Perhaps One best walks in Dublin,Cruagh Woods Walk. It is also one of the most underrated Dublin Mountains walks, which is surprising as this walk all but blows you away.

This moderately difficult walk is for around 4 kms and should take you an hour. Stuff covered ranges from parking for the Cruagh Woods walk (a bit of a nightmare) to more general trail/route stuff.Welcome To Our Blog I am your host “ Manjeet Dabas” Editor and Creator Of Louder Headlines

Some quick need-to-knows about the Cruagh Woods Walk

While heading to Cruagh Woods in Dublin is pretty simple, there are a couple of need-to-knows that’ll make your visit even better.

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1. Location

The name of Cruagh Woods appears in historical records dating back nearly 1000 years, the woods are located just beyond Rockbrook village – some 16 km south from Dublin. You can reach Tibradden Wood to Hellfire Club in just a 5 minute walk and take 15 minutes to reach Ticknock.

2. Parking

Turn right off the R116 on to Cruagh Road where, after a few hundred metres you will see the small car park through some pinus sylvestris. There are 40 free spaces (and it can be busy so early is best if you want a space in peak times).

3. Opening hours

Business Hours Summer / Winter The Cruagh Woods car park is open from 07.00 to 21:00 (17:30 during the shorter months between October and March).

4. Difficulty

One of medium walking difficulty paths with hard bottom allowing for no more problems by the least secure in its steps individuals. The 100m ascent is big enough but hopefully shouldn’t be too much of a bother (the views from the top will spur everyone on, no doubt).

5. Time it takes

The Cruagh Wood Slí na Sláinte route is 4 km long and can be walked in either direction. This should be a fairly quick hike (it took me maybe just over an hour), though the few viewpoints and beauty may slow your pace down throughout.

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About Cruagh Woods

I know I said earlier that there are some old fella over 1000 years old mentioning Cruagh Woods but these ancient woods have been here for a lot longer.

This place has in fact been populated since the Neolithic age and it is also possible that humans continued to live here during the bronze era.

There are records mentioning Cruagh as far back as 1184. (22 33) Prince John (son of Henry), gave Creevagh or Cruagh with its churches to the See of Dublin, and it was con-firmed in 1337 by Edward, who also confirmed this grant about a hundred years later when Richard visited Dublin in1395.

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An overview of the Cruagh Woods Walk

The walk you will likely want to focus on is the Slí na Sláinte route (Pathway of Health) — a 4 km loop that provides panoramic views across the Country, beyond Tibradden and with scenery over both Two Rock Mountain towards Three Rock and Glendoo Mountains as well Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Howth Peninsula and overview Dublin City.

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Starting the walk

The loop can be tackled in either direction when starting from Cruagh Woods Car Park, but this description will assume you intend to take the walk clockwise.

It starts at the barrier next to car parking and runs into a wonderful mature larch stand, she takes you through Sitka spruce alongside the road.

Keep an eye out for

Pass your first km mark then take a peek through the trees ahead of you at views across to Tibradden Mountain as the road goes uphill slowly.

As you reach the top of a short hill, young Sitka spruce trees line and screen you to your right before opening up views northwest over Tibradden Mountain with its distinctive Fairy Castle beyond.

The half-way point

At 2 km you also pass the Cruagh Mountain Access Route bog bridge from where open mountain is accessed.

You can watch the stunning views of Dublin city from right there. Howth head and Dollymount strand.

Looping back to the start

Gradually we continue on with the descent alongside a forest road, first through some spruce and then passing by larches back down toward our cars.

This loop is great for a quick weekend stroll (like many of the other Dublin walks), just time it right on our tiniest bit of a sunny day!

Other mighty walks in Dublin

Once you have walked Cruagh Woods, there are > so many walks to enjoy in Dublin.

1. Killiney Hill

Here are 4 of my favourites; hill walks with epic views, and forest strolls where if you get there early enough you might be able to escape the crowds.

Few walks offer such stunning coastal views as this gentle amble south of Sandycove on the Killiney Hill walk. At just 20 minutes from the car park to the summit, you get a lot of bang for your buck and are rewarded with incredible views over-look Bray Head, out across Dublin city.

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2. Howth Cliff Walk

The Howth Cliff Walk is hands down the main reason to visit this small coastal village—it features scenic views and a beginner-friendly route with trails that are tough, but easy enough for most travellers. This 1.5-hour stroll starts from the Howth Summit car park and steers you north right to the top of Howth Head Peak, giving gorge sights over Ireland’s Eye as well as Lambay Island on a clear day!

3. Poolbeg Lighthouse Walk

The Poolbeg Lighthouse walk is a 5km one-way stretch from Sandymount Strand to the Great Sand Wall in Dublin Bay, where it turns south east towards Poolbeg Lighthouse. The large red body of the lighthouse is a nice feature and it dates from 1768, though its more modern redesign was finished in 1820.

4. Dublin Mountains Walks

This is 43 Kilometres of mountain trails that bypass the rural road of Dublin and the country path of Mountain Way.So I’m going to be busy! The Hellfire Club, Spink Mountain View and a bit of Dublin Bay to the Wicklow Mountains: from the mysterious works tours visited at night, everything is only a stone’s throw away.

FAQs about the Cruagh Woods walk

Over the years, we receive many queries from is it buggy friendly to what can you look forward to seeing nearby?

Below we have dropped in the most frequent questions asked to us. If there is something we haven’t answered feel free to ask in the comment section down below.