Hiking with kids in Glenmalure can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to choose a trail that’s appropriate for their age and ability level. Below, are some trails and tips for Kid friendly Hikes in Glenmalure Wicklow:

Hike 1- Shay Elliott Carpark to Cullentragh Little Moutain

We did this great little walk lately with all the kids and they absolutely loved every second of it. Our 6-year-old ran most of it and our 4-year-old tried her best to keep up with her older sister. If you want to bring your buggy be prepared to carry the child for the last section.

Start in the Shay Elliot car park here. It’s not a long walk and the trail is very sheltered from the elements until the very last section.

 Hike key points

• 1.6km each way 3.2km total
• 95% buggy friendly- carrier required for the last 300m
• Nice sheltered woodland walk
• Amazing views of the Glendalough and Glenmalure valleys
• Perfect for all ages
• Allow 2 hours to walk this

Hiking route below: The route is not signposted but if you stay on the main path you can’t miss the mountain. This is a great starter walk for Kid friendly Hikes in Glenmalure Wicklow

Hike 2- The 3 waterfalls Glenmalure

The 3 waterfalls are called the Coolalingo Waterfalls. The Coolalingo waterfalls are perfect for kids of all ages to explore. I would give a word of caution, there is no real path to the waterfall and the route to the waterfalls are steep and on a main road. If you are cautious while exploring this should not cause a problem.

Secret waterfall Glenmalure Key points

• 1km down and 1 km return walk
• Small 200m road walk
• No signs
• Spectacular waterfalls
• No crowds even in summer

Step by Step directions to the SECRET waterfall:

Park here

Walk 200m down the road until you see a tree with a small pile of stones.

Enter the wood. The path leads to the left and right. Turn left and down the forest toward the stream. The path zig-zags down until you reach the river bed. Walk back upstream until you see the waterfalls.

Hike 3- Carrawaystick Waterfall

(Unfortunately, this is now closed)

Carrawaystick waterfall is a really nice waterfall to explore with the kids. This is one of the starting points to hike Lugnaquilla but you can still go and only explore this wonderful waterfall and a small walk around the base of the mountain.

We recommend not bringing kids younger than 5 to Lugnaquilla mountain on this route. Walk out to the waterfall and explore the area, the kids will love it.

Key points Carrawaystick Waterfall

• You have to park on the side of the road
• A lovely footbridge underneath the waterfall
• less than 1km walk

Hike 4-Baravore loop walk

The start of Baravore loop walk begins at the end of Glenamlure valley road. The start point has a large car park with lots of space. The loop walk is 6km long with steep sections. This walk is possible for young kids but can be challenging. If you don’t feel your kids are able for the full walk they can do a small section and turn around. There are footbridges and great views of the valley and river from the start of the walk. This is a great place for kids to explore.

Key points for Baravore loop walk

• Starting point here
• Suitable for kids 3-4 years plus
• Section of river walks
• Great views of the valley
• Small steep sections
• 2-3 hours to complete with lots of breaks
• 6km long
• Well signposted

Food Recommendations

Now, to one of the best parts of any hike, snacks and treats. We have a couple of good food recommendations after your hike. We always give the kids treats after a nice family walk. We have eaten in The Glenmalure Lodge after a number of our hikes in Glenmalure and found it to be a very nice family-run pub.

If you are going back to Laragh, the Wicklow Heather serves an amazing lunch or dinner, we highly recommend it for dinner.

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Keadeen Key facts

• We hiked 9.4km out and back to the 2 mountains.
• It took us 2 hours with small breaks
• Wet gear was required as the top section is quite boggy
• Parking is limited
• Not suitable for kids in winter
• Difficulty- Overall, it’s not too hard. 4 out of 10 for difficulty
• Recommendation- A nice walk, and an easy summit

Keadeen Map

Below is a map of the walk to Keadeen summit.

Keaden Carpark Start

The car park is located here. Come early to this mountain as parking is limited. Only 4-5 spaces are available for cars on this forestry road location.

