December 17, 2016 (Dublin, Ireland)

When Grant and I arrived in Ireland from Cherbourg, France by ferry, we got offered a ride to a train station by a lovely Irish couple. Of course, with all of our luggage and being in an unfamiliar country, we accepted. Rather than drop us off at the nearest train station, they drove us 30 minutes to a busier station where we were less likely to wait for a train to take us into Dublin. Boy were we grateful, it cut our waiting time at the station by about 2 hours.

With this ride came a rare opportunity – talking to locals about their own country and getting an insider’s perspective on what to see. The couple recommended taking a train out to Howth and doing a hike. They claimed the views are amazing. This was definitely good advice, but unforturnately, Grant and I didn’t write down the town name or the train number; and it sifted to the back of our minds, still there, but only to be recalled when coming up in future conversations.

Once we arrived in Dublin and got settled in, more and more locals and Ex-pats we met recommended doing that hike. What sealed it for us was when our German language instructor (yes, we are taking German classes in Ireland), said that was the first place she’d be taking her best friend who was visiting from the Netherlands. That’s when Grant and I made the decision to take a trip out to Howth.

And lucky for us, after doing the Dublin walking tour, the same company was conducting all day tours out to Howth, although this one is not free, it is 22 Euros per person.

So, Grant and I got up early on an unusually sunny winter Irish day, to meet at the The Spire for the tour.

Our tour guide was David and the price of the tour included the train ticket out to Howth.

Dublin is located in a bay, and there is a stretch of land that curls out to the sea and faces Dublin. The tip of this stretch of land is called Howth Head, and this peninsula makes up the north side of Dublin Bay. To get out there, you take the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) train north for about 30 minutes to Howth town. The train follows the coast of the bay so at times, you get a nice ocean view.

Howth used to be a sleepy fishing village on the northern edge of the peninsula facing out to the Irish Sea. But modernization has turned this village into a busy suburb of Dublin. When we got off the train in Howth, remnants of the old fishing village charm is what greeted us near the station. As with a lot of towns along the DART, this one stop proved to be as adorable and quaint as the others – like Blackrock, Dalkey, Sandy Cove, and Dun Laoghaire.

Our guide took us past the boat harbor and onto the pier:

 

 

 

 

In the photo above, you can see a Martello tower in the background. We see these round towers dotting the coastline of Ireland, roughly equidistant from each other. They are a symbol of a past era when Ireland was in danger of a possible Napoleonic invasion. These defensive towers were built by the British across the British Empire during 19th Century as a purely defensive measure. The idea was that if one tower spotted Napoleon’s fleet, then it would start a signal fire, and then the adjacent towers would light their fires, and on, and on, as a warning to the country (think the modern day version of “The Beacons of Gondor” in the Lord of the Rings movie). Each Martello tower also had single cannon on top. In Ireland, it was never used to signal Napolean’s arrival as he didn’t get as far. There are about 50 Martello towers ringing Ireland’s coast.

An island is visible past the pier called Ireland’s Eye, and houses a Martello tower on the western end of it. According to David this island was used as a smuggling point for goods that people wanted to bring in to Ireland without having to pay for the customs tax that had been imposed. Ships would come in at night, probably from England, drop off their goods, then a signal was sent to Howth for pickup.

No one lives on the island, but at one time, it was also used as a meditative sanctuary for the religious-minded.

 

 

Next, we walked back around passed the train station and went along the other way to Howth Castle. What’s significant about this castle is that the original family who owned it, still lives their. But they recognize that their castle is a historic heritage site, so they allow public access to their driveway and people can come and see their castle from the outside. The older part of the castle is not lived in and still has its Norman-style facade visible. There is a newer extension to the castle where the family, St. Lawrence lives today.

 

Passed the castle, we trudged uphill to what would be the beginning of our hike. Our guide explained that the base of the mountain hosts a beautiful rhododendron garden. At this time, in the winter, this rhododendron garden was not even distinguishable by sight. Looked more like a weed garden.

We started our ascent up the miniature mountain. The first part of the hike was fairly steep, think climbing a flight of 80 stairs. But honestly, that was the hardest part of the hike. Once we got to the top, the view was spectacular with sweeping sights of Howth, Ireland’s Eye, and Dublin across the bay.

 

 

 

Rather than take us back down the way we came, our guide took us the other way, which was a level plateau to the other side of the summit; like making a big half-circle loop. This part was physically easier but because it had rained a few days prior, the path was full of mud and we did get muddy! Also, there are thorns bushes that line the way so it’s best not to reach out and grab a bush branch to steady yourself! It took me two times to classical condition this reflex out of me.

 

What makes this hike totally worth it, is that on the other side of the mountain, there is a pub called The Summit Inn. Just kidding! The hike itself is not too intensive and the views are worth it. But the pub’s location certainly adds to the fun.

 

 

Continuing on the loop, our guide took us along the cliff shoreline of the peninsula which gradually takes you back to the harbor and train station. Because we were chasing the sunset, at 4:30, our photos came out a little dark, but the views of the sloping cliffs that drop into the Irish Sea were breathtaking nonetheless. On a super clear day, our guide mentioned that Wales is visible on the horizon, 60 miles away. On this day, it looked like the open ocean that one could sail on forever.

 

 

 

At the end of the cliff trail, we came across this house at the side of the road. It’s a house in which the poet William Butler Yeats lived in. I like what the plaque on the house says: I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. This is written about his cousin whom he was madly in love with. It’s an unrequited love since she married someone else:

 

 

 

We descended the cliffs and arrived back at the harbor just as the sun was waving good-bye below the sea horizon. I’m sure our guide timed it that way; tourists taking a wrong turn and falling over the edge would probably be bad for business.

And just when our tour couldn’t get any more awesome, David took us to a restaurant to get fresh fish and chips! Later, when we’ve mentioned to people that we hiked Howth Head, everyone inevitably asked if we finished the day with fish and chips. And I’m happy to say, “yes, yes we did!”.

 

 

 

You can do this hike without a tour company as it’s easy to get to. I enjoyed the tour as our first time hiking Howth, because we got a sense of the history of the area. We went with Dublin Free Walking Tours.

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