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Irish Coastal Walks

AuthorPaddy Dillon
PublisherCicerone Press (out of print)
ISBNISBN-13: 978 1 85284 287 1
Price£10.99
A walker stands in silhouette in a rock arch on Cape Clear Island.

A walker stands in silhouette in a rock arch on Cape Clear Island.

Clew Bay from Croagh Patrick, where they say there is an island for every day of the year!

Clew Bay from Croagh Patrick, where they say there is an island for every day of the year!

The rocky promontory of Dun Balair on Tory Island is a place of myth and legend.

The rocky promontory of Dun Balair on Tory Island is a place of myth and legend.

This guidebook owes its origin to a simple question. 'If I wrote another guidebook about Ireland, what would it be called?' The answer from Cicerone was, 'Irish Coastal Walks.'

At first all the walks were going to be on the Irish mainland, but plans evolved to include several islands. The actual route research took four separate trips, stretching over eight months. In the end there were 54 walks, of which a third were on islands. Things weren't always plain sailing (excuse the pun) and involved heavy seas at times, walking in the teeth of a hurricane and being marooned an extra night on one island. Coastal walks always look pretty impressive with big breakers hurling themselves at the cliffs!

A variety of routes were checked from low-level beach walks and saltmarshes to towering and overhanging cliffs, including some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Ireland's coast is full of quirky features and the western seaboard is particularly attractive.

Travelling around the coast was accomplished using Bus Eireann Rambler Tickets and Translink Freedom of Northern Ireland tickets, with Lough Swilly Buses used in Co Donegal. Travelling to the many islands involved using a remarkable variety of ferries in all kinds of weather conditions.
In a review in Irish Mountain Log, Joss Lynam said, "The descriptions are clear and accurate, and there are good notes about places near the walks... good pics... interesting... enjoyable."

Walk Contents

Walk 1 Donabate and Portrane
Walk 2 Howth Head
Walk 3 Bray and Greystones
Walk 4 Raven Point
Walk 5 Carnsore Point
Walk 6 Ardmore Head
Walk 7 Great Island
Walk 8 Sherkin Island
Walk 9 Cape Clear Island
Walk 10 Mizen Head
Walk 11 Sheep's Head
Walk 12 Bere Island
Walk 13 Dursey Island
Walk 14 Derrynane Bay
Walk 15 Valentia Island
Walk 16 Slea Head
Walk 17 Great Blasket Island
Walk 18 The Three Sisters
Walk 19 The Magharees
Walk 20 Kerry Head
Walk 21 Loop Head
Walk 22 Cliffs of Moher
Walk 23 Inis Oírr
Walk 24 Inis Meáin
Walk 25 Inis Mór
Walk 26 Omey Island
Walk 27 Killary Harbour
Walk 28 Inishbofin
Walk 29 Inishturk
Walk 30 Clare Island
Walk 31 Minaun Cliffs
Walk 32 Croaghaun and Achill Head
Walk 33 Benwee Head
Walk 34 Belderrig and Portacloy
Walk 35 Downpatrick Head
Walk 36 Slieve League
Walk 37 Glencolmcille
Walk 38 Arranmore Island
Walk 39 Bloody Foreland
Walk 40 Tory Island
Walk 41 Horn Head
Walk 42 Melmore Head
Walk 43 Clonmany and Binnion
Walk 44 Malin Head
Walk 45 Inishowen Head
Walk 46 Castlerock and Downhill
Walk 47 Causeway Coast Path
Walk 48 Rathlin Island
Walk 49 Fair Head
Walk 50 Whitehead and Black Head
Walk 51 North Down Coast Path
Walk 52 Strangford Lough
Walk 53 Killough and Ballyhornan
Walk 54 Dundrum and Murlough