Hiking Keadeen Mountain

The hike starts at the car park. Be sure to turn left straight away and not walk up the foresty road, as I did.

At the car park follow the trail footpath cut into the wood and not the forestry road. Once you find the path the trail to the summit is well-worn and easy to follow.

After about a 200m walk and a steady climb along the edge of the wood, you come to a fence. Cross over the fence and follow the fence line up the hill. The path is through a field but it is easy to follow.

At the end of the field, you come onto an open mountain. From this point, it becomes very wet and boggy. Visibility was poor for us on the day of our hike but I’m sure there are amazing views from here.

Pass through the fence opening and take care on the mountain for deep boggy sections.

From this section, you will descend into a small valley and then back up another hill. The Cairn is then situated at the top.

Optional additional walk to Carrig Mountain

We decided to walk Carrig mountain as it was only a 4km walk to the top of Keadeen mountain, and we felt we needed to stretch our legs a bit more.

We walked back down the hill but now followed the fence line the whole way to Carrig Cairn.

The Cairn for Carrig Mountain was only a pile of stones but it was a nice little additional walk to finish off the hike. We used the same path to return back to the car.

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Seefin passage tomb was built around 5,000 years ago. The passage tomb has a small passage 7m long through the centre. A stone at the entrance has carvings inscribed on its face. The kids love tracing the carvings and exploring the area looking for more.

The roof of the tomb is open and you can view it from the top.

Key facts about the Seefin Mountain hike

• 2.4km out and back hike
• 1-hour hike
• Path well worn but no markers
• The tomb at the top is 5,000 years old
• Difficulty- Easy to moderate
• Family-friendly but only in good weather
• End of July it is filled with Fraughans
• Recommendation- Great hike and the kids love it

Seefin Trailhead car park

The starting point of the Seefin passage tomb hike has 2 small car parks. One of the car parks has enough room for 3-4 cars. The other is the entrance into a wood.

Below is the Google map of the car parks.

Seefin Hike

Seehin Passage Tomb hike is pretty straightforward. We did an out-and-back hike from the car park.

The walk starts beside the car park. Follow the trail up the side of the forest. The path is very clear to follow and walk along beside the fence for about 500m. The trail then splits and you need to turn left and walk up toward the summit.

We walked this hike with our 5-year-old daughter and 1-year-old daughter. Our 5-year-old (Ourlitthiker) walked all the trail but got slightly tired near the end. It gets steep near the end and she found it hard not being able to see the summit.

We turned left when the fence beside the wood takes a sharp turn. The tree in the picture below is a good marker. The hike starts to get steeper from this point but it’s only 700m to the summit from this point.

We used the new Deuter comfort Pro to carry our 1-year-old daughter. We got the kid’s carrier from 53 degrees north. The carrier has received a facelift from our old carrier with buckles, frames and attachments. We loved the new revisions and so does our tiny little hiker.

We hiked the trail at the end of July and we were surrounded by native Irish Fraughans which we munched on the whole way to the summit.

Map to hike to Seefin Summit

The summit of Seefin Passage Tomb

When we reached the summit of Seefin, we had a lovely picnic and admired the beautiful views of the surrounding west Wicklow sights.

Conclusion

We loved this hike. It is a perfect little starter hike for small legs. Come early as there is limited parking. It’s a beautiful hike with great views of the Blessington lakes.

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Our Hiking Tick history with Kids

I previously had never come across a Tick in all my years of hiking, playing sports and outdoor activities and I wouldn’t have known what to do if I did. Fast forward a few months after watching the @ticktalkireland video and both our girls had a tick on their tummies, at the very same time .

Luckily we had our tick removers, froze the ticks in a zip lock bag, disinfected the area and watched out for all the signs of Lyme Disease. Thank God, they were both perfect and we have never come across one since

Pictures of the Ticks

Below I will share some tips and information, but to learn more follow @ticktalkireland

The picture above is the very place where the girls got the ticks, walking through the long grass, their tops must have lifted and the ticks latched onto their tummies.

What do Ticks look like?

