Howth - Bog of Frogs Loop
Grade
Strenuous
Length
12.1 km
Time
3 hours
Format
Loop
Ascent
240 m
Waymarking
Purple arrow on white background
Start Point
Howth Railway Station
Finish Point
Howth Railway Station
Nearest Town to Start
Howth Village
Grid Ref.
O 28157 39332
Lat. and Long.
53.38882, -6.07422
Starting at the DART (train) station in Howth village and following purple arrows this walk takes the path all along the cliffs to beyond Red Rock, passing the Baily Lighthouse, and then climbing to circle the Ben of Howth to return along the old tramline. The views of Lambay Island and Ireland's Eye as well as Dublin Bay are spectacular. The cliffs are great for birds and grey seals may also be seen.
Maps and other information
Trail Management
Dublin Discover Ireland Center Suffolk Street.
Suffolk Street Dublin 2 Dublin City Centre Dublin Republic of Ireland.
Tel. 1850 230 330
Terrain may be rough in parts, walking boots are recommended.
OSI Maps
Discovery Series Sheet 50
Phil from Kildare
Great walk with beautiful views across the bay. Good variety of terrains but OK even for inexperienced. Only disappointing thing is the amount of litter, it is everywhere like the rest of the country.
Richard from Dublin
Walked this loop very early today enjoying a fabulous sunrise to start. The loop has a lot of variety...cliff tops, woodland, roads and residential areas. Waymarking is generally good with only one section needing an additional post for reassurance (as you exit woodland towards the playing fields/football pitch...latter stages of walk). Overall an excellent trail and one that is accessable via public transport. Add to that plenty of opportunities for refreshments in Howth at the end of your hike.
Siobhán from Dublin
I was advised to to this trail in reverse as it's a nicer walk, however, local knowledge would be a help as the signs are only marked in the direction of the official starting point. It's a pity as wouldn't have cost a lot to put the purple arrow on both sides of the posts. It's still a fabulous walk on a clear day
Miriam from Dublin
This is a great walk that is well worth doing. It takes you all along the cliffs where you have magnificent views over Dublin Bay, see the Wicklow Mountains in the distance.
Denis from Kildare
This is a spectacular walk, giving panoramic views over East coast of Dublin. However I wish to point out the distance is 13.13 km and not the 12 km in your route information.
Deirdre from _none
Fantastic walk with incredible views. Best way-marked walk I've ever done. Plenty of signs and no worries of making a wrong turn. Follow the purple arrows for Bog of Frogs Loop walk. Well done Howth! A credit to the organisers. A massive 5 stars *****
Zdenka from Czech Republic
A really beautiful walk with breathtaking wiews. Highly recommended!
John from Dublin
We walked the bog-of-frogs trail with our 6 and 10 year old daughters on 1st Jan 2013. It was a great day for it, even though it was cold the sun did make an appearance and the rain stayed away. The only negative comment is about the advertised distance.
Unless my sat-nav is very far out the total distance is a lot more than the advertised 10.00Km... It's closer to 15.00km. (We started and finished at the train station in Howth.) This caused our planning to be wide of the mark and the latter part of the walk to be completed in darkness across what is probably the muddiest and wettest uderfoot section on the stretch from the golf club down to the main street. Nevertheless that part was an adventure for the kids and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.
Unless my sat-nav is very far out the total distance is a lot more than the advertised 10.00Km... It's closer to 15.00km. (We started and finished at the train station in Howth.) This caused our planning to be wide of the mark and the latter part of the walk to be completed in darkness across what is probably the muddiest and wettest uderfoot section on the stretch from the golf club down to the main street. Nevertheless that part was an adventure for the kids and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.
Doug from Dublin
Hi Doug from the National Trails Office here. We have a problem with the links to one of our partner websites at the moment and we are working with them to try and resolve this. Check back here soon and it should be sorted.
John from Wicklow