This is the companion entry to "Up the Dodder".

Distance: 16.9km

The Dodder is a small, fast-flowing river in South Dublin. It rises in the Dublin Mountains, and almost the entire course of the river is within County Dublin¹. The Dodder flows into the River Liffey just before the Liffey reaches the sea, making it a tributary.

This entry explores the possibility of walking the length of the Dodder from Bohernabreena Reservoir car park downstream to where it meets the Liffey. It is also possible to walk around the reservoirs, but above that, the upper reaches of the river are through a bog so they are not really walkable.

Note: in these instructions, the 'left bank' means as you are facing downstream. Distances are measured from Bohernabreena Reservoir Car Park.

You can park in the car park, but it is not clear whether the gate is ever shut. You might be better to get someone to drop you at the car park.

The journey from here can be divided into four sections:

• Bohernabreena Reservoirs Car Park to Firhouse - about 4.6km
• Firhouse to Rathfarnham Shopping Centre - about 4km
• Rathfarnham Shopping Centre to Clonskeagh Bridge - 5.5km
• Clonskeagh Bridge to Ringsend - 3.5km

Bohernabreena Reservoir to Firhouse

Leaving the car park towards the road [0.0km], turn right and walk along the path beside the road. Just before Fort Bridge over the Dodder, cross the road carefully - on weekdays there are many lorries using the road which goes up to the quarries in Ballinascorney. There's an entrance through the hedge and an inscribed boulder proclaiming the 'Kiltipper Park Dodder Valley'.

The first section of the path is a pleasant stroll through fields, with the Dodder in the distance on your right. There are nice views of the mountains behind you. At [1.0km] you leave the open countryside.

At the car park [1.1km], you will see the Kiltipper Woods Care Centre on your left. There is a coffee shop in it.

Follow the drive out of the Care Centre. At Kiltipper Road [1.3km], turn right and follow the road on the right side. After about 200m you need to cross the road as the path continues on the left side. At the end of Kiltipper Road [2.4km], you'll see Old Bawn Bridge about 40m away on your right. Turn left, away from the river.

Walk along the left side of Old Bawn Road until the next junction. Cross Old Bawn Road and go into Dodder Valley Park through the gateway. Immediately turn right back towards the river. Follow the path around the right hand side of this park.

Cross the large maroon-painted bridge [3.4km] over the Dodder. Continue along the path for another 350m. You cross a smaller maroon-painted bridge and come to Dodder Riverbank Park.

You have reached Firhouse. There's a car park here and a pub 'The Speaker Connolly' which advertises itself as a 'Gastro-pub'.

Firhouse to Rathfarnham Shopping Centre

This next stage of the journey is rather dull. The path is away from houses for most of it and is a tarmac path with grass on either side surrounded by bushes and small trees. There's not much to see, and even the river isn't visible although you're beside it for most of the way. Highlights of this section include the giant Firhouse weir and the underpass under the M50 motorway.

Continue through the Dodder Riverbank Park with the river on your left until the path goes through a forbidding looking steel gate.

You now come to a green open space. If you head up the path to the right, away from the river, you soon reach a pub for refreshments.

The river is now clearly visible for the first time in a long time, there's the impressive Firhouse Weir [4.9km]. Just past the weir there a red footbridge. The route doesn't cross this but it's worth walking out half way to see the weir. This is the biggest weir on the river. Built in 1244, it was the start of the Dublin City Watercourse, which was the main supply of water to Dublin for about 500 years.

Continue along the right bank of the river. You come to the M50 motorway, where the path goes under the motorway [5.1km]. The underpass is quite impressive with the river running between stony banks and four separate bridges overhead.

There's now a walk of 1.4km along the river, going under a main road at one point. The last 100m of this is particularly bleak: a narrow nettle-lined path beside an ugly, high wall, but then you come out onto the main road R114 [6.5km]. Turn left. You now have white railings on your left with the river far below you. Follow the road straight through the big junction [6.8km] onto Butterfield Avenue.

Refreshment

If you're in need of refreshment it's best to leave the Dodder route for a bit and go straight on here. After 300m, you'll reach the Old Orchard pub which serves food and drink. In the car park behind it are two other restaurants, an Italian one (Little Caesar's) and a Chinese (The Chrysanthemum).