Picture 2 above shows the Tick buried headfirst into our kid’s tummy

What to use to remove Tick?

The Picture shows the Tick Removers and Repellent Spray that we use. We used the Tick removers to remove the ticks in our kid’s tummies and found them very effective.

The above picture shows #ourlittlehikers repellent bracelet. We find the bracelet very good and she loves wearing it.

How to Prevent Ticks on Humans while Hiking

1. Use a Repellent Spray. I spray all our hiking boots, bags and gear before a Hike.
2. When you can wear pants, tuck them into your socks and tuck your t-shirts into your pants too.
3. Try to avoid long grass if you can (although they can also be in short grass and woodland areas)
4. Try walking in the centre of the woodland paths
5. When possible, try to sit on your hiking bag, pad, blanket (shake it out afterwards) or a stone when having picnics.
6. Do a quick Tick Check before getting into the car to go home.
7. If you find a tick, don’t panic, use your tick remover (we keep ours in a zip lock bag in our 1st aid kit in our Hiking bag)
8. Remove the tick with the tick remover by getting close to the skin where the head is attached and smoothly pull in an upwards direction, then disinfectant the area and your hands.
9. Place the tick in a ziplock bag and write the name of the person, date and location on the bag and put it into your freezer when you get home. By putting the tick in a zip lock bag in the freezer it would help a lot if you start to develop any symptoms in the coming days like flu symptoms or sometimes not always a rash can appear or a bulls-eye rash. If this happens call your Doctor and they will do blood tests, test the frozen tick for any diseases like Lyme Disease and maybe give you antibiotics etc.
10. Get a shower when you’re home from your hike and do a better tick check. Make sure to check the following places

• • legs, ankles
  • behind the knees
  • around the waistline, bellybutton
  • armpits
  • Back of neck, hairline, inside and behind the ears.

Check your Dogs for Ticks

Also, be sure to check your animals too.
I’m no expert in Ticks, so to learn more or if you have any questions check out @ticktalkireland

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Eask Tower Walk Facts

• 2.4km out and back walk
• Start the walk here
• Quite steep at the start but Zig-Zag trails make it easier
• Allow 1.5-2 hours to walk it and enjoy the views
• Stunning views at the summit
• Limited Parking, 5-6 car spaces
• Not Dog friendly
• €2 fee per adult- Kids go free
• The farm owner collects the fee but also provides some great Irish humour
• Farm owner lets you use their water to wash shoes at the end

Our Eask Tower Walk Experience

We started our hike to Eask Tower, late in the evening with the hope to try to get some kind of sunset. As we parked the car, the farm owner came out to collect the fee and provide us with lots of great stories. The kids loved chatting with her.

Starting the walk to Eask tower Dingle

The walk starts off by walking through a field owned by the farm lady. The walk is steep and filled with sheep poo but that adds to the whole experience. You pass through some gates before getting to the start of the Zig-zags.

When we reached the zig-zags it doesn’t seem as steep and we quickly reached the top section of the walk, where we could see the tower. We walked across the top of the hill until we reached the tower.

Luckily for us, an American family were also at the top at the same time and took a family photo of us, which we rarely get.

At the top, we relaxed and had a small picnic looking at the sunset over County Kerry and the Dingle peninsula.

Kids walking to Eask Tower

Our kids love the walk to Eask tower. Our 5-year-old ran to the top on her own. Our 3-year-old, did get carried at steep sections. We still bring our Deuter kids comfort for these sections to give her little legs a break when she needs it, our 1 year old got a free lift up and back with her Mammys Ergo carrier.

Summary of Dingle Family Walk

An easy 2.4km walk to Eask Tower and a true hidden gem of a walk. We highly recommend it. Our kids loved this walk.

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Ardmore Cliff Walk

Ardmore Cliff walk is a beautiful family-friendly walk in Ardmore County Waterford. Young kids love it. We walked this cliff walk route with our 3 young children. The walk is steep in places and has one small section with steps. Dangerous sections are fenced off.

