The Bog of Frogs Loop Walk - Wild Irish Walks

The Bog of Frogs Loop circles around a sizeable chunk of Howth Head. The highlight of the route are the fantastic cliff trails. However you also get to see the impressive Baily Lighthouse, experience peaceful woodland sections and enjoy stunning coastal views of Dublin Bay.

Bog of Frogs Loop Details

Distance: 12.5km
Time Required: It took me 3 hours to complete the loop. I took a very easy pace throughout. Plus, I was unfortunate enough to complete the walk in poor weather conditions which slowed me down somewhat.
Elevation Gain: 441m
Grade: I found the trail difficult however I put a lot of that down to the weather. If the sun was shining, the 12.5km route would be much more manageable. However, this is still a 12.5km route with over 400m of elevation gain. As such, a good level of fitness is needed.
Starting Point: Across the Road from Howth Dart Station.

Direction of Travel

The Bog of Frogs walk is obviously in a loop so you can chose to complete it in either direction. My own personal preference is to the loop counter clockwise – so heading south across the headland until you meet the coast. The reason being is that the coastal sections are by far the more scenic and I like to finish with these. The inland section is a nice peaceful start before you get to the dramatic seascapes.

The signposts along the route however will only point you in the clockwise direction. Nonetheless, I found it quite manageable to navigate.

Map of the Bog of Frogs Loop Walk

I find that alltrails.com is a good source for maps of hiking routes in Ireland. The map located here shows the full Bog of Frogs loop.

What’s in a Name?

You would imagine the name comes from a bog along the route which contains plenty of frogs? And that’s exactly it, the Bog of Frogs comes around 3km into this route. The peaty section around Shielmartin Hill is largely unnoticeable to be honest with no frogs on show when I completed the Bog of Frogs Loop.

How to Get to the Start of the Bog of Frogs Loop

The Bog of Frogs loop starts just across the road from the train station in Howth. As such, this walk is hugely accessible via public transport. Howth has plenty of parking around the harbour area too however the car parks do get very busy on weekends. I had no trouble finding a space mid-week though.

Starting the Bog of Frogs Loop

With my back to the Train Station, I took the path upwards and set out on the Bog of Frogs Loop at 10a.m. on an overcast Monday morning. The forecast for the day wasn’t great but I had my rain gear with me. So hopefully would be ok.

A path leading up a hill with trees to the right. The view to the left of the path is unclear but you can see bus stops and telephone wires indicating it is probably a busy road.

I found the path straightforward to follow with the first turn not coming for 600m or so.

There are actually 4 marked trails around Howth. The Bog of Frogs is the longest and is denoted as the Green route. My first glimpse of a green route signpost comes at this first turn. Unfortunately, the sign post only directs you if are completing the route in a clockwise direction. This is a little bit annoying as it takes a little more thinking to figure out which way to go. As a result, I strongly advise bringing a map of the trail with you.

In any event, I took a right turn and wandered along the edges of a housing estate for another few hundred metres. I exited the housing estate at around the 1km mark through a narrow little path and up into some greenery.

A narrow alleyway between two walls - one green and one white. The end of the alley can be seen in the distance and looks to be full of vegetation and greenery.

Crossing the Headland

Once through the exit, I turned left at the first fork in the path.

A path which forks off the the left and right. The sides of the path are full of grass, weeds and needles up to about knee height. There are trees in the background.

Then kept on the path as it skirted around a football pitch.

The path can get a little overgrown in places. I would recommend long trousers for this hike to guard against nettles.

A mucky path through vegetation on both sides. The vegetation consists of grass, weeds and nettles and is hip high. There are trees on the left and ominous grey clouds in the sky above.

The first 4km of the Bog of Frogs Loop cut across the Howth headland. As mentioned above, I like to do this part first and leave the more spectacular scenery until the end. Despite this, I enjoyed the cross country element of the route. Every so often, I got lovely views of Dublin Bay and Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Islands. I also wandered through some beautiful woodland around the 2km mark.

A view over the treetops out to the Irish Sea with Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Islands shrouded in mist in the background.

The rain had started as I strolled through the forest. I experienced that wonderful sensation of listening to the rain dropping through the foliage while the birds sang overhead. The fact that I had the whole woods to myself only added to the wonderful moments of mindfulness.

The only really disappointing part of this section of the walk is the proliferation of the invasive Rhododendron plant. The plant really takes over the woodland in some places.

A forest scene with two big Rhododendron plants on the left and right on the image. More rhododendron can be seen in the background too.

Thankfully, the rain had more or less stopped by the time I came out of the forest. After passing through the woods, the trail crosses a small section of Howth Golf Club. I needed to keep an eye out for golfers (and golf balls) as I quickly scurried across the fairways.

Continuing Along the Path

Next up, I went around Shielmartin Hill where the actual Bog of Frogs is located before needing to cross the busy R105 roadway. Around this point, I started to really notice the sea views as I approached the south western side of Howth Head.

A path passing by a stone pillar on the left. there is a grassy bank on the right with a grey sea and grey clouds in the background.

Before reaching the coastline, I needed to cross a few more fields and gorseland. For me, I found this section to be a little annoying. This area of Howth Head is home to some goats introduced to reduce the risk of gorse fires. While the goats may be some help in that regard, they are an absolute disaster for biodiversity as they eat absolutely everything. Also the claim on the signs in the area that goats are indigenous to Ireland is questionable at best. We need to be helping biodiversity in our coastal areas – not destroying it with goats.

