Walking

Hiking is a relatively new sport in Ireland, but one that is growing fast. Since 1982, the network of long-distance, marked trails has grown from 1 to 25, covering some 2,414km (1,500 miles). The first to open was the Wicklow Way, which begins just outside Dublin and proceeds through rugged hills and serene pastures on its 132km (82-mile) course. Others include the Beara Peninsula, the Kerry Way, the Dingle Way, and the Ulster Way. Most trails are routed so that meals and accommodations -- B&Bs, hostels, or hotels -- are never more than a day's walk apart. Routes are generally uncrowded, and lots of people tend to walk just part of the trails' lengths.

Though long-distance routes are the best-marked trails in Ireland, the signposting is surprisingly random and inadequate, and a map is an absolute necessity. Markers are frequently miles apart and often seem to be lacking at crucial crossroads. Because trees on Irish hillsides rarely impede visibility, a post or cairn on each summit usually indicates the way between two peaks. A compass becomes crucial when a fog blows in and all landmarks quickly disappear. Be warned: This can happen quite unexpectedly, and the safest strategy when you can't see your way is to stay exactly where you are until the fog clears.

The walks listed in this guide are on clearly marked trails whenever possible, and otherwise indicated if sections are without markings. We can't give you all the information you need for the walks, of course, so you should consult the local tourist office for advice before setting out. Bear in mind that walking, or rambling as it's called in the U.K., is not as popular here as it is in Britain. There, walkers have the right of way across private property, and fences that cross public paths must have places for walkers to pass through. Here the laws are in favor of the property owners, and farmers are passionate about the privacy of their land. Stay on marked paths, or face the unmitigated wrath of an angry Irish sheep farmer.

For inland hillwalking, try the Wicklow Way, the Blackstairs Mountains, the Galtee Mountains, or Glenveagh National Park. For coastal walks, the best-known kind in this island country, try the Beara Peninsula, the Inishowen Peninsula, the Dingle Peninsula, the Western Way in Connemara, and the Donegal Bay Coast.

Walking Resources

Start your research on the Web. An excellent online resource with plenty of recommended walks is www.gowalkingireland.com. The Mountaineering Council of Ireland, which oversees hillwalking on the island, can be visited at www.mountaineering.ie.

Before leaving home, you can order maps and guidebooks, including details of available accommodations en route, from East West Mapping (tel./fax 054/77835; www.eastwestmapping.ie). You can buy maps and guidebooks in local bookshops and outdoor-gear shops across Ireland. Guides can also be obtained from An Óige, the Irish Youth Hostel Association, 61 Mountjoy St., Dublin 1 (tel. 01/830-4555), or in the North from YHANI, Northern Ireland's Youth Hostel Association, 22 Donegal Rd., Belfast BT12 5JN (tel. 028/9031-5435).

Ordnance survey maps are available in several scales; the most helpful to the walker is the 1:50,000, or 1 1/4-inches-to-1-mile, scale. This series is currently available for all of Northern Ireland and a limited number of locations in the Republic. A half-inch-to-1-mile series covers the whole country in 25 maps, available in most shops. These indicate roads, major trails, and historic monuments in some detail, but are too small in scale to be very useful. For ordnance survey maps, contact Ordnance Survey Service, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8 (tel. 01/802-5300), or Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5BJ (tel. 028/9025-5755; www.ordnancesurvey.gov.uk). The Irish Tourist Board's booklet Walking Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's An Information Guide to Walking are both very helpful. Other excellent resources include Best Irish Walks, edited by Joss Lynam (Passport Books, 1995); and Irish Long Distance Walks: A Guide to the Waymarked Trails, by Michael Fewer (Gill and Macmillan, 1993).

Hidden Trails (tel. 888/9-TRAILS; www.hiddentrails.com) offers 7-day guided and self-guided hiking tours of six regions in Ireland, including the Wicklow Mountains, West Cork, the Burren, and Connemara. The tours are graded "easy," "moderate," or "challenging," and include lodging, meals (breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner), and luggage transport to and from the trail heads. Rates average €303 ($575) per person, double occupancy, for a week.

In the west of Ireland, there's a wide selection of guided walks in the Burren, from 1 day to a week or more. Contact Burren Walking Holidays, with the Carrigann Hotel, Lisdoonvarna (tel. 065/707-4036; fax 065/707-4567). In the southwest, contact SouthWest Walks Ireland, 6 Church St., Tralee, County Kerry (tel. 066/712-8733; fax 066/712-8762; www.southwestwalksireland.com). For a full walking holiday package to County Kerry or County Clare and Connemara, consult BCT Scenic Walking, 227 North El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024 (tel. 800/473-1210; www.bctwalk.com).

On the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's website (www.discovernorthernireland.com/walking.aspx), a walking and hiking page lists self-guided tours, 14 short hikes along the Ulster Way, and names and addresses of organizations offering guided walks throughout the North.