• 4km loop, Buggy Friendly (except for about 15/20 steps. We carried the buggy up these)
• We parked @cliffhousehotel (try to start early as there are not many car spaces)
• Beautiful Coastal Views
• Coffee horsebox near the end
• It has a road walking section- Care required
• Walks past the round tower

Visit Goat Island Beach after Ardmore Cliff Walk

Goat Island Beach  It is nearby, such a beautiful hidden gem with little caves. (The road down is very long and narrow, I was glad I wasn’t driving )

• Park here
• Limited spaces
• Very tight access road
• Amazing little hidden gem of a beach

Lismore Castle and Gardens

Lismore Castle is so beautiful and there is also a playground beside the Carpark. The castle and grounds fees can be seen here. Our kids loved exploring the gardens and coffee shop treats.

Dromana Gate

Dromana Gate is a beautiful Hindu style Gothic Gate Lodge. You can park on either side of the bridge but be mindful of oncoming traffic while walking across it.

• Be careful crossing, as it is a live road
• Only 4-5 car parking spaces
• Dromana Gate location here

Mahon Falls

This is one of our favourite walks, that we do every year. Beautiful short flat walk to the waterfall which is also buggy Friendly. Make sure to call in to @crough_coffee before/after for some tasty treats.

• Park here to walk down to Mahon falls (Free)
• Come early on the weekend, this is very busy
• 1.2 km walk to the base of the waterfall
• Buggy friendly- Gravel path
• Have a picnic and dip your feet into the water at the end

Waterford Greenway

The Waterford Greenway is one of Waterford’s famous walks and we love it. We have walked the whole greenway before we had kids. The Greenway is great for kids that love bikes and scooters, even if you only do a small section of it. If this is the case, we recommend walking through the tunnel section and exploring all the fairy doors.

• Park here for the Tunnell Section
• Out and back walk
• Kids love the fairy doors
• The tunnel is fully lit up and the kids love exploring
• We stayed in Kiereys in Kilmacthomas previously,  when we walked the whole Greenway

Waterford Suir Valley Railway.

This is a train ride, great for kids and very fun. They get a little map to tick off all the different things they see along the way, the train stops for a few minutes at a fairy village where you stay on the train and keep an eye out for fairies.

• It cost us €25 for 3 of us, kids under 3 go free
• 10 km train ride
• Stop to view the fairy village on the way
• Bring ear muffs for smaller kids- it is very loud

Anne Valley Nature and Wildlife Walk

Anne Valley Wildlife walk is a beautiful buggy Friendly Walk. We recommend bringing your kid’s scooters/bikes. (Adult bikes not allowed) You can park on either side of the walk- Dunhill or Annestown Village. There is also a parking mid-way at Dunhill Castle. You can climb up into the castle where you will be greeted with spectacular views.

• Mid-way parking available
• Good surface for kids’ scooters
• 5km walk along the river
• Start point here
• Midway car park and Dunhill castle here

The Vee Mountain Pass- Bay Lough

Bay Lough at the Knockmealdowns. This is a Lovely walk to the lake. You can access the lake from the top or bottom car park. We walked up from the bottom car park.

• The walk is not buggy friendly
• It is steep but our 4-year-old daughter walked it all
• 500m from the car park here
• Amazing lake and very quiet
• 1km from this car park here

Knockmealdown mountain and Sugarloaf Hill loop walk –

We previously wrote a blog post here on this so you can decide for yourself if it would suit your family. We hiked the Knockmealdowns in 2017 when we only had one little hiker to carry. Like all mountains climb with care, at the summit, there is a drop to one side, so if it’s foggy then turn around. Have the correct gear, navigation etc with you. There is also a section of road walking if you do the loop. The views are amazing

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Tonelagee Mountain sits at an elevation of 817m. Lough Ouler is at the base of Tonelaglee, which provides the BEST viewing point over the famous love heart lake. The best views of Lough Ouler, Wicklow’s love heart lake are from the top of Tonelagee.

