Dublin Mountains Partnership

Get out, get active.

In the Dublin Mountains area, you can participate in a range of activities which we are growing all the time currently you can get involved in:

Hiking and walking

There are many trails and walks ranging from the Wicklow Way and the Dublin Mountains Way to shorter looped trails to suit all skill levels. Visit our recreation site page for details of trails and walks in the area or visit www.coillteoutdoors.ie . You may be interested in joining a walking club, logon to www.mountaineering.ie for details of your nearest club.

Orienteering

Orienteering is a popular outdoor sport for all the family in the Dublin mountains and the Irish Orienteering Association have regular events in the Dublin mountains. The DMP and Coillte in conjunction with Setanta Orienteering Club and South Dublin County Sports Partnership have built new permanent orienteering courses at Hell Fire Club & Massy's Estate. The DMP, Coillte, Great Eastern Navigators, DLRCC and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership have built a permanent orienteering course at Carrickgollogan and Barnaslingan. A 5th course is available at Ticknock installed by the DMP, Coillte and 3Roc Orienteering Club. For information on upcoming events log on to www.orienteering.ie

Conservation

With increasing usage these mountains will see more pressure from human induced erosion especially on our mountain trails. Mountain Meitheal are a voluntary group who undertake conservation and restoration projects on forest and mountain tracks and work with the DMP to conserve and repair trails – they always welcome new volunteers and it’s a great way to enjoy the mountains. For details of their activities and programme log on to www.pathsavers.org

Mountain Running

A little like orienteering but without the map reading mountain running is another popular out door sport in the Dublin mountains and the Irish Mountain running Association have regular events in the Dublin mountains. For information on upcoming events log on to
www.imra.ie

Scouting

The Dublin mountains have long been a place for scouting with Larch Hill the national campsite and head office. Many scouts visit the dublin mountains each week end during the summer for more information on their programme visit www.scouts.ie

Mountain biking

The Dublin Mountains Partnership and Coillte opened the first 8km section of mountain bike trail at Ticknock on 8th May 2011. For more information see Ticknock MTB trails.
Coillte have four other designated mountain bike recreation areas in Ballinastoe, Co. Wicklow; Derroura, Oughterard, Co. Galway; Ballyhouras, Co. Limerick/Cork and Portumna Forest Park, Co. Galway. Family cycle trails are also available in Curraghchase and Portumna Forest Parks. Check out www.coillteoutdoors.ie for maps and information on the trails. For more details on mountain biking in Ireland see www.irishxcmtb.com and www.irishdh.com .

Bouldering – climbing without a rope on large outcrops and boulders – is possible in two areas of the DMP, Three Rock and The Scalp.

Three Rock is an ideal place for those just starting out in bouldering. The very rough and rounded granite holds require excellent technique and will take some getting used to especially for those who mostly climb on indoor walls. The exposed position of the tors offers great views and means there is usually a breeze to keep your hands cool and the midge at bay. The rounded granite tors, though not particularly high, have over a dozen excellent problems.

The Scalp is the narrow rocky valley on the western side of Barnaslingan. The small outcrops and boulders perched on the steep slopes offer some very testing challenges for more experience boulderers. The rock is less rough and more angular than Three Rock so the problems tend to be steeper and more physical. The climbing is well sheltered from the wind so is good on cold, windy or showery days. All the climbing is close to the car but some of the landings are rocky so may need more than one bouldering mat to be fallen off safely.

See bouldering in Dublin Mountains for more information on routes. For more information about bouldering all over Ireland see David Flanagan’s guidebook available from www.theshortspan.com