Gnomon's Guide

This is a 12-kilometre walk in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland. The walk starts at the harbour of Dun Laoghaire and goes southeast, staying as close as possible to the coast for about 6km. It then goes inland and climbs the hills of Killiney and Dalkey, which are both parks, before descending along a pedestrian way known as 'The Metals' bringing us back to the starting point. Along the way, you'll see three small harbours, some of the most opulent real estate in the country and some fine Victorian villas, an 18th-century folly and a huge quarry as well as numerous stunning views. There's a chance for some liquid refreshment in a pub after about 7km.

Much of the route is on paved roads or footpaths, but there are many steps and some rough paths; it should be easily manageable by anybody capable of walking the distance but is not suitable for wheelchairs.

Investigate an alternative wheelchair-friendly route.

All the distances in square brackets are from the start of the walk. If you have a smartphone that can track the distance you have walked, it will make following these instructions easier.

Research Info

Coliemore Harbour - current structures built in 1869.

400m detour off the route, there and back, to see the "7 EIRE" sign at Hawk Cliff. Just 200m after starting on Vico Road, there's a gap in the wall on the left and a paved path down to the sea. Cross railway bridge and you'll come to the sign, which is huge. Retrace steps to Vico Road.

Should only go down to the beach if the tide is out. If it is full in, there is no way past the rock. In this case, continue on Vico Road.

"Gorse Hill", the O'Donnell House - now on sale for 8.5 million

Vico comes from Italian "vicolo" a narrow road, due to its association with the Bay of Naples, Sorrento Terrace etc.

Up to 1870 there were two roads around the sea side of the hill, one from the Dalkey end and the other from the Killiney end, but they didn't meet and the bit in between was a grassy footpath. The current road was funded by public subscription and built in 1887 - 1890, opened officially on 5 Dec 1890. Killiney Hill was bought and opened as a Victoria Park at the same time. The park did not originally include Dalkey Hill - this became part of the park later.

The Obelisk on Killiney Hill was built in the 18th century to provide work for unemployed workers - rich land owners would pay poor people to build ridiculous buildings but would not give them charity.

The date on the Obelisk is 1742 and it commemorates the Famine of 1741, the Year of the Slaughter. A combination of two very cold winters and a wet summer in between. Icebergs in the Liffey. This meant that the crops failed to grow and between 250,000 and 480,000 people died of starvation. This is not to be confused with the Great Famine a hundred years later when 500,000 died.

A local landlord paid workers to build this monument as a way of giving charity to the poor people without them receiving money for nothing.

Dalkey Hill is only half there. The quarry resulted in taking away about half the hill - the granite was used first in the building of the Great South Wall (the longest sea-wall in Europe) on the south bank of the Liffey, then the two piers to form the harbour of Kingstown (now known as Dun Laoghaire).

Getting to the Start

Dun Laoghaire can be reached from the centre of Dublin via the DART suburban railway. There are also many bus routes that will bring you to the DART station. From the station, walk southeast along the coast, passing the harbour and pier on your left, until you reach Teddy's shop on the right. This is famous for its ice cream cones, but you should keep this treat for the end of the walk. Just beyond Teddy's is a car park on the left. This is the start of the trail, from where any distances in this entry are measured.

If you want to drive to the start, aim for this car park at [53.290008, -6.126232]. If you're going on a Sunday, aim to be early as this car park fills up quickly.

Dun Laoghaire to Sorrento Terrace

If you have a smart phone with a navigation app, such as MayMyWalk or ViewRanger, start it now. All distances will be presented from this point in square brackets like this: [6.7km]. This is useful so that you can tell what to look out for along the way.

The first part of the walk is along suburban roads through Sandycove and Dalkey. These are exclusive areas where the houses are very expensive and range from tiny cottages tucked into corners up to giant mansions.

Start the walk by going southeast, with the sea on your left as you walk. In front of you is the small headland of Sandycove, with its Martello Tower. At [] you reach the James Joyce memorial tree, with a inscribed stone. Wall through the little park here and turn left onto Sandycove Avenue. The cove of Sandycove is on your left. At the end of the road is a rocky bathing place known as "The Forty Foot" as the sea is very deep here. There's a set of steps down into the sea and many people bathe here every day, ven in the depths of winter. Up to about 20 years ago, women were not allowed and the sign said "Forty Foot Gentlement Only". The path now bends around to the right and you come to the James Joyce Martello Tower, which is a museum. The author Joyce stayed here for a short while and he wrote the Tower into his book Ulysses, in which it is Stephen Dedalus who stays in the Tower. Martello Towers were built along the coast of Ireland in the early 1800s between Bray and Drogheda. There were about 50 built, of which many still survive. Their purpose was to protect Ireland from an invasion by the French. Each tower had a gun emplacement on the roof.

Vico Road, Views and the Beach

9. Continue along the canal, keeping the water on your left. You're now starting on the Naas branch of the Naas and Corbally Line. This has quite a different character - there are locks so the canal doesn't need to follow the contours and is much straighter. The trees on either side are also much taller making the route more shady.

The Hill Park

The Metals

The Quarry Track. The Atmospheric Railway. The mainline railway.