The Dodder is a small, fast-flowing river in South Dublin. It rises in the Dublin Mountains, and 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 where it meets the Liffey upstream as far as it is possible to go, perhaps as far as Bohernabreena Reservoir. There is a path along one or other bank for most of the course of the river.

Note: in these instructions, the 'left bank' means as you are facing upstream. Distances are measured from Ringsend Bridge.

The journey from here can be divided into three sections:

• Ringsend to Rathfarnham Shopping Centre - 9km
• Rathfarnham Shopping Centre to Firhouse - about 4km
• Firhouse to Bohernabreena Reservoirs Car Park - about 4.6km

Ringsend to Rathfarnham Shopping Centre

From the Liffey Toll Bridge to Ringsend Bridge

Crossing the Toll Bridge from the north side, staying on the right side of the bridge. At the southern bank, the path goes straight ahead and comes out onto York Road. Turn right and walk as far as you can, which is 100m. You reach the End of the Dodder, the point where the Dodder meets the Liffey.

Now go back on your tracks and turn right down Thorncastle Street. Follow it all the way to the church in Ringsend, then turn right to reach Ringsend Bridge.

From Grand Canal Dock to Ringsend Bridge

From the Grand Canal Theatre, follow Hanover Quay along the north side of Grand Canal Dock. Cross the lock gates at the end, then go slightly to the right. The path joins the banks of the Dodder. This is as close as you get to the End of the Dodder. Walk upstream along the right bank as far as Ringsend Bridge. Cross the bridge.

Ringsend Bridge to Ballsbridge

If you've a smartphone that can measure distance, set it to 0 at this point, since all distances are measured from here. Take the left bank, passing London Bridge [0.5km], Landsdowne Road Bridge [0.9km], going under the Dart railway line [1.1km], and arriving at Ball's Bridge² [1.6km].

Ballsbridge to Clonskeagh Bridge

It's probably safest to cross the main road by going right, crossing the bridge, crossing Shelbourne Road, then crossing the main road. Now head back towards the river and just before it [1.8km], take the riverside path up the right bank of the river.

Pass the new Herbert Park Lane bridge [2.0km]. Continue along the river. Eventually you reach Eglinton Terrace [2.5km] just before Donnybrook Rugby Ground. There's no riverside path along the next bit so you need to take quite a detour.

Leave the river and walk along Eglinton Terrace. When you come out onto Donnybrook Road, there is a pedestrian crossing just 20m to the right [2.8km]. After crossing Donnybrook Road, walk back towards the river and just before the Topaz garage [2.9km], turn right into Brookvale Road. Follow this, cross Eglinton Road, and rejoin the river [3.1km]. There's a pedestrian bridge here.

You now have the choice - cross the pedestrian bridge and continue on the left bank up Beaver Row as far as Clonskeagh Bridge, or stay on the right bank: follow Brookvale Road along by the river and take the riverside path at the end of it. This comes out beside Ashton's Pub in Clonskeagh Village [3.5km]. Walk through Clonskeagh Village back towards the river to Clonskeagh Bridge. [3.8km]

Clonskeagh Bridge to Rathfarnham Bridge

For the next stretch as far as the Dropping Well, you can go on either the left or right bank. I think the right bank is probably more pleasant.

Pass Milltown Bridge [4.6km], the Pack Bridge [4.7km] (supposedly the oldest bridge on the Dodder), and the Nine Arches Luas Viaduct [5.0km]. At Classon's Bridge (the bridge at the Dropping Well pub) [5.2km], stand in the middle of the bridge look upstream. You will see a rhinoceros standing in the river. Now go down to the traffic lights and turn left up the hill, leaving the river for a few hundred meters.

Passing the Dropping Well Pub, walk along the road as far as the top of the hill, then go down the lane to the left and continue along the riverside path.

Pass a footbridge [6.0km], the big weir, and Orwell Road Bridge [6.4km] [can you walk under Orwell Road Bridge, or do you have to climb up, cross the road and go back down again?]. At the next footbridge [6.8km], cross it. The path seems to continue here right down beside the river as far as the big Dodder Road Weir [7.3km]. If not, use the footpath on Dodder Road. At the end of Dodder Road, cross Rathfarnham Road at the traffic lights.[7.6km]

After crossing Rathfarnham Road at the traffic lights, the footpath goes down to the right to re-join the river near Rathfarnham Bridge. Walk along the left bank of the river.

