Hikes in Ireland by County

Family Friendly Hikes & Activities in Ireland

We have compiled a list of all our Ireland Hikes by County. We hope to keep the list updated with family-friendly walks, activities, and Irish holiday ideas. Throughout our family adventures, we had some pretty epic road trips and discovered unbelievable Irish gems.

• Hikes

• Family Activities

• Food Recommendations

Antrim Walks

Armagh Walks

Carlow Hikes

Cavan Hikes

Clare Hikes

Cork Hikes

Derry Hikes

Donegal Hikes

Down Hikes

Dublin Hikes

Fermanagh Hikes

Kerry Hikes

Kilkenny Hikes

Laois Hikes

Leitrim Hikes

Limerick Hike

Longford Hikes

Louth Hikes

Mayo Hikes

Meath Hikes

Monaghan Hikes

Roscommon Hikes

Sligo Hikes

Tipperary Hike

Tyrone Hikes

Waterford Hikes

Wexford Hikes

Wicklow Hikes

The post Ireland Hikes by County appeared first on Our Family Hikes.

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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I would advise not rushing back to physical activity too soon and to ask your doctors permission first and also listen to your body. When I gave birth to our first baby I had to be induced and it was a much harder birth, so I didn’t do much hiking until our baby was about 4 months old. We now have 2 healthy and happy girls thank God. After the initial realization that we forgot all the small intricate things a baby needed, we decided we might try a small local hike with our new baby.

We were itching to get back out hiking with the kids but we decided to wait for the weather to improve before venturing out in the cold with a baby hiking. I am always prepared for a hike, so 6 weeks after having our new little hiker, we got a good spell of warm spring weather and off we went hiking with the kids.

Our first-time hiking with a baby and toddler in Ireland

We had planned to hike up our local mountain, Mount Leinster but when we arrived it was extremely busy. We decided to keep driving to Kilkennys highest mountain, Brandon Hill as we wanted a quieter hike. This would allow us to get used to our new carrier and hiking with two babies. Plus, the kids were asleep in the car and the 1st mountain was only 10 mins drive and we didn’t want to wake them. The extra 30-minute drive was welcomed and they got a great nap and would be in good form for a walk.

When we arrived at the 2nd mountain, Brandon Hill there were only 4 cars parked, so it was nice and quiet. It took us about 20 minutes to get going, I was breastfeeding in the car, while Paul brought Ourlittlehiker for a little stroll down the country road to look at the sheep and the newborn lambs.

I put Ourbabyhiker in her Columbia wind and waterproof suit. I would highly recommend it. I bought it on Amazon here. I wore a strap vest top with a jacket that can zip down, the reason behind this is the Ourbabyhiker can rest her chest on my skin, and its easy access to breastfeeding while walking. I can also check her temp easier and she can get heat from my body.

When is too Early to be hiking with an infant?

This question can be only really answered by the parents of the baby. Remember, you are the ones that know your baby the best. Therefore, you can only make this decision. I would advise that when you do decide to bring your baby out hiking to make sure they are wearing the appropriate clothing and that you are familiar with the hike. Always start small and try to have another adult with you. For more tips click here to see our tips for hiking with a baby.

Our first hike with our Baby

Our first mountain climb with our firstborn was when she was 6 months old. We had never hiked with a baby before so we were sticking to small Forrest local walks. But this time around we brought our 2nd baby on a mountain hike at just 6 weeks old. This time, the seasons were different and the baby LOVED being on my chest in the strap. Which made the hike very easy and stress-free. We had a nice mild day with a very content baby for our first mountain walk.

Hiking with a baby and toddler Ireland

So far my experience with hiking with both baby and toddler has been enjoyable, but you need a lot of time and patience. It takes longer to pack, to leave the house and to leave the car but it’s so worth it. That is, once you make it to the trail and get to take in your 1st breath of fresh mountain air and to watch the big smile on your children’s faces.

Allow additional time while Hiking with young kids

I find you have to stop more as the baby might need a nappy change, then you get going and toddler wants to relax and eat, etc, so make sure to start with small hikes. Try to allow lots of time for all the unforeseen, therefore, you will all relax and enjoy the adventure more.

Go with family or friends to start off hiking

We always go hiking together when going to the mountains, I always carry my baby on my chest as its easy access for breastfeeding and I carry a rucksack with 1st aid kit, water, extra clothes for everyone and most importantly snacks. My husband carries ourlittlehiker in her Deuter Kids comfort when she gets tired from hiking herself.

Start hiking with kids anywhere or anytime

I am self-employed, on my breaks I bring the girls for short walks and carry both kids myself. It is hard but once you get the straps of the carriers correct it can work. It’s hard work though but so good to get outside even if it’s just 10 minutes around the garden.