Key information about the hike

• Park here at Turlough hill
• Allow 2-3 hours up and back
• No clear markers but the path is very well defined
• Difficulty- 6/10
• Highlight- Wicklow landscape and Lough Ouler love heart-shaped lake
• Hiking gear essential

Parking for Tonelagee & Lough Ouler Walk

We parked our car in Turlough hill car park here. The car park is large with lots of spaces. It is quite hidden away from the road, so don’t leave anything valuable visible in your car.

Tonelagee from the Turlough hill car park

The picture above shows the route that we took to hike to Wicklow’s love heart lake. We start the hike by walking over the sleepers in the car park and on the small viewing point. After a small 360 degrees twirl, we turn back toward the mountain and walk across the road.

Just as we step off the road, we need to cross a large drain. We just looked for everyone else’s crossing location and jumped across. Make sure to find the correct path. We spent some time, initially trying to find the footpath at the start. We have walked this path before and only found the path on the descent. This made the hike much harder than it should have been. Sometimes it is not really visible, due to the flowering heather but it is definitely worth finding.

Tonelagee Mountain

Once we are on the path, we cover ground very quickly and within 1 hour we reach the summit. There are no markers on the trail but the path is very prominent, when you identify it.  Be prepared and bring navigation equipment. On the top part of the mountain, the path is not as defined so be sure to stay orientated.

The hike up Tonelagee is not too steep or overly hard but it is easy to stray off course. Keep an eye on your OS map, we briefly lost the trail while descending. We consulted our Maps and found the trail 10 meters to the side.

Tonelagee mountain and Lough Ouler Map

Tonelagee lake (Wicklow’s love Heart Lake)

We walked over toward Stoney Top to get views of Wicklow’s love heart lake. The lake is not visible from the summit of Tonelagee. When at the Cairn of Tonelagee, walk to the left hand side and follow the path until you see the famous Wicklow lake.

Caution— There are large cliffs near the viewing point of the lake be careful if there is a fog or if you have kids with you.

Time to hike to Lough Ouler Wicklow Love heart Lake

It took us 1 hour to ascend to the top of Tonelagee from the Turlough hill car park. The hike started on a foggy day but when we reached the top the fog started to lift, our views weren’t great. It is required to walk down to the rear of the mountain to get a view of the lake as it’s not visible from the summit.

Overall, allow 2 hours 30 minutes on the mountain to view Wicklows Love lake heart.

Optional Hikes after hiking Tonelagee

We have previously hiked St Kevin’s way and Turlough Hill which is the perfect starting point to walk into Glendalough. You could also continue your mountain hikes by walking onto Moanbane/ Silsean.

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When I first starting breastfeeding nearly 5 years ago, I taught I needed my breastfeeding pillow everywhere. On my 1st born, I found the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding hard mostly due to sore nipples, from a bad latch,  later I found out that she had a lip tie which didn’t help.  After that hurdle, it became very easy for me and I absolutely loved my breastfeeding journey.

Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking

When my firstborn daughter was 6 months old, we started becoming a little bit more adventurous with our hikes. We traveled all over Ireland climbing mountains with her on our back. Breastfeeding played a big part in that journey. It took that extra pressure off and allowed us to carry fewer baby-related items which also meant we didn’t have to stick to a routine. I could just feed her on demand when she wanted, wherever she wanted. I have fed both my girls until they were 18 months and now I am back feeding my third little girl, and I am loving it.

Breastfeeding in the outdoors 11 top tips

Here are some tips that I have learned along the way that worked for me and made our hiking adventures in the outdoors easier.

1. Offer a feed in the car before you start your walk

By offering a feed in the comfort of your own car before you start your walk, you will start the hike with a happy and content baby. It will be one less feed to do on the trail. Sometimes this doesn’t work out, as they could be asleep from the car journey, I just pop the sleeping baby into the sling and keep walking until they wake up looking for a feed.

2. Try to find a comfortable seat

If you didn’t want to buy or bring a pad to sit on, you could sit on your rucksack, a stone, or a log. Try to find somewhere dry and comfortable to sit on, you don’t know how long you could be there.