After you're suitably refreshed, continue along Butterfield Avenue for another 130m. You'll see the long narrow building of Rathfarnham Shopping Centre on the left. Walk just to the left of this building and you'll find a path that descends to join the river path. The route goes along the back of the Shopping Centre and under the R112 road bridge.

If you decide not to take refreshement, turn left into Kilvere [7.1km]. At the T-junction, turn right and enter the Dodder Valley Park again - there's another inscribed boulder here. Go straight on and follow the path along the back of Rathfarnham Shopping Centre until the path goes under the R112 road bridge. [7.9km]

Note: the distance by the refreshment detour is the same distance as the non-refreshment riverside route, so you shouldn't have to adjust any of the distances given here.

Rathfarnham Shopping Centre to Clonskeagh Bridge

There are two footbridges across the river on the next stretch, at [8.4km] and [9km]. If you want, you can cross the first of these and continue on the left bank, but make sure to cross back to the right bank at the second footbridge.

As the path approaches the stone Rathfarnham Bridge, it bends round to the right and brings you up to the traffic lights [9.3km]. Cross Rathfarnham Road and go straight into Dodder Road.

Pass the big Dodder Road Weir [9.6km]. There's a gap in the railings and the path descends to beside the river. Cross the river at the next footbridge [10.1km] and turn right to continue along by the river. Pass Orwell Road Bridge [10.5km], a big weir and another footbridge [10.8km].

The path leaves the river briefly and climbs a hill, then descends again to the Dropping Well pub. From here you can choose to walk on the left or right bank all the way to Clonskeagh Bridge. I think the left bank is probably slightly better but there's not much to choose between them. Whichever you decide, stand in the middle of the bridge at the Dropping Well and look upstream. You will see a rhinoceros standing in the river.

Pass the Nine Arches Luas Viaduct [11.9km], the Pack Bridge [12.2km] (supposedly the oldest bridge on the Dodder), and Milltown Bridge [12.3km].

If you're looking for refreshment you can take the left bank at Milltown Bridge and cross the road to Wilde and Greene which offers lunches.

Continue until you reach Clonskeagh Bridge [13.4km].

Clonskeagh Bridge to Ringsend

Clonskeagh Bridge to Ballsbridge

There are a couple of places along the next section where you need to leave the river, as there isn't a path along all of it.

Start by turning left and leaving the river. Head along Clonskeagh Road towards Dublin, passing the petrol station. At the bend, just after Ashton's Pub [13.4km], take the path down to the river. This passes the natural rock outcrop known as Beaver Row Weir. It soon comes out onto Brookvale Road. Follow Brookvale road as far as the end. There is a pedestrian bridge here [13.8km], but don't cross it. Follow the bend of the road away from the river.

Cross Eglinton Road and continue on Brookvale Road. This reaches the main Donnybrook Road opposite the Rugby Ground. Turn left and cross at the pedestrian lights [14.1km]. Walk back towards the river 20 metres and turn left into Eglinton Terrace. At the other end of Eglinton Terrace [14.4km], join the riverside path again.

Pass the new Herbert Park Lane bridge[14.9km]. Continue until you reach Ball's Bridge [15.3km].

It's probably safest to cross the main road by going left until the pedestrian crossing just before Herbert Park, cross the main road, then come back towards the river, crossing Shelbourne Road, and finally cross the bridge itself. Turn left down the riverside path.

Ballsbridge to Ringsend Bridge

Continue on the right bank, going under the railway bridge [15.8km], and passing Lansdowne Road Bridge [16.0km] and London Bridge [16.4km].

You reach the last bridge, Ringsend Bridge, at [16.9km]. From here, you can go two different ways:

Ringsend Bridge to Grand Canal Dock

Cross Ringsend Bridge and continue on the left bank of the river as far as you can. This is as close as you can get to the End of the Dodder, where it joins the Liffey. Cross at the lock gate to Hannover Quay. Walk along Hannover Quay to Grand Canal Theatre. There are plenty of places for refreshment around here.

Ringsend Bridge to Liffey Toll Bridge

Turn right at the bridge, away from the river. After 60m, turn left onto Thorncastle Street. At the end of Thorncastle Street, follow the bend around to the left which brings you back to the river. You are now at the End of the Dodder, where it joins the Liffey. You can walk across the grass from there to the Toll Bridge. At the other end of the Toll Bridge are the Three Arena, the Gibson Hotel (refreshments!) and the Red Line Luas.