Why Kids Love Hiking in Ireland

Hiking with a toddler is just fascinating, you start to see the world through a child’s eyes. They slow you down to look at the butterflies, flowers, etc, which make it more about the journey than the destination.

Ourlittlehiker just floats and skips along when on a hike, the outdoors really is her happy place. I read a quote one time which went something like this

” A Child can’t climb the walls, if the walls are removed”

It is so true, they don’t be bored or restless in the outdoors, Don’t get me wrong they can get tired and fed up in outdoors as well but it’s nice to have a good balance.

Tips to keep a toddler motivated while hiking

Here are some tips you can use near the end of a hike to keep your toddler motivated:

• Big Bubbles, so you hold them and walk ahead and your toddler has to run to try to catch them. This is so much fun for children as well as us adults.
• Save their favourite snacks for when they get a bit fed up or upset and tell them you can get some of your treats when we get to such an area. We try to all eat healthily during the week so treats while hiking is extra special.
• The simple” I’m going to get youuuu” game, works every time.
• Eye spy, treasure hunts, hunt for certain animals.
• A Camera. let them take pictures, we had an old camera we didn’t use anymore and we gave it to Ourlittlehiker and she loved it. Believe it or not, but she takes some great pictures (a lot of bad unflattering angles of us ha) but some great nature shots which is cool to see from her angle. For Christmas, we bought her a kid’s action camera which fits her little hands perfectly.

Hiking with the Ergo Baby Carrier 

Our impressions of the Ergo Baby Carrier

I had to watch a few youtube videos to see how to use it with the baby insert but I found our baby wasn’t comfortable with the inset. Initially, I used my sling wrap for the first few months, she was a big baby and never seemed to be comfortable in the Ergo Baby Carrier. But after a couple of months, I took out the baby insert (which you have to buy separately) she was more content and wasn’t trying to wriggle out of it.

Now she is 6 months old and absolutely loves it. I Have her front-facing so she loves looking all around her and laughs at her big sister singing and dancing on the trails.

Would we recommend the Baby Ergo Carrier?

Yes, I would highly recommend the Ergo baby carrier but in my opinion, I wouldn’t buy the separate baby insert unless you don’t have a sling and you were planning on hiking in the very early days or you had a smaller baby to get more use out of it. I only used ours once.

We bought the rain/wind cover separate and I would recommend getting it especially if you live in Ireland as the weather can change very quickly.

Tips for using the Ergo Baby Carrier

• Always check that your baby has good air circulation and not squashed to your chest and that the baby doesn’t overheat or get too cold.
• Be careful putting the baby in and out of the carrier.
• Have someone to help you secure your straps for the 1st couple of times until you get used to it.
• Listen to your baby, as they will let you know soon enough if they are uncomfortable by wriggling around or crying
• Practice wearing around the house and garden
• Read the instruction manual well
• Watch some youtube videos about using it and babywearing
• Make sure baby’s legs are in the correct position so it doesn’t put a strain on their hips, here’s a diagram below:

Gear to bring hiking with a baby and toddler

We previously did a blog post about hiking with a baby here we cover tips and gear to bring on hikes with kids. Below are some additional items that I find we use more now that we have two small kids to take care of in the mountains.

• Deuter kids comfort 3 plus Wind/Rain cover
• Ergo Carrier plus Wind/Rain cover
• Columbia ski suits (winter/cold weather)
• Reima suit (great for summer not to overheat)
• Regatta wind and waterproofs
• Keen hiking boots
• Sun hats
• Sunglasses
• woolly hats and gloves
• 1st aid kit
• Water & Water bottle
• Snacks
• Nappies
• Water wipes
• Hiking sticks
• A mirror (to see a toddler in the carrier on your back)
• Bubbles (when a toddler is hiking you can blow bubbles and they will run ahead to try to catch them, it’s fun and helps speed up a hike)

Hiking with kids in a pushchair versus a baby carrier for an Infant

Mount Leinster versus Brandon Hill. There is a tarmac road the whole way to the summit of Mount Leinster and Brandon hill

is all trail walking. We decided to use the pushchair on Mount Leinster to see which method we preferred. We had our baby in the Quinny Buzz Xtra 3. It is a 3 wheel pushchair which is great for the outdoors but not so great going around shopping centres which is okay as these days most of my shopping is online .

We had our two-year-old hiker in our travel buggy, which has 4 wheels and is a lot lighter. She walked for a good section of the hike and then we had to bribe her to sit into the buggy, as she got very tired.

Physically we found it much harder to push the prams compared to carrying the girls in the rucksacks, especially coming down the hill as you are in a half squat position trying to control and prevent the pram from getting away from us and rolling down the hill. We will continue to use our hiking carriers to hike with our toddler and infant as pushchairs did not give us the options we needed while hiking.

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