3. Bring a small Umbrella

An umbrella is fantastic to use to protect you and the baby. The umbrella can block the sun, stop a light breeze and it can give you that extra bit of privacy if you are in a very public place. It also stops your baby from becoming distracted from being too nosey, which leads to her stopping mid-feed to look around.

4. Wear breastfeeding-friendly layers

Breastfeeding bras and tops are handy but you don’t have to go out and buy them, you can use what you have.

I wear a strap top, a loose-fitting t-shirt or top, and a zip jacket. All I have to do is pull up my top and pull down my strap top and bra, therefore you are completely covered, keeping your back, tummy, and chest warm while helping you feel modest and less exposed.

5. Wear a light scarf

I find a scarf handy as it acts as extra coverage and you can also use it as a blanket

6. Bring a rain cover

I bring the rain cover from my pram just in case I ever got caught out in the rain and needed to feed the baby and we couldn’t find shelter. You could drop it over your baby or use your rain jacket or poncho. In my bag I also have a little mosquito net just in case I need it for when you sit still there are more chances of little flies etc annoying you and your baby.

7. Feeding your baby in a Sling

When I use my ergo baby carrier, I loosen the strap on the side, that the baby is feeding at and get her into a comfortable position. I then hold her as I would when feeding her and the carrier acts as extra support for the baby.

8. Feeding your baby in a Deuter carrier

While Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking, sometimes I found that it might not suit to take our daughter out of the carrier to feed her. The weather could be bad and she could be protected in her carrier, we might be in an unsafe part of the hike, etc. We learned over numerous hikes, that if the baby is happy in her carrier that it might be easier to just feed her in the carrier. Sometimes, when you take them out of the carrier they might not want to go back in. They might just want to walk or to be carried to get a better view of the sheep, I learned to feed her while she sat in the carrier.

I just opened the side strap of the carrier, I kept her strapped in and I just leaned in and hugged the carrier and she would feed away, you could tilt the carrier a little to get a better position. This is easier to do when they are older, around 1 year old.

9. Feeding your baby when you have active toddlers with you

Now when we go hiking and I need to feed my youngest it’s harder to stop for long periods of time as my older two girls love to be on the move. To encourage everyone to stop, we put down a blanket and have little picnics (loads of snacks).

We let them empty out their hiking bags to look at the treasures, that they collected along their hike and sometimes I pull out a little notebook and pen to let them draw their favorite things that they have seen along the hike. When all of the above fails, I walk and feed at the same time.

10. Stay hydrated while Breastfeeding in the outdoors while hiking

While hiking, it’s important to stay hydrated and the same when you breastfeeding so make sure to bring extra water and keep hydrated, I usually hike with my husband, and he carries all these extra items in his hiking bag. We also bring Lifestraw bottles in case we run out of water. They are extremely handy and provide that little bit of security you need.

11. Relax and enjoy feeding your baby in nature

It can be stressful feeding in public, especially when it’s your first time. My advice is to try to ignore strangers passing by and relax, smile down at your baby and enjoy both the view of your baby and the view of the mountains or wherever you are.

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Turlough Hill is a man-made lake that sits at an elevation of 681 meters. Turlough Hill is a pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant. This means that when there is a peak power requirement on the ESB electrical grid, the ESB can generate power by releasing water from the top lake down the tunnels and past the turbines to meet the power demand. More information on this amazing power generation plant can be found here. The top lake shape is a very recognisable structure and it seems to be visible from the majority of Wicklow other mountains.

Walk key information

• Start point- The walk starts here
• Length- 6 km out and back
• Duration- 2hours 15 minutes
• Buggy Friendly- Yes, an access road to the end.
• Summit- No real summit but there is an option for hiking at the end
• Is there access to the top lake?- No the lake is fenced off and cannot be viewed
• Elevation gain- 450m to 650m at the summit

Buggy friendly mountain walks

The walk starts at the top car park here. There is a small boardwalk over to a nice timber decking viewing point, which provides a nice view down the Wicklow valley.

