By Seán Ó Súilleabháin (click
here for bio of Seán)
< Back to Walking Articles
Ireland provides ideal conditions
for walking – or hiking for our American friends. A temperate climate means
that one can walk/hike throughout the year. There is rain, of course. How else
could Ireland be so green? But wait a short while and the sunshine returns. The
Gulf Stream washing our Atlantic coastline allows us to claim that the southwest
of Ireland is almost sub-tropical.
In the southwest, but also elsewhere throughout the island, rare flora and fauna
add to the enjoyment of walkers. The Burren in County Clare is a wonderland – limestone
karst landscape filled with a unique and wonderful mix of Arctic, Alpine and
Mediterranean flora.
 Add in the spectacular scenery to be found in so many parts of the country, a
landscape redolent of mythology and history and it is easy to think that this
is the walker’s paradise. There is ample scope for a lengthy walking/hiking
holiday.
 Ireland has been described as being like a saucer; a coastline of mountains surrounds
a
central plain. The hills, carved in the Ice Ages, and the valleys dotted with
lakes provide the ideal locations for the committed and experienced climber.
For the general walker, waymarked trails – such as the Wicklow Way, the
Dingle Way, the Beara Way and the Kerry Way – give access to the countryside.
Sections of the Ways can be selected to make perfect day walks. You can have
easy access to the ‘hidden Ireland’, to the scenery and to the many
archaeological sites. Go Ireland can arrange programmes of guided or self-guided
walks/hikes along these trails.
There has been some comment on problems of access to the Irish countryside but
this is exaggerated. In general landowners are very accommodating to those who
want to walk, provided the usual courtesies and rules are respected. A newly
introduced scheme – to be gradually extended throughout the country – allows
landowners to generate income through maintenance of marked trails. This reinforces
the existing goodwill.
The Irish hills and trails welcome you. Come and see if the ballad “Forty
Shades of Green” painted a true picture.
In later Newsletters I will elaborate on the Kerry Way and on walking/hiking
throughout the island of Ireland.
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