top wicklow walks Archives — Our Family Hikes https://www.ourlittlehiker.com/tag/top-wicklow-walks/ A family hiking blog around ireland Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:42:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 136102945 Seefin Hike Wicklow- Seefin Passage Tomb https://www.ourlittlehiker.com/seefin-hike-wicklow-seefin-passage-tomb/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 08:42:42 +0000 https://www.ourlittlehiker.com/?p=5885 About Seefin Passage tomb 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 [...]

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About Seefin Passage tomb

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.

Seefin Wicklow passage tomb

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.

Seefin car park

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.

Seefin start point

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.

seefin path Seefin hike

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.

fraughans on seefin deuter kids comfort hiking bag

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.

seefin picnic with kids inside seefin passage tomb seefin passage tomb top

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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Bray Head Cross Walk Wicklow https://www.ourlittlehiker.com/bray-head-cross-walk-wicklow-family-walks/ Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:49:20 +0000 https://www.ourlittlehiker.com/?p=4642 Bray Head Cross Walk Bray head cross sits at an elevation of 190m above sea level. The cross was erected in 1950 during the holy year. The walk to the summit of the cross takes between 30-40 minutes depending on which route you take. Bray Head Walk Map The blue route is the main route [...]

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Bray Head Cross Walk

Bray head cross sits at an elevation of 190m above sea level. The cross was erected in 1950 during the holy year. The walk to the summit of the cross takes between 30-40 minutes depending on which route you take.

Bray Head Walk Map

Bray head map

The blue route is the main route to walk to the cross on Bray head. You should be able to walk to the summit on the blue route in 30-40 minutes. In wet conditions, the blue route is very slippery and you should use the red routes steps to avoid any potential slips or falls. The red route passes the old cable car, which is definitely worth a visit. Allow another 15 minutes if you walk the red route.

Bray Head & Greystones cliff walk Free parking

The most direct route to walk to the summit of Bray head Cross is from the free car park here. Parking at the promenade is also possible but you will have to pay for parking at the promenade.

Bray Head Cross- Key information

  • Follow the green arrowed signs
  • Allow 40 minutes – 1 hour up and back
  • 2km up and back
  • Very slippy in sections (if wet)
  • Hiking boots required
  • Optional step section but it is longer
  • Additional walk to Bray head cairn, if a longer walk is required
  • 6 out of 10 for views

Bray head walk- Starting point/Parking

We started our walk in the free car park here. We walked to the Bray Cross during the week and the car park was nearly full. We expect that this is a very busy walk and an early start will be required on the weekend if you want to use the free car park. Additional parking is available at the seafront but it is not free.

We walk out of the car park and walk on the coastal trail for 10 meters until we see a path leading up the hill through a gate in the wall. The surface here is concrete, we follow this path up the hill.

Walking Bray head trail

Continue on the concrete path until it stops. The main path turns to mud after 100 meters from the entrance. From this point, the path becomes very rocky, slippery and steep. The ground conditions become very dangerous in wet weather. Bring walking poles and good boots to help with this.

The trail meets a small stream (winter only), which makes the walk uphill even harder and slipper. The trail splits but both trails end up in the same location. We followed the drier path to help prevent slipping and falling.

We eventually walk into a drier section of the path and we can see the end of the woodland and gorse bushes in the distance. This section is more exposed but we eventually start getting views of the surrounding areas.

This section of the Bray head cross walk has larger stones and is steep but it is much safer and has fewer chances of a slip or fall. The path cuts through the Gorse bushes, which are quite spikey but they do provide a lovely yellow and orange coverage to the hillside.

We reach a very small patch of trees. We take a small break here admiring the stunning Wicklow coastline.

We eventually reach the base of the stone hill where the cross is erected upon. We walk to the right slightly following the trail and walking up between the two stone mounds.

Bray Head Cross walk time

The top of the Bray Head Cross hike provides stunning views across the sea and Bray seafront. The walk is not too physically hard but it is very slippy in a couple of sections near the start (when wet). Allow 40-60 minutes up and back. A great walk with beautiful views of the summit.

Bray Head walk distance

The distance to Bray head cross is only 1 km to the summit and 1 km descent. Bray head cliff walk is a 7km walk.

Is Bray Head a hard walk?

The walk is 190m climb up a rough path. Good walking boots are definitely required in wet conditions. It is a moderate climb but very rewarding. Allow 60 minutes to hike it.

Additional Bray head walks

(Optional) An alternative walk is available to avoid the slippy sections. It also passes the old Bray cable car and the ruins of an old church. The walk is slightly longer, but definitely safer.

Additional walks- Bray Head

If you are not too exhausted after the walk to Bray head cross you can walk to Bray’s head trig point afterwards. Bray head has a trig point and is an additional 30 minutes walk. The walk continues after the Bray head cross. Follow the path towards Greystones going through the metal gate and following the wide path the whole way to the trig point.

The trail walks around stone outcrops and provides great views of the coastline. At present, the Bray to Greystones walk is closed due to a landslide. This walk provides a great alternative route to the cliff walk.

Bray Head loop walk Map

Wicklow County Council has a map (below) on their Twitter page showing the alternative route loop trails which include the cliff walk.

Bray head looped trail map

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