We planned to walk the access road up to the top lake and walk to the top of the high point of 681 meters. We had never walked this route before but love exploring new hiking trails in Wicklow.

At the start of the walk, the roadway is blocked off by a traffic barrier but there is a small footpath to both sides of the barrier. Unfortunately, the footpath isn’t big enough for a buggy, but they do fit with a small bit of manoeuvring.

As we now have a 4.5 small adult, and 2.5-year-old toddler and a 7-week old baby, we need to be walking buggy-friendly walks, until the weather improves at least.  We are waiting until our 7-week old baby becomes more comfortable in her baby hiking carrier before leaving the buggies behind. We will also aim to walk Kippure and Mount Leinster in the coming weeks, weather permitting.

The road tarmac surface is really smooth and perfect buggy walking conditions for a sleeping 7-week old baby.

Starting the walk up the Wicklow mountains

The walk starts by walking up a gradual slope until we reach a sharp corner and viewing point over the lower lake. The children loved looking over the lower lake.

The walk got steeper from here but the kids were loving the views of the Wicklow mountains. The higher we got, so did the wind. Make sure that you have enough clothes or windbreakers to keep the kids warm.

We follow the road the whole way until we reach a crossroads. We continue straight here. The road then turns to the rear of the lake and we get amazing views of Lugnaquilla and the south of County Wicklow.

We abandoned the buggies at this point and walked to the right up towards the highest point. This takes us 10 minutes with the children but it provided us with a nice little walk at the end of the Buggy friendly walk.

Turlough Hill buggy-friendly walk Map

Turlough hill walk summary

A nice buggy-friendly walk that gives great views of Tonelagee, Lugnaquilla and the Great Sugarloaf. There is no real summit at the top but we did get amazing views and had some great family time together.

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Getting to Slieve Donard

We drove straight to Slieve Donard after summiting County Armagh’s highest point, Slieve Gullion earlier that morning. The start of the hike up Slieve Donard starts in the seaside town of Newcastle.

When we arrived in Newcastle the car park was full, so after doing a few laps in the car we spotted an overflow carpark in a field just behind and to the right of the main car park. A vintage car show was just starting with some lovely minis as we were leaving to hike up Slieve Donard.

We parked beside a lovely big tree which was where we had a picnic after our hike later that day.

The start of our hike up Slieve Donard

We instantaneously knew that there was going to be a big crowd on the hike, as we could see floods of people ahead of us on the trail. It’s so good to see so many families getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors. This is the first mountain that we met so many people on while doing the County High points (32 peak challenge)

From the carpark, we walked uphill into Donard Forrest, which was amazing. It was full of Mature trees which provided nice shade from the sun. We kept right of the Glen river and then we turned left onto a gravel forest track across the first bridge, from here we immediately turned right onto a cobbly track which ran on the left side of the river. It was so peaceful walking alongside the river and waterfalls. Once the track disappeared we followed a well-worn footpath southwest beside the river to join a second forest track. If in doubt while walking through the wooded area keep walking uphill following the path beside the river.

The forest was covered in a thin layer of fog but the sun was starting to break through. While walking up the hill out of Donard Wood it felt like we were walking through a scene out of the Lord of the Rings movie. We continue climbing up out of Slieve Donard scrambling over rocky areas while still walking parallel to the Glen River. As we walked out of Donard Wood we got our first glimpse of Slive Donard mountain but it was only the bottom section of the mountain as the peak was still covered in fog, but we still knew it was a big one.

About 100m after the top picture was taken the fog cleared and we could see the scale of the mountain that we were about to climb. We continued walking along parallel to the Glen river but the wooded area was now on our right-hand side. The footpath was in excellent condition with stepping stones in all the boggy places and river crossings.

After we left the last section of woodland we could see that we were walking towards the end of a valley and that the Mourne mountain trail swept up to the left to meet a Col between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh. We continued walking up along the valley ascending slightly the whole time but it just felt like a pleasant uphill walk at this stage. We could see the hike was about to get much harder as the trail followed a very steep section at the end of the valley that walks up over the Col between the two mountains.

