Walking trails

I plan to hike my way through Ireland, and I’m having trouble finding good maps showing the trails.  The sites I have visited just want me to sign up for a walking tour - which I don’t want to do - and they don’t supply any detailed maps.

Hi Maria,

Walking and hiking around the island of Ireland is an increasingly popular holiday, it is lovely to hear that you have plans to come and see us!

There are some very helpful websites that you may wish to have a look at. Sport Ireland, The Ireland Walking Guide, Tracks & Trails, and also Alltrails. The last one Alltrails has an app available to download to your phone from the app store for your device. Ordnance Survey Ireland has a series of maps that you can buy online if you are looking for a paper version.

In addition, there is a company called The Pathway Porter that specialises in transporting luggage for walkers and cyclists, please check their website for details of the routes they cover.

There are already some community posts on walking that may be of some help too. Feel free to take a look at some and see if there are any additional hints and tips from the previous questions.

Is there anywhere, in particular, you are looking to see during your time with us?

Martin

I do appreciate your response, and I have followed up on your references, but I still cannot find what I need.  We are going to be in Ireland for quite some time in order to literally walk from Cork to Donegal or farther if we have time.  I need a comprehensive map of the entire country and Northern Ireland showing all of the trails so that we can plan our path - linking up with trails where we can.  The ordinance survey maps may have that information, but they cover such a small area that it would cost possibly 200 euros to get maps for the areas we need.

Hi Maria,

Thanks for getting back to us, I can see the need for a general road map for such a walk from Cork to Donegal!

You may wish to try online shopping websites such as Amazon, other sites are available. 😉 The AA Road Atlas for Ireland would be one that has all of the island of Ireland on and should give you the level of detail to connect the trails you find on the other sites.

In addition, pages such as Maps.ie and AA route planner may help with the trip, but nothing beats a paper map in your hand! The Ordnance Survey Ireland maps are excellent but for such a long trip, the cost is a little high for so many maps indeed.

Hopefully, this will help a bit more. It sounds like a fantastic adventure, we would love to hear all about the plans you have and what you see and do on and after your time with us.

Martin

Hi Maria,
I had a chat with a colleague of mine, who is a keen walker and he has given me the following details/ information for you - 

There are a lot of local trail maps available, however unfortunately not one which covers for the whole of Ireland.

He thinks, the best source for you would be a book by Helen Fairbairn. This book is available on Amazon
 
'All Trails' is a good source for planning, but does not include Northern Ireland - https://www.alltrails.com/ireland

"Walk NI" is the best for information on trail walking in Northern Ireland - https://walkni.com/

I hope this information helps you planning your trip.

Hi Maria,

It's great to hear you are coming to Northern Ireland for a walking holiday.  The Causeway Coast Way at the northern tip of the island is a very popular walking route with a most of it off road.  You get to walk along beaches, coastal paths and cliff tops from Portstewart to Ballintoy (walking west to east). There are plenty of attractions along the way to take time to explore.  Please see a link below to information about the route and a map.

https://www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com/dbimgs/CCG%20Download%20-%20Causeway-Coastal-Route-Map-2019.pdf 

If you are in the region please call into any of our Visitor Information Centres and we will be able to give you maps and brochures to help you plan your route.

Anne