You pass two footbridges along this next stretch [7.9km and 8.5km]. You can cross either of them and use the right bank if you want. If you do so, be sure to cross back over to the left side when you reach the R112 road bridge beside Rathfarnham Shopping Centre.[9.0km]

Rathfarnham Shopping Centre to Firhouse

This 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 underpass under the motorway and the giant Firhouse weir.

The path goes between Rathfarnham Shopping Centre and the river. After a hundred metres you pass a big, open, grassy space on the left. If you want to leave the route at this point, go left. This path climbs up to join the road. About a hundred metres to the right, across the road, you will see the Orchard Pub, and at the far end of the pub car park there are two restaurants, an Italian one (Little Caesar's) and a Chinese (The Chrysanthemum).

Continuing on the riverside route, pass the grassy space. After another 100m or so, the path forks [9.5km], with the main path going straight and a smaller path going right to follow the river. You must leave the river at this point. Take the main path which goes into Kilvere estate. (If you take the river path, you'll loop around and end up back at this point anyway.)

Coming out onto the road in Kilvere, take the first turn left [9.7km] and then go straight until you reach Butterfield Avenue [9.8km]. Turn right onto Butterfield Avenue.

Continue on this main road and go straight through the next traffic lights [10.1km]. About 300m beyond the traffic lights, you will see white railings on the right. The river is far below the road at this point. After the railings there is a stretch of red-brick wall, and the riverside path starts again here [10.4km], directly opposite the end of Knocklyon Road.

The next hundred metres or so is particularly bleak: a narrow nettle-lined path beside an ugly, high wall, but it then improves. It's a walk of 1.4km along the river as far as the M50 motorway, where the path goes under the motorway [11.8km]. The underpass is quite impressive with the river running between stony banks and four separate bridges overhead.

Just after the underpass you reach a green open space. There's a footbridge which you don't cross, but it's worth walking out half way to see Firhouse Weir [12.0km]. 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.

If you head up the path to the left, away from the river, you soon reach a pub for refreshments.

Continuing on the river path, passing through a forbidding looking steel gate, the next 700m or so are fairly dull, then you come to Dodder Riverside Park, with a big grassy hill in front of you.

This is another spot where you can leave the route to get refreshments - at the fork in the path [12.9km], go left and leave the park at the gate. Cross the road to the Speaker Connolly pub which is beside Firhouse Shopping Centre. The pub advertises itself as a 'gastropub'. You can end your walk here. The pub is on the 75 bus route, or you could arrange for somebody to collect you.

Firhouse to Bohernabreena Reservoir

If you choose not to visit the pub, staying on the riverside path, you reach a small, modern bridge painted a sort of maroon colour, for pedestrians and bikes [13.2km]. This goes across a deep gully with a stream at the bottom. Continue along this path.

Soon [13.5km] you reach a much bigger maroon-painted bridge, which crosses the Dodder. Immediately after crossing the bridge, turn left. Where you reach a junction of paths, take the leftmost path. This hugs the left edge of the park and eventually swings around to the right to bring you to a gate in the wall on your left. Go through the gate and turn left, back towards the river.

Just before Old Bawn Bridge, turn right into a road which may be Whitestown Way or Kiltipper Road (signposted Kiltipper) [14.5km]. The path goes up the right side of the road for about 900m, then you have to cross to the left side. The view of the mountains is starting to get good at this stage. Just after this, turn left [15.6km] into the drive up to Kiltipper Woods Care Centre. From here on you are on the marked Dublin Mountains Way trail, so watch out for the occasional wooden post with a yellow arrow and walker symbol.

At the car park [15.8km], you will see the Care Centre on your right. There is a coffee shop in it.

On the left, the riverside path continues, bringing you out finally into proper countryside [15.9km]. The path continues through fields with a lovely view of the mountains. This part is called 'Kiltipper Park Dodder Valley' and there is an inscribed boulder at each end telling you this.

The path reaches the main road [16.8km] just beside Fort Bridge. Cross the road carefully - on weekdays there are many lorries using the road which goes up to the quarries in Ballinascorney. Just across the road, the path goes right and after about 100m reaches the car park at the gates of Bohernabreena Reservoir [16.9km].

Around the Reservoirs

The reservoir is best left to another day's walking so this is a
good place to arrange to be collected.