Hello friends!

So I wanted to take the time to write about a day trip I took recently with my gal pal Hanna. One of the best aspects of living in Dublin is how easy it is to escape the city when you need a breather and be in some of the most beautiful landscapes. Howth, a town about 30 minutes away by train, offers just such an escape.

We grabbed our tickets that day from Pearse Street Station and hopped onto the train, which took us along the coast to the little seaside town. As soon as you step out of the station and walk along the little fish shops and chippers and see the boats in the harbor, you can just feel yourself relax.

The town itself is pretty bustling, with tons of tourists and residents milling around the sidewalks and through the market (then again we went on the weekend so it might have made it more crowded). There was a cluster of people standing at the edge of the dock, looking down into the water, so we made our way over, eager to see what the commotion was all about. There, bobbing in the water, was a seal! It blinked up at us, it’s whiskered face hopeful that we’d throw some fish down. When a toddler threw an apple at it instead (so rude) it submerged itself back into the waves. With thoughts of cute underwater creatures in mind, we continued on our way.

We knew we wanted to do the cliff walk, but needed some sustenance first, so we stopped at a pub and grabbed some fish, chips and cider, which then led to thirty minutes of food-coma, which we pretending was just us appreciating the ambiance of the pub.

Once you get off the train, if you just take a left and walk all the way along the beach, you’ll eventually see the road start to veer sharply right and up a hill, that’s where the cliff walk starts (and also when your leg muscles start to feel the burn).

The views along the path are incredible, with the expanse of ocean extending out from the cliffs dotted with heather plants. Then again, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here we are…

The entire walk took about 2 hours, but that was mostly due to the fact that we were stopping for majestic photo shoots every seven steps. It was a bit rocky and narrow at times, so good walking shoes would be a must if you’re planning on doing it.

After a questionable descent which involved us deciding to take a different path down for a “change in scenery” and then ending up in a random residential neighborhood, we finally returned to the shoreline.

We were very tired after our failed attempt at being spontaneous and decided to refuel with a good old fashioned 99 (which is soft serve with a flake stuck in it, the perfect combination of things).

If you’re thinking of a day trip, Howth is perfect. Even if you don’t feel like doing the cliff walk, there are tons of little shops and a food market that you can stroll around in, or you can just plant yourself by the beach and read a book.