The Dublin Mountains Way is a trail in the Dublin Mountains which is waymarked along the way for hikers. It runs all the way from Shankill to Tallaght – east to west. It is about 42 KM long.

Granted, there are not many people ambitious enough to walk the entire route, but there are lovely places to visit along the way. Four of the places I can recommend visiting along the route are in close proximity to one another and are only a 35 minute drive from the city center.

Ticknock Forest offers walking trails, viewpoints from which you can see the surrounding farms, Dublin city, Howth, Poolbeg Lighthouse, Bray Head, the Wicklow Mountains and the sea in the distance.

There are up to 10KM of walking trails available. The most popular route is the Fairy Castle loop which is 5.5KM, it has a moderate incline which crosses sections of the Dublin Mountains Way and the Wicklow Way routes and returns to the car park through the old rifle range.

Recommended things to take with is a waterproof jacket, hiking boots, water bottle, some food, warm clothes and a hat. Being at a relatively high altitude, 536 meters at the highest point at Fairy Castle, it can be quite windy and rainy unless the weather cooperates.

If you are a bird enthusiast, bring along your binoculars and bird book. There are a variety of birds in the forest.

If you are an adventure enthusiast, the forest is full of mountain bike trails. You can rent a bicycle from the cafe at the entrance.

Here’s some photographs of how Ticknock Forest transforms itself into a blanket of white when the snow falls https://shellsadventures.com/2019/02/03/snow-tography-ticknock-hill-dublin-ireland/

The Ticknock Forest can be found here: