Ireland is beautiful. That is the only way this story can begin. I waited my whole life to go there and it did not even, in the slightest, disappoint. I think it exceeded my expectations, which is why it gets a whole series of posts because it deserves it. 

For today’s post, we are going to start at the beginning, because it is a very good place to start.

When we got to Ireland we were staying in Dublin and my college roommate just so happened to be studying abroad there so it was the perfect way to meet up. So for two days, she was my tour guide of the city. 

Howth.

She had been sending me pictures of a pretty lighthouse at Howth which meant we had to go see it. So off to the train station, we went. It is about a 30-minute ride from Dublin to Howth and easy to figure out because the train from Connolly goes there as the last stop. 

Howth has a lot of cute shops and things to see. Right in the town harbor is the Howth Lighthouse you can take a stroll around. We grabbed lunch of fish and chips at Leo Burdock’s and the helping was huge. It was overall pretty good! Note that the building is very small you may not be able to find a place to sit on a crowded rainy day. The big lunch was perfect to give us enough energy for what we did next. 

Hike a total of 11 miles through a cliff walk path to see the Baily Lighthouse. 

I am not a hiker. Not at all. Once when my brother and I were little my grandparents said we were going on a ‘short walk’ at a place in Lake Tahoe, then a man with his small dog walking by us said “This hike is a little too much for him” and we haven’t let our grandparents live it down that they “said it wasn’t a hike!” We probably only walked about a mile, if that, but still! 

From a non-hiker, I will say I mostly enjoyed it and only complained… a little… (sorry Kenzie ;p) it was really beautiful though. The view of the water is spectacular and there are lots of good places to take photos. 

Even just the walk from the town of Howth to where the path starts is pretty. The houses are cute and it also has a view of the water.

Moral of this story: everywhere you go in Howth you can see water and it is gorgeous.

Back to the hike. As I am guessing hikes always are, the walk there was much better than the walk back, because you are excited to find the end and everything you see is new and exciting. There are a lot of flowers lining the path and I can only imagine how stunning it must be when spring hits and everything is in bloom. Most of the path is an easy walk but there are spots where it is slopped and rocky so keep that in mind. Be sure to wear good walking shoes because you will need them.

Even on a Sunday at the beginning of March, there were a lot of people hiking but there wasn’t a time when we were crowded. Just pace yourself with the other hikers and you can spend the time in your own little hiking bubble. 

The view of the lighthouse is perfect for aesthetic landscape picture-taking and definitely a worthwhile trip. On our walk back we were even rewarded by a rainbow shining down into the water right to a spot where a ton of seagulls were swimming. Our theory is that the beautiful on-brand seagulls are the ones who get to the end of the rainbow first and eat the gold. So now you know how pretty seagulls come to be. You are welcome.

I would love to go back and explore Howth some more, visit the shops, and go see the museum of vintage radio. 

If you have the chance I recommend going out to Howth for a visit. 

Tell me your hiking stories in the comments below!

Next time on the Ireland Diaries, I will be telling you about the shops, stops, and more around Dublin. So stay tuned!

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