A goat standing between two gorse bushes. A hill rises behind him with a grey sky above.

Reaching the Coast

In any event, I waved to the couple of goats as I went past and tried not to be frustrated by the disinformation being communicated by Fingal County Council.

Luckily, the sea views that greeted me eased away any negative feelings I had. My 4km hike across the headland completed, the next 8.5km of the Bog of Frogs Loop would be all along the coast.

A coastal path with the sea on the right hand side. A rocky hill on the right sweeps down to meet the sea with small cliffs and a rocky beach.

The only concern now was the big rainclouds sweeping in along the bay. Time to put the raingear on!

I turned left on reaching the coastal path with Sutton Martello Tower at my back. Despite the rain, the coastal walk was spectacular. I clambered up steps hewn into the rock face. Every so often, I stopped on rocky beaches to gaze out at the sea. I took in the scent of the abundant wild garlic along the trail. And through it all, I had amazing sea views to keep me company.

Steps leading upwards have been hewn into a rocky cliff.

Points of Interest Along the Way

First up was Red Rock. Red Rock is a rocky outcrop at the start of the coastal section of the Bog of Frogs Loop. Here, you can also visit Red Rock Beach, a mostly rocky but secluded and beautiful spot. Definitely worth a little detour.

A rocky beach with a grassy embankment leading up to a cliff on the right. A Martello tower can be seen in the distance. The sea is on the left with grey skies overhead.

Just under 5.5km into the walk is an unusual site. I came across a battered signpost standing on the edge of the cliff. On closer inspection I saw the sign inscribed with the words “Telegraph Cable”. The sign marks the location where the first telegraph cable between Ireland and Wales reaches the sea.

A tall signpost at the edge of a cliff. A grassy bank on the left with a choppy sea on the right. Grey skies overhead.

A closer view of the signpost shows that it reads “Telegraph Cable”. The photograph is from right at the ends of the cliff with Andy a small amount of ground viewable. A choppy sea makes up the background with grey skies overhead.

Just before the 6km mark you have another optional detour from the designated Bog of Frogs Loop – Drumleck Beach. Be careful on the steep pathway down to the beach. The beach is also known as Jameson Cove as it previously belonged to the famous Jameson distillers family. Remains of two man made bathing pools can be seen here. The entire beach is covered at high tide.

A single pink flower surrounded by bright green leaves in the foreground. In the background is a secluded beach surrounded by high cliffs.

This particular portion of the Bog of Frogs loop travels along Doldrum Bay. The section contains lots of little beaches and coves. I found it to be probably the nicest part of the entire walk.

A view of the coast showing cliffs, rocky beaches, coves and outcrops of rock on the left. A grey sea on the right.

The Baily Lighthouse

At 7.5km, I reached the Baily Lighthouse. Lighthouses on this site date back to 1667 with the current building constructed in 1814. The lighthouse had been my focal point for much of the coastal path in the kilometres leading up to it. I also admired some of the stunning houses and gardens alongside the pathway.

Unfortunately, access to the actual lighthouse is not available to the public. Therefore, I turned left in front of the lighthouse to continue on my journey.

The path leading down to the Baily Lighthouse. Green grass and gorse bushes on either side of the path. In the distance you can see buildings and the top of the actual lighthouse. Dark skies overhead.

The rain had been steadily getting heavier for the past hour or so. When I turned northwards at the lighthouse, I found myself facing directly into the wind. The result meant the rain came sideways at me. The next few kilometres would see me get soaked!

Towards Howth in the Rain

Just after 8km, you have the opportunity to take a turn to the left and a detour to The Summit Inn pub. While this would have been a nice option to take a break from the walk, I found myself feeling wet and cold and wanting to get back to my car as quickly as I could. A lot of people use the Summit as a starting point for taking in the walks along Howth’s cliffs.

Despite all this, I really enjoyed the trail as it approached the Nose of Howth around 10km in. I found to cliffs here to be the most sheer and the path goes right along the cliff edge! The turn offers the opportunity for lovely views of Ireland’s Eye Island. For me though, the island was shrouded in mist.

A path along the cliff. High rocks on the left and a sheer sheer drop to the sea on the right.

A view of Ireland’s Eye Island. There is green and yellow gorse bushes up the cliff edge. Then grey seas with the island shrouded in mist in the background of the picture.

Back to Howth Harbour

The last couple of kilometres bring you gently downhill and into Howth village. Public toilets are a welcome amenity at the carpark at Balscadden Road. I walked back along the public roads and into the Harbour.

I dripped water all over a cafe in Howth Market while waiting for a sandwich. After all the rain, I thought I was too wet to sit down so took the sambo back to my car and turned on the heating full blast.

Had I been drier, I could have availed of some really nice food options in the village. At the fancier end of the scale is Mamó – a Michelin Guide restaurant. To be honest, you probably would need to book this well in advance. If this feels a bit too much, King Sitric is a very popular seafood restaurant which has outdoor seating available. Plus, there are loads of other great food options in the village.

It took me just over 3 hours to complete the Bog of Frogs Loop. The rain took away from the enjoyment slightly but overall I would highly recommend this wonderful coastal walk.

While I found no problems with self navigating this route, guided walking options are available in the area – check out this really popular guide for more information.

If you need more inspiration for great walks in Dublin, have a look at these great options in my article about 9 of the best walks in Dublin.