We eventually crossed the river that we have been following, at this point it was only a small stream. This was the first point of the hike that it became a steep hill. The footing of the path was excellent, every vertical step seemed to have a perfectly placed stone to form a safe position to place your feet. The ascent from the valley to the Col looked worse than it actually was and we hiked to the passing in 15 minutes.

This was our first glimpse of the wall that runs up over the top of the Mourne mountains, if we are being honest we didn’t do much research on this hike beforehand, but when you see this wall and you don’t expect it to be as big as it is, we were just amazed at its scale at such an elevated height. Just as we reached the wall, Ourlittlehiker was starting to nod off and we know now from previously stopping on other mountains when she is like this, that it can upset her and disrupt her sleep. We still felt in good walking form, so we took a left at the wall and continued up the toward Donard’s peak, but the sight of Slieve Donard up over us was very daunting.

I imagine there have not been many sleeping babies up on Slieve Donard, she was having such a good sleep while her Mammy and Daddy were sweating buckets but loving the challenge and views ahead of us. At this stage, the weather was getting very warm but if the wall was not there we would need our coats as the higher we walked the colder and stronger the wind became. It was a hard pull up the final section of the mountain but we eventually got a view of the Carn on top of Slieve Donard and it looks amazing. The cairn is built up on top of the wall on a raised platform.

At this stage of the hike we were starting to get slightly tired but Ourlittlehiker was still asleep. We were starting to get a small bit of attention from other people wanting to see the baby in the bag and unfortunately, they woke her up. This gave us an opportunity to take a few extra photos and have a small break and a quick snack. We were amazed that so many people were on top of the mountain, we usually see 2-3 people on top of most other mountains but there must have been over a 100 people up on the summit and maybe double that were still walking up the mountain.

We didn’t stay long at the top as it was very windy up there and at this stage, we were considering hiking another peak (this did not happen). On the way down the steep mountainside, we kept away from the path as it was slippy so we walked down on the grass zig-zagging to help our poor shakey knees.

We quickly descended back toward the saddle between the two mountains but we saw a number of people with running shoes falling from rushing and having poor footwear on. The descent from the saddle down to the top of the valley was a lot easier as the large stepping stone provided good footing for our tired legs. At this stage of the descent, we are still considering climbing Slieve Foye, the lack of accommodation has us slightly worried.

We noticed that we lost one of Ourlittlehikers spare hiking coats on the way up to the peak of Slieve Donard, we taught we lost it at the end of the woodland so we were keeping a keen eye out for her coat. We spotted her coat nicely placed on a rock exactly where we taught we lost it. We were so happy we found the coat as it was a present from a very generous friend.

When we reached the bottom, and the end of the hike, the overflow car park that we left empty was now full. We had a small picnic when we got back to the car, we left Ourlittlehiker in her hiking bag when we all ate our lunch. She loves just sitting there eating and looking around, it also helps us keep her safe from randomly running after dogs and cats.

While eating our picnic on the grass carpark, we tried to get accommodation near the next mountain but every hotel and Airbnb was booked in advance for the bank holiday weekend, so we decided to stop rushing and drive home after this mountain. After our picnic, we changed out of our hiking gear and went for a walk around the Car show, Ourlittlehiker loved all the cars and the noise they were all making.

Our Verdict on Slive Donard, Co Down Highest point

After walking 3/4 of the high points in each county of Ireland we were well used to walking on our own and being on top of all the mountains on our own. It was a bit of a shock to the system when we saw the large crowds walking up to the top of Slieve Donard.

We loved this hike, the footing on the way to the top of the mountain is very good and the path was very busy. The mountain trail is very steep in certain sections but when you reach the top of the mountain the views are amazing and well worth hard pull. This has been our favourite hike so far out of the 32 counties high points.

Advice for climbing Slieve Donard

• It is very steep so bring good hiking boots.
• We hiked it on a bank holiday, go on a weekday if you want to avoid the crowds.
• Bring lots of water as this hike will take over 4 hours.

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