Ireland’s Best Coastal Walks & Hikes

The Causeway Coast, particularly from Dunseverick Castle to the Giant’s Causeway, is one of Ireland’s most dramatic – and iconic – coastal walks. The Causeway Coastal Way weaves along Northern Ireland’s coastline for 52 km, but the best bit is from Dunseverick Castle along the cliffs past the Giant’s Causeway and finishing in Portballintrae.

Expect dramatic coastal scapes, great opportunities to spot marine wildlife, some of Ireland’s wildest geology, clifftop castles and quiet trails. Most visitors to the Giant’s Causeway simply drive to the Visitor’s Centre, but a far nicer alternative is to walk along the coast, observing the strange basalt columns as the coast’s geology gets wilder, until arriving above the Causeway itself (a bird’s eye view to die for!).

Afterwards, finish up in Portballintree village, a great place to base your travels. Eager walkers can keep going 1.5 miles to the stunningly dramatic Dunluce Castle, perched majestically atop a cliff. (Alternatively, choose to drive there). Dunseverick Castle to Portballintree is 7 – 8 miles.

Location: Antrim | Distance: 52 km / 33 miles (shortened route distance: 12 km / 8 miles)

Hike it Yourself:

Walk this route and other coastal hikes on our ever-popular small group trip Hiking the Causeway Coast & Donegal.

Rathlin Island is located off the Causeway Coast, and is the largest inhabited island in the region. A short ferry crossing from Ballycastle gets you to the small island community. The walk leads from the little village at Rathlin Harbour down the island’s narrow tarmac road to the West Lighthouse.

There, visit the RSPB Seabird Viewpoint, home to many nesting birds and some dramatic cliffs and sea stacks. In fact, the cliffs and sea stacks of the Kebble National Nature Reserve support the largest seabird breeding colony in Northern Ireland. During the spring/early summer, you have a good chance at spotting the adorable puffins. There are many other birds living in the reserve, like guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars, geese, and more recently corncrake.

This walk offers some great views – look back towards Ballycastle and Fair Head as well as out to Sheep Island and Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. On the ferry back to the mainland, enjoy views out towards the Mull of Kintyre – Scotland never felt so close!

Location: Antrim | Distance: 12 km / 8 miles

Hike it Yourself:

Hike Rathlin Island and other coastal hikes on our ever-popular small group trip Hiking the Causeway Coast & Donegal. Travelling with kids? Why not visit with the whole family on our Giants, Myths and Legends trip, which combines kid-friendly activities with days that are fun for adults too.

Ireland’s northernmost tip located at the top of County Donegal is wild and rugged. In fact, its ruggedness caught the attention of film location scouts of Star Wars, who used it for close up shots of Luke Skywalker’s secret hideaway in the 2015 & 2017 films (aerial Star Wars shots filmed at Skellig Michael).

This walk includes a Napoleonic watchtower, a huge (and well maintained) EIRE sign dating from the WWII era, and some really dramatic rock pinnacles. Despite its location, this walk can be a little busy in summer, but it’s well worth it! Expect to be walking for about 7 km / 4 miles – though the terrain is rugged, the walk itself is not overly challenging.

Location: Donegal | Distance: 7 km / 4 miles

Hike it Yourself:

Walk this route and other coastal hikes on our ever-popular small group trip Hiking the Causeway Coast & Donegal. Or join our self drive trip through Northern Ireland and Donegal.

Sligo is one of Ireland’s best-kept secrets. Well off most tourist itineraries, Sligo is full of stunning coastlines and hidden beaches, most of which are as beautiful as they are empty. One lovely coastal walk is Aughris Head, located along the Wild Atlantic Way in south Sligo.

This coastal headland offers easy walking, gorgeous cliffs, great bird-watching opportunities, and picture-perfect views over Sligo hills like Ben Bulben, Knocknarea and even out to Slieve League on a clear day.

The Aughris Head loop itself is 5km long, although hikers wanting to add a bit more can add on a walk to Dunmore Beach, bringing the total walk just under 10km. Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing pint at the cute Beach Bar – housed in a traditional thatched cottage. They do a delicious bowl of seafood chowder, perfect for post-walk refuelling.

Location: Sligo | Distance: 5-10 km / 3-6 miles

Hike it Yourself:

Explore the wilds of Sligo on our self drive trip through Sligo’s surf coast.

Home to just three fjords, Killary Fjord is both Ireland’s largest and most famous fjord. The Famine Walk is on the longer side – running for about 16km, it’ll take you most of the day. The name comes from the fact that this would have been a “famine relief” road – a project created to provide work for the starving populace after the potato crop failed several years in a row in the mid-1800s.

Rugged, remote and already poor compared to other rural regions, Connemara was hit particularly hard during the Great Hunger. On this walk, you can see the original potato ridges still clearly visible and the virtually intact 19th-century famine road running alongside the crumbling and roofless cottages, long abandoned to nature.

