Howth cliff walk

Around Harbour

Howth (pronounced hohth) is a small seaside town in County Dublin, 14 km (9 miles) northeast of Dublin city centre. It's on a "tombola" peninsula - once an island, it became connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus, which is now the residential area of Sutton.

There isn't a TIC but see the town website for info.

Understand

The name "Howth" is probably from Old Norse Hǫfuð, a headland. Vikings colonised here from 819, and after their defeat by Brian Boru at Clontarf in 1014 they held out here until 1177. Then the Normans crushed them (hence the "Bloody Stream") and began building the castle. Howth developed as a fishing and trading port. In the 19th century it competed with Dún Laoghaire to be a shipping port for Dublin, but silting of the harbour meant it eventually lost its commercial business. Fishing continues and there's a coastguard base, but it's nowadays mainly a leisure marina. The main reasons to visit Howth are for its beaches, clifftop walks and boat trips. It's glorious in Aug and Sept when the heather cloaks the cliffs in red. In 2016 the town had a population of 8277.

Get in

By train

DART trains run every 20 min from central Dublin, taking about 30 min. A day-return costs €6.25, a single costs €3.30 or €2.40 with a Leap Card. These trains originate in Bray and run north via Dalkey, Dún Laoghaire, Pearse Station, Tara Street, Dublin Connolly (for mainline trains), Howth Junction, Bayside and Sutton to 1 Howth station near the harbour.

Other DART trains run from Connolly to Howth Junction but then continue north to Malahide, instead branching 5 km east into Howth; so you must change at the Junction if you find yourself on one of these. This means that coming from the north, you can reach Howth by changing at Drogheda then Malahide then the Junction, without travelling into Connolly and out again.

By bus

Bus 31 & 31A runs to Howth from Dublin Talbot Street (opposite the Bank of Ireland) via Amiens St outside Connolly Station, along Howth Road through Clontarf, Killester, Raheny and Bayside to Sutton, Howth harbour and The Summit pub on the Ben of Howth. Buses run every 15 mins and take 50 mins, longer in heavy traffic. Bus 31 turns around at The Summit, while Bus 31A continues around the hill on Carrickbrack Rd to Shielmartin Rd, then turns back without completing the circuit.

From the airport, Bus 102 runs every 30 mins via Swords, Malahide and Portmarnock to Sutton station. Change there to bus, Dart train or walk to reach Howth.

By boat

Dublin Bay Cruises sail daily to Howth from Dún Laoghaire (east pier) mid-March to September. They sail at 12:30, taking an hour, with views over Dalkey Island, Clontarf, Bull Island, Baily and Kish Lighthouses, Howth Head, Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island. The return sailing (from west pier) is at 15:30. An adult single is €25, which includes a voucher to return by DART train for only €2 if you don't sail back.

Get around

Buses 31 & 31A run through Howth as described above. Otherwise walk.

See

• 1 Howth Harbour is nowadays mainly a leisure marina. There's a lighthouse at the tip of East Pier. At the end of West Pier there's an imprint of the footsteps of King George IV, who landed here on a visit to Ireland in 1821. (Yes, the cement was wet at the time, he was notoriously heavy but not that heavy.) In July 1914, 900 rifles were landed at Howth by Erskine Childers to arm the Irish nationalists; many were put to use in the Easter Rising and Anglo-Irish war.
• 2 Howth Abbey (or St Mary's Abbey) is just a masonry shell within a cemetery. It dates back to 1235 though much modified over later centuries. Enter the cemetery from Church Street: the Abbey ruin itself may be locked, enquire locally about access, or just admire the setting with the old gravestones and views over the harbour and Ireland's Eye.
• 3 Howth Castle (500 m west of Howth Dart Station). Closed. The castle dates from 1450 but was extensively re-built by Lutyens in 1911. The castle estate or desmesne includes much of Howth Head, with the outlying areas (eg the clifftop walks) having free public access. It's set in Deer Park, an extensive parkland with rhododendrons and a golf course. In 2019 the estate was sold to an investment group, and the castle is closed for redevelopment as a hotel. The castle cookery school is also closed. It's not known what will happen to the Transport Museum here. (updated Aug 2020)
• St Mary’s Church of Ireland is an attractive little stone church at the castle gates, on Howth Rd west of the Dart station. It was built in 1866.
• Dolmen Howth or Aideen's grave is a partly-collapsed megalith in the woods 300 m west of the castle golf club. "Portal Tombs" of this style were built until around 2500 BC, but Aideen is a mythical figure from around 3rd century AD.
• National Transport Museum, Heritage Depot, Howth Demesne (next to the castle). Sa Su 14:00-17:00 but erratic. Volunteer-run museum with some 100 vehicles, including the trams which formerly lumbered over the Hill of Howth. It's not known what will happen over the sale of the castle but the museum remains open in 2020. In any case it needs to find a better home, because the exhibits are tightly parked together, and Ireland's transport history deserves a better display. Adult €3, child & conc €1.25. (updated Aug 2020)
• 4 Ben of Howth is an open area of three hills. The highest, topped by radio aerials, is Black Linn, 171 m (561 ft) so it's a "Marilyn". You can drive or walk up: Greenhollows Quarry is active, so this part is ugly, with heavy machinery churning the track. The other peaks are Shielmartin Hill (163 m) 1 km west, and Dun Hill 500 m northwest. Good views over Ireland's Eye and on a clear day you can see the aircraft landing and taking off at Dublin Airport.
• 5 Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island north of Howth, reached by a 15-min boat ride. There are ruins of a Martello Tower and the 8th-century "Church of The Three Sons of Nessan". Just off the Eye are the islet of Thulla and "The Stack" at the northeast corner. Birdlife includes guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, gulls, gannets, cormorants and a few puffins. Grey seals may haul out on the rocks. There are no restrictions on access, but please avoid the cliffs (e.g. for rock-climbing) April-June during the main nesting season. In summer a couple of boat operators ply to the island and others make non-landing cruises around it, adult fare €15, enquire at Howth harbour.

Do

• Walk: a firm trail goes east of town along the cliffs all the way round to the south of the peninsula, passing Bailey Lighthouse. A complete circuit takes 3-4 hours.

- The lighthouse can also be approached by a 15-min walk from The Summit pub, but the lighthouse and its precincts are closed to the public.

- Inland trails loop over the hills, but you need stout boots and waterproofs, the "Bog of Frogs" route is well-named.

• Beaches: at low tide a long sandy beach stretches along the north shore from Sutton to Howth Harbour. Dogs are welcome. The rising tide separates it into Burrow Beach to the west, Hole in the Wall in the middle, and Claremont Beach next to Howth Harbour. The far side of the harbour is Balscadden Bay, also sandy, then it's rocks and cliffs east of there. South tip of the peninsula is Jameson or Drumleck beach, small and not worth the extra distance. There are one or two beautiful little sandy coves on the south side of the Howth peninsula, accessible from the cliff walk which starts close to Sutton dinghy club.
• Play golf at Deer Park by the castle, Howth Golf Club near the west shore, or Sutton Golf Club on Cush Point to the west.

Festivals and events

• Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is held in May. The next event is 15-17 May 2021, tbc.
• Howth Tradfest is a traditional music and ballad festival. The next event is 4-6 July 2021, tbc.
• Howth Roots & Blues Festival (formerly called the Jazz Festival) is next held on 16-18 Aug 2020; the "Howth Peninsula Festival" has folded.

Eat

• Several small cafes & takeaways around the harbour.
• 1 Aqua Restaurant, West Pier, ☏ +353 1 832 0690. M 17:30-22:00, Tu-Sa 12:30-15:30 & 17:30-22:00, Su 12:00-17:00 & 18:00-21:30. Fine dining at the end of West Pier. Seafood restaurant with lunch and à la carte menus available. Dinner mains €30 plus sides. (updated Aug 2020)
• The Bloody Stream, Howth Dart Station, ☏ +353 1 839 5076. M-Th 12:00-23:30, F-Su 12:00-01:30. Great seafood. Mains €20. (updated Aug 2020)
• 2 Summit Inn, Thormanby Rd, Howth Summit (hilltop terminus of Bus 31 from Dublin), ☏ +353 1 8324615. M-Th 11:00-23:30, F Sa 11:00-00:30, Su 12:00-23:00. Good seafood at reasonable prices. Perfect for a stop after a hill walk. Mains €15. (updated Aug 2020)
• 3 King Sitric, East Pier, ☏ +353 1 832 5235. Restaurant W-Sa 18:00-21:00, Su 13:00; bar daily 10:30-22:00. Restaurant by the harbour serves freshly caught fish but is expensive. Also has rooms. 2-course dinner for €40. (updated Aug 2020)
• Dog House Blue's, Howth Dart Station, ☏ +353 1 839 5188. M-Th 11:00-00:00, F Sa 09:00-01:00, Su 10:00-12:00. Cafe and restaurant, comfortable and child-friendly, with indoor and heated outdoor seating. (updated Aug 2020)

Drink

• Abbey Tavern, 28 Abbey Street Howth (next to Abbey), ☏ +353 1 839 0307. Su-Th 12:30-23:30 F Sa 12:30-00:30. A welcoming pub with authentic fireplace and decent food. Occasional live music. (updated Aug 2020)

Sleep

Most visitors just day-trip from around Dublin, and there is limited accommodation.

• King Sitric Restaurant has rooms, see Eat listing. B&B double from €160.
• Tara Hall B&B is on Balscadden Rd east above the cliffs, tel +353 1 832 4892.
• Hazelwood B&B is on Thormanby Rd, tel +353 1 839 1391.
• Highfield B&B is at 42 Thormanby Rd, tel +353 1 832 3936.
• Azure B&B is at 20 Offington Drive, tel +353 1 832 4442.
• Cornerville B&B is at 83 Offington Ave, tel +353 1 839 3585.
• 1 Gleann-na-Smol, Kilrock Rd, ☏ +353 1 832 2936. Small friendly B&B south end of town off Nashville Rd. B&B double €90. (updated Aug 2020)
• 2 Marine Hotel, 13 Sutton Cross, Dublin 13 (metro to Sutton), ☏ +353 1 839-0000. Three-star hotel with its lawn rolling down to the shore of Dublin Bay. Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, restaurants and bar. Close to Howth Village. B&B double €200. (updated Aug 2020)
• 3 Martello Tower along the east coast is available for self-catering, June-Aug £1600 per week, shorter lets available Sept-May from £200 / night.

Stay safe

Howth is served by a Garda station, as well as having a lifeboat and an Irish Coast Guard rescue station in the area.

Connect

Howth and Sutton have a good mobile and 4G signal with all Irish carriers. As of Aug 2020, there's 5G around Howth harbour with Eir but not elsewhere, and not with Three or Vodafone.

Go next

• Dublin city centre has many attractions and amenities, with more pubs than you could shake a stick at.
• Malahide to the north has a castle with rich 18th and 19th century furnishings.