Ireland’s Eye and Howth Cliff Walk – Dublin, Ireland
If you ever find yourself in Dublin on a sunny day with no plans, I would highly recommend taking the DART out to Howth and fitting in both a boat trip out to Ireland’s Eye and the Howth Cliff Walk.
We split the day into four parts, which can be mixed and matched depending on how much time you have available to you.
- Boat Trip and Hike Around Ireland’s Eye
- Restaurant or Street Food Along Howth Pier
- Hiking the Howth Cliff Path
- Celebrate with a Pint of Guinness at The Summit Inn
1) Boat Trip and Hike Around Ireland’s Eye
There are a number of boats that ply the route between Howth’s West Pier and Ireland’s Eye. Some offer just a tour around the island, while others will drop you on the island itself. It’s important to ensure you pick the correct tour. Note that the ferries that drop you off on Ireland’s Eye generally only run during summer months (Start of May to Mid-September). Another important consideration is that the puffins usually arrive on the island some time in April and usually leave by the end of July, so if you want to see these colourful birds in the wild, it is better to visit during these months.
We opted for Howth Cliff Cruises. You can buy in person on the pier (if there is availability) or book online here: https://howthcliffcruises.ie/cruises/ferry-to-irelands-eye/
Additionally Ireland’s Eye Ferries offer boat tours around the island (but they don’t appear to allow you to step off like Howth Cliff Cruises do): https://www.irelandseyeferries.com/
As we weren’t sure what time we would arrive in Howth (and we could see there was plenty of availability for tickets on the Howth Cliff Cruises website) we opted to buy our tickets in person at the pier and hopped on the 11:30am sailing.
As it was a calm day, we enjoyed a serene 15-minute journey around the southern, eastern and northern coasts of the island, passing sea caves and a sea stack teeming with bird life, before docking into a small rocky cove on the western side of the island.
From the rocky cove, it was a short walk to a sheltered beach and the island’s famous Martello Tower, a defensive fort built during the Napoleonic War, one of hundreds dotted around the Irish coastline.
Starting from the Martello Tower, we then embarked on a very relaxed, one and a half hour, three-kilometre stroll around the island, with lots of breaks for photos and wildlife watching.
We took in the highest point of the island (where the puffins usually nest), before cutting east to the island’s sea stack, where we then followed the island’s southern coastline back to the Martello Tower and our waiting boat. We missed out on the island’s church, but you could easily add an out and back to this route without adding much time. The full route we took is detailed here: https://www.strava.com/activities/12110783944
In addition to some great scenery and views, the island is home to lots of wildlife, many of which we came across during our hike, as well as our boat ride around the island. Unfortunately, we visited in early August, just after the puffins had left the island as part of their yearly migration. Thankfully, we were still able to see plenty of cormorants, gannets and seals.
2) Restaurant or Street Food Along Howth Pier
Once back on the western pier, I would highly recommend grabbing some fresh seafood at one of the many restaurants or street stalls lining the pier.
We enjoyed a lovely sit down meal at Aqua Restaurant with fresh oysters, fish and chips and an ice cold beer, which was the perfect refreshment on a hot summer’s day.
Most of the restaurants and stalls here are highly rated, so take your pick before wandering back into Howth past the seals which usually line the harbour walls waiting for scraps of seafood to be thrown into the water by the nearby restaurants and food stalls.
3) Hiking the Howth Cliff Path
If you still have energy for another hike, I’d highly recommend taking in Howth’s wonderful cliff path. This starts from Howth Village itself, following small backroads to the peninsula’s eastern coast, before ascending narrow and steep gravel trails along the peninsula’s famous cliffs.
The shortened version of the walk, which we did, takes you to The Summit Inn and back through Howth Village via footpaths, and works out as 7.5 kilometres in total (full hike here: https://www.strava.com/activities/12113314204).
But you can easily extend the walk further to visit Baily Lighthouse further down the coast. There is a very detailed blog post put together by The Irish Road Trip which is very helpful if you want to plan a longer loop: https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/howth-cliff-walk/
4) Celebrate with a Pint of Guinness at The Summit Inn
At the highest point of the Howth Cliff Path, you may fancy a cold pint or refreshment. The Summit Inn is perfectly placed for this, with only the easiest part of the walk remaining back to Howth, which is all downhill.
This was a lovely way to sign off one of the most beautiful parts of Dublin on a sunny summer’s day.
Irregular Adventures 