Start from Rosroe pier, and runs to the village of Leenaun. This route was once located on the old estate run by General Thomson, who is buried at the cemetery. There are great views of Killary Fjord too. (Note this is a linear walk – the best way to do it is with two cars; otherwise join a guided trip).

Location: Galway | Distance: 16 km / 10 miles with options to shorten to 11km/7 miles.

Hike it Yourself:

Join the Mountains of Connemara & Mayo hiking trip to walk the Killary Famine Walk.

The Aran Islands are among the most popular islands in Ireland, and the most populated. Inishman (in Irish, Inis Meain) is the middle island. The 13 km long Lúb Dún Fearbhaí looped walk should take you about 5 hours. Follow the purple arrows from the pier to the coast along laneways and paths before cutting across the island past forts and other heritage sites to loop back to the start.

Along the way, you can detour to a rugged headland see Synge’s Chair, named for Irish author and playwright J.M. Synge, who once lived on and took inspiration from the Aran Islands, along with some dramatic limestone cliffs.

You’ll also visit two forts, Dun Chonchuir and Dun Fearbhai fort, for which the Lúb Dún Fearbhaí loop is named. These incredible though ruined stone forts likely date back to Ireland’s Iron Age or early medieval times, though not much is known about them. There are also ruins of a few churches, the oldest of which is over a thousand years old. Learn hike details here.

Location: Aran Islands – Inishman, Co Galway | Distance: 13km / 8 miles with options to extend to Synge’s Chair.

Visit it yourself: 

Visit and hike the Aran Islands well as other coastal and island routes on our Hiking & Island Hopping group trip on Ireland’s West Coast.

The Dingle Way is a 162 km trail that circles the Dingle Peninsula. One of Ireland’s most famous long-distance ways, the Dingle Way involves a good bit of coastal hiking mixed with rural laneways, towns and villages and mountain paths on rough terrain. The Maharees, a very long stretch of beach, is the day with the most coastal walks on it. But there are lovely beach walks at Inch Beach, Ventry Beach and Wine Strand.

The walk at Slea Head combines archeology – namely ancient beehives and cashels – while following an elevated trail that leads around the headland of Slea Head, Ireland’s western-most point on the mainland (look out beyond the shores to the Blasket Islands, also on this list. Don’t miss the Blasket Island Centre just past Dunquin village.

It usually takes about a week to hike the full Dingle Way, depending on how far you’re willing to walk each day, though of course visitors can choose to hike smaller sections. There are plenty of amenities for accommodation, food, heritage sites and activities along the way. Read our guide to the Dingle Peninsula here.

Location: Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry | Distance: 162 km / 100 miles (the total walk is usually walked in 7-9 days though it is possible to walk sections)

Hike it Yourself:

Hike the Dingle Way to walk the Maharees and other coastal walks with guided and self guided options depending on your preferences.

The longest stretch of beach in Ireland beckons. Part of the Dingle Way, one of Ireland’s best-loved long distance trails, the stretch of the Dingle Way along Wine Strand, Swerick Harbour and the Maharees offers some of the best beach walking in Ireland’s southwest regions.

Much quieter than the southern half of the peninsula, enjoy stunning views over the northern headlands of the Dingle Peninsula and the great Atlantic. This walk follows a network of beaches running from the northern tip of the Maharees Peninsula nearly all the way to the village of Brandon, over 15 km of beach. The Maharees are one of the final hikes of the Dingle Way (for those travelling clockwise, the traditional direction).

Popular with windsurfers and kite surfers, the impressive sand dunes support important ecosystems like natterjack toads, whooper swans, and Berwick’s mute swan, as well as a number of other seabirds. Read our guide to the Dingle Peninsula here.

Location: Dingle Peninsula – Co Kerry | Distance: 17 km / 10 miles

Hike it Yourself:

Wander the vast stretches of sand along Swerick Harbour, Wine Strand and the Maharees while hiking the Dingle Way, with guided and self guided options depending on your preferences.

When thinking about Irish coastal walks, we often only think about the west coast. But there are a few east coast walks worth a mention. One is Howth Head, a small headland not far from Dublin.

This is an easy day trip from Dublin city, and though it can be a bit busy with other Dublin day-trippers, it is a great breath of fresh air after a few days in the city. Howth Head has a lovely coastal cliffside walk crowning the headland, winding along cliffs and cutting through the heather.

At the end of the headland sits a lighthouse, once guiding fishermen back into Howth. There are a few other heritage sites in the area, including a Martello tower, a 15th-century abbey, and Balscadden House, briefly the home of a young William Butler Yeats, Ireland’s national poet. There are a number of seabirds living along Howth’s cliffs.

The village of Howth is a bustling place, full of pubs, shops and cafes for a yummy lunch and warming cuppa after your walk and is accessible by Dublin’s light rail, the DART. Find out more here.

Location: Dublin | Distance: 6-10 km / 3-6 miles (looped or out & back linear options)