceful walking in Leinster.
Walk. Slieve Bloom Way, Challenging, 71.4 km.
See. Timahoe Round Tower, Round Tower.
Plan the day: things to do in Laois →
A day out in Offaly
Bog, monastery and river. Clonmacnoise sits on the Shannon, and the rewilded Lough Boora bogs make for flat, family-friendly trails.
Walk. Grand Canal Way, Easy, 117.1 km.
See. Clonmacnoise, Graveyard.
Plan the day: things to do in Offaly →
A day out in Westmeath
The lakeland county. Lough Ennell and Lough Owel ring Mullingar, with the hill of Uisneach, the mythic centre of Ireland, close by.
Walk. Old Rail Trail Greenway Walking Trail: Mullingar - Athlone, Easy, 43 km.
See. Fore, Religious House, Benedictine Monks.
Plan the day: things to do in Westmeath →
A day out in Longford
Leinster's quiet corner. The Royal Canal and the headwaters of the Shannon thread a low, green county that rewards walkers who like it uncrowded.
Walk. Ballinamuck Edenmore Bog Walk, Easy, 4.2 km.
See. Corlea Trackway, Road, Class 1 Togher.
Plan the day: things to do in Longford →
Walks: National Trails Register, Sport Ireland (data.gov.ie). Beaches: EPA bathing-water and An Taisce Blue Flag. Heritage: National Monuments Service. CC BY 4.0.
