Carrickgollogan Forest Walk In Dublin 2024 – Travel Guide
Carrickgollogan Forest Walk In Dublin 2024 – Travel Guide
Carrickgollogan Forest Walk: A dangerous Little Weekend walk in the Dublin Mountains
It’s a bit hard to watch stunning views of mountains. Lead Mines Way (just one of the trails here)The walks at Carrickgollogan are short, they take 30-40 minutes depending on tempo but boy is it worth the effort.
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Some quick need-to-knows about the Carrickgollogan Forest Walk
While it is fairly simple to visit Carrickgollogan Forest Walk, there are a couple of things that you may need or want to know before your trip.
1. Location
Carrickgollogan Forest Walk situated on the border of County Wicklow or County Dublin that is 17 Km away from Dublin City. It sits 15-minutes drive from Bray, and a 20-minute colleagues Ticknock or Tibradden.
2. Parking
It is on free parking, but the car park (here it is in Google Maps) isn’t very large with only 10 spaces approximately. It gets crowded on the weekends too, so try to be there early.
3. Opening hours
Of course, as always in summer and winter hours are different. The car park itself operates from April to September (7am-9pm daily) and October to March (8am -5pm).
4. Two trails
Carrickgollogan Forest Walk is one of the best in this regard, you have got an option to choose from either two trails that if taken together are not going much time. Lead Mines Way: A circular sweep that includes the historic (and unmissable! Lead Mines chimney. Mountain Access Route — brings you to the View Rock with great views over County Dublin and further.
About Carrickgollogan
Carrickgollogan Forest Walk has a nice 276 metre high top with good views back towards Dublin Bay and the surrounding heathery slopes were home to several interesting historical sites.
The best of those is probably the ruins of the flue chimney (with its unique external spiral staircase) at Ballycorus, one of two sites built by pioneering 18th century lead works pioneers.
The first mine in 1807 and work continued until finally, this place collapsed on the rocks in a logical way for more than one hundred years old is closed. Carrickgollogan is where the best picture of this chimney can be taken as it sits atop the hill, The Chimney shown ( Hill walk p. 53) but however if nothing else try to shoot off a photo while you have reached up there!
South of the summit, lower down on its northern slopes once stood a church and round tower within what remains of one of Ireland’s largest ringforts Also be on the look-out for so-called ‘Puck’s Castle’ (it is easily visible as nature has already begun to take it back!
Walk 1: The Lead Mines Way
- Starting Point – Carrickgollogan Forest walk car park
- Time – 40 minutes
- Length – 2 km
- Difficulty – Easy
And for the one of a kind chimney, you can only meander towards Lead Mines Way trail together with it. An approximately 2km walk, this easy loop should take you about 40 minutes to complete (depending on how long it takes for views or Victorian chimney appreciation time).
From the car park take an immediate right turn to walk anticlockwise on a broad path in the quarry direction and within view emerge from woodland at Carrickgollogan Forest Walk — a distant high point visible on the other side of trees.
Return to the main path, and follow this until you reach the leafy green woods containing more conifer / broadleaf trees including Lodgepole pine, Noble fir Japanese larch Lawson cypress Scots pine birch beech that all still lead left.
Start exiting the woods with stairs leading into open fields and hang right until you reach a unique old chimney Once you have had your fill of the good views move on along and follow a trail to the right which if kept left will bring you back out to the car park again.
Walk 2: The Mountain Access route
- Starting Point – Carrickgollogan Forest walk car park
- Time – 30 minutes
- Length – 0.5 km
- Difficulty – Moderate
A straight linear path with a higher ascent, it is the shorter of these compared to Lead Mines Way but novice walkers may find this one slightly harder due to the more acute climb. After saying that, the views from the top of hills are always amazing!
Follow this trail the same way that you did with Lead Mines Way by turning right anti-clockwise from the car park and taking another wide path to Carrickgollogan where you will see a hill grow through some trees.
This time right off the main path onto a smaller path that runs through a wooded area and ends at the Carrickgollogan Forest Walk top. This climb of 50 metres will bring you to the highest viewpoint in Cabinteely, with sensational views over Dublin and Wicklow plus out across the sea.
Retrace your steps to return, or if you haven’t already explored the Lead Mines follow in this direction.
Other lovely rambles in Dublin
After Carrickgollogan Forest Walk, there are more walks in Dublin than you could shake a stick out so head off on another one.
Here are 4 of our favourite walks, from hilltop vistas to forest trails without people (if you get your skates on).
1. Tibradden Wood Walk
Step into the sublime of Ireland´s very old trees, over at Tibradden Woodland Walk you will find a place for a prehistoric burial site, where archaeologists speculated that could have existed during the Bronze Age! The views from the top are breathtaking and on a clear sunny day you can see all the way across Dublin Bay to Howth in the far distance.
2. Howth Cliff Walk
The most famous reason to visit is the well known Howth Cliff Walk, this provides visitors with stunning coastal views as they follow a clear trail. Howth Summit car park to Howth Head Peak, the 1.5 hour walk will have you strolling north; with stunning views of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island- so it might get a little busy but still worth a trip (and sure there are plenty of pubs in Howth!)
3. Cruagh Woods Walk
Why is this deadly little stroll so underappreciated? It could be anyone’s guess, but if you favour Cruagh Woods Walk then the namesake is darn near a very good start. Approx 4 km long distance loop walk providing spectacular views of Tibradden, Two rock, Three rock and Glendoo Mountains and Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Howth head and Dublin City. Not bad at all!
4. Dublin Mountains Walks
Do you know that Dublin Mountain Walks is a 43 Km long mountain trail that is covered with lush green deep forest , rural road and county paths. privileged! Or basically, a lot to muddle through. Check out What To Do: Dublin Mountains for a walking guide
FAQs about the Carrickgollogan Forest walk
Over the years we’ve been asked loads of questions from where’s the parking for The Lead Mines Way, to what is the best route.
Below we have added the most FAQs that we got. If you have a question we didn’t cover, then post it in the comments below.
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