Our 6 Favourite Irish Day Hikes for 2025 / by ellie berry

Ellie on the summit of Cnoc na Toinne in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Co. Kerry

There are so many great trails in Ireland - too many to choose from! Whether you’re looking for open mountains, or accessible meanders, I have a recommendation for everyone this year.

All of these trails are single day hikes, and some can also be split into shorter sections. I’ve listed these trails roughly from easier to harder, and reference our hillwalking and trail grading ratings for each trail, which you can learn about here.

1. The Boyne Valley Camino

Location: Drogheda, Co. Louth
Distance: 25km
Time: 6 - 10 Hours

The Boyne Valley Camino is a fantastic, accessible trail that loops around Drogheda in a figure-eight. The highlights of this trail are the ways it connects to the local history, and truly mirrors the experience of walking a camino route in Spain. Starting in the centre of town, you walk a mixture of small roads and forest paths for the day. There are stamps to collect en route, just like a traditional Spanish camino, and there are plenty of spots along the trail to stop for breaks.

If 25km in one go is overwhelming, this trail can be divided into two halves thanks to it’s shape, leaving you with a 12km and 13km loop.

This trail is for those looking for easy walking and lots of history. It is not for someone looking for wilderness or technical terrain.

2. Lough Meelagh Loop

Location: Co. Roscommon
Distance: 11km
Time: 2 - 3hrs

The Lough Meelagh Loop is a section of the local long distance trail - the Miner’s Way & Historical Trail. Now that I live in the north-west of Ireland, I have to advocate for the beautiful walking you can find here! One of my favourite elements of this route is the fact that it takes you through so much old, deciduous forest. This area of the country is littered with lakes and pockets of plant life that other areas have lost.

Throughout this walk you’ll be following small woodland trails, grassy lakeshores, and twisting Irish roads. This trail is a prime example of making the most of what the landscape has to offer, and really immerses walkers into the surroundings.

Fitting well within the “easy” trail definition, there are styles, mucky sections, and rough ground underfoot. If you happen to find yourself in this corner of the world, this is a great way to pass an afternoon.

3. Knocknarea & Queen Maeve’s Trail

Location: Co. Sligo
Distance: 8km
Time: 90mins - 140mins

Knocknarea is one of Sligo’s most iconic peaks. While there have been walking routes around and across Knocknarea for years, it was in 2015 when the current trails were put in place. The route is now known as Queen Maeve’s Trail; named after the legend that the huge cairn and tomb on the summit of the hill is her resting place. An Irish warrior queen from over 2,000 years ago, she was the Queen of Connacht, and the myths that surround her are as wild as the west coast landscape.

I’ve walked and run this route several times since moving to the North-West of Ireland, and it’s still one of my favourite spots to go for a couple of hours of energetic walking. On a sunny day, I love how the light plays through the trees, lighting up the vibrant mosses near the bog-bridge. Once out onto the hillside the path returns to grass and gravel, the ascent slowing as the trail makes the final few hundred meters across the plateau summit to Queen Maeve’s Tomb - the massive cairn that you can see from miles around.

4. The White Loop Glendalough (The Spinc Trail)

Location: Co. Wicklow
Distance: 9km
Time: 90mins - 140mins

The Glendalough White Route is a 9km looped trail that starts at the Upper Lake in Glendalough, taking you along the valley floor, through the Miner’s Village, up the top of the valley and across The Spinc boardwalk. Possibly one of Ireland’s most famous mountain valleys, Glendalough is an incredibly beautiful place to visit.

At the upper lake the info board for all the trails, and the first markers for this trail, are outside of the small white building that is home to the info centre. From here you head around to the Miner’s Road, which runs along the north side of the lake. The road is closed to traffic, and the sand-coloured compacted gravel is reminiscent the mining that happened back in the 1800’s. This stretch is relaxing, raised slightly above the lakeshore and lined with scots pine, it twists gently with the folds of the valley wall.

5. St. Kevin’s Way

Location: Co. Wicklow
Distance: 26km
Time: 6 - 8hrs

St. Kevin’s Way is an ancient path, said to follow in the footsteps of the Irish saint as he travelled through Wicklow to find a remote corner of nature for his hermitage. Reputedly born in 498AD, there is little that can be said for definite on his life, but he has inspired many tales in this area, and born a beautiful walking trail.

Covering everything from roads and boreens to forest trails, raised boardwalk, and open foothills, this route takes you on all the best kinds of surfaces Irish hiking has to offer! This is a well way-marked trail, using a twist on Ireland’s traditional “yellow walking man” way-marker by having a yellow saintly figure as the path finder.

6. The MacGillycuddy’s Reeks

Location: Co. Kerry
Trail Difficulty: Easy - Strenuous

Unlike my previous recommendations, this recommendation is for an area as opposed to a specific trail. The MacGillycuddy’s Reeks (simply known as “the reeks”) is the mountain range home to Ireland’s tallest peaks. But not only are they the tallest - they are also beautiful.

There are so many trails around Kerry and the Reeks -
check out the map below to find inspiration of trails:

The two routes I’m highlighting are:

Cronins Yard Looped Walk

This National Looped Walk is the perfect way to experience the mountains, without climbing any! This trail takes you up through Hag’s Glen, the valley most people walk trough to climb Caurantoohil, Ireland’s highest mountain. It starts and finishes in Cronin’s Yard, where you’ll find the most wonderful family who run a cafe, car park, campsite, and glamping! If you’ve any questions about the mountains, they are the ones to ask.

The Coomloughra Horseshoe

“For more experienced parties the complete Coomloughra Horseshoe – which includes Ireland’s three highest peaks – is an option. This takes in the spectacularly exposed knife-edge of the Beenkeeragh Ridge, but this is only for those with a head for heights and should not be attempted at all in windy conditions. Allow 6 hours for the Caher-Carrauntoohil-Caher trip and 8 hours for the full horseshoe.”
- Kerry Mountain Rescue

The Coomloughra Horseshoe is an absolutely stunning mountain traverse, taking in many of Ireland’s highest peaks. It is the first route that I’ve shared on Tough Soles that falls into the Strenuous grade/difficulty, and should not be attempted lightly.

However, if you have the mountain experience, it is an incredible experience, with narrow ridge crossings and spectacular views.

If you’re looking to explore the Reeks, but are unsure if you have the experience necessary, there are numerous qualified mountain guides in the area. One such company is KerryClimbing.ie. They are a fantastic guiding company and know everything you could want to learn about the Reeks.

There are so many incredible hikes in Ireland, and I’ve tried to curate a bit of a mix in this post. Some routes are ones you’ve probably heard about - such as the Spinc in Glendalough - which is the perfect example of somewhere that is famous for its beauty, and rightly so. Including loops like Lough Meelagh in Co. Roscommon, I’m hoping to highlight some of the lesser known spots for anyone looking for the quite solitude that we sometimes need in nature.

Wherever you end up in 2025, I hope you get to experience the connection and peacefulness that I’ve found in the Irish hills.