Seefingan Hike via Seefin Passage Tomb

Recently, I received a thoughtful gift of the book ‘Irish Peaks’. Produced by Mountaineering Ireland, this magnificent printed work provides 72 suggested routes encompassing some of Ireland’s highest mountains. I have bagged many of the summits recommended for Leinster such as Kippure, Lugnaquila and Mount Leinster. However, one option that I hadn’t completed stood out to me straight away – Seefingan. This article gives a detailed account of the Seefingan hike via the Seefin Passage Tomb.

Seefingan stands at 723m which makes it the 43rd highest mountain in Ireland. Seefingan is the 10th highest mountain in Leinster. I found this a lovely walk to the top of Seefingan. However the highlight for me is the passage tomb located at the summit of the smaller Seefin Mountain (621m) on the way to Seefingan.

Seefingan Hike Details

Distance: 8.2km
Time Required: 2.5 hours
Elevation Gain: 460m
Grade: Moderate Difficulty. The ascent is gradual enough with some steep climbing on the approach to Seefin. The trail from Seefin to Seefingan is extremely boggy which can be draining on the legs.
Starting Point: Entrance to the forestry maintenance road at Athdown. See link to google map here.

Getting to the Start of the Seefingan Hike

Unfortunately, the only option to get to the starting point is to drive as there are no public transport links to this part of rural Wicklow. Parking spaces at the starting point are limited. However, it’s very possible you will have the whole mountain to yourself so this shouldn’t be an issue. The barrier gate was open when I arrived so I chanced parking inside the entrance. I couldn’t see any indication of opening or closing times so this was a risky move on my park. Luckily, it all worked out.

If you don’t drive, Hilltoptreks.com offer guided walks taking in these summits with pick-up and collection from more accessible locations. Prices quoted by them at the time of writing was €25 per person.

If you need to hire a car, rentalcars.com is a good comparison site. Day rentals can be found here.

Route for the Seefingan Hike via Seefin

I find that alltrails.com is a good source for maps of hiking routes in Ireland. The map located here shows the full Seefingan Hike route. The trail moves up through Athdown Forest before skirting along the edge of wood and looking out over the Liffey Valley. Thereafter the path moves through thick gorse to the top of Seefin. From Seefin, you trek across the bog to Seefingan. Then back the way you came with a slightly different route back through the forest.

A screenshot of a map showing the Seefingan hike route as outlined in this article.

Starting the Seefingan Hike

I set out from the start point at 11a.m. on a blustery Tuesday morning. While there were clouds overhead, the wind was moving them along quickly and the forecast was good for the afternoon.

Essentially I took a right turn after going through the gateway and moved uphill along the roadway. Already, I had nice view to my right and across the Wicklow Mountains.

A narrow road sloping upwards at the start of the Seefingan hike. Grass grows up the middle of the gravelly road. Trees are growing to the left and right of the road.

Grass and yellow gorse are at the front and of this picture. Dark mountains can be seen in the background with grey clouds overhead.

I followed the road for nearly a kilometre. With the treeline to my left I climbed up an earthen path for a short stretch before turning left and back on to a road again. I noticed this road as being less well maintained as the previous one as I moved along it.

A narrow dirt path slopes upwards with a forest to the left. Rough scrubland can be seen to the right of the path. Scattered clouds overhead.

A narrows road through a forest of evergreen pine trees. The road has grass growing up through the middle of it. Scattered clouds can be seen overhead.

Through Athdown Woods

Three deer crossed the road a couple of hundred metres in front of me. They glanced at me curiously before heading downhill and into the trees.

The road ended at the 1.7km mark. The end of the road is marked by a small turning circle. I needed to keep going straight and onto a well defined if narrow pathway through the trees.

A narrows dirt path through a thick forest of evergreen spruce trees

After 100m or so, I came to the end of the woods. As I came to the end of the treeline, I enjoyed wonderful views out over the Liffey valley with Poulaphouca Reservoir visible in the distance.

An amazing view on the Seefingan hike. Rolling green fields and forestry can be seen a long way into the distance. Poulaphouca Resevoir is just about viewable in the background. Scattered grey and white clouds are overhead.

Upwards Towards Seefin

I found the next 500m or so the steepest part of the Seefingan hike. I moved slowly upwards keeping the trees on my right and a fence on my left. When the fence ended, the most direct route to the Seefin is to keep going straight up. Alternatively you could go right here and then take a left uphill after 100m or so.

A rough path can just about be seen moving up a steep slope and through a row of spruce trees.

I went straight up. While a little difficult initially to see where exactly the path follows, I noticed it became more apparent quite quickly.

A very narrow path can just vaguely be seen moving uphill through thick gorse and scrub.

A very narrow path can just vaguely be seen moving uphill through thick gorse and scrub. Fenceposts mark a line running up the hill.

The earthen path broadens out to a grassy bank on the approach to Seefin tomb.

Image of an exposed mountain top. A wide grassy path runs up to a stony passage tomb in the distrance. The mountains slope uphill. Grey clouds overhead.

Seefin Tomb

The tomb itself dates back to c. 3,500 BC. I always find it amazing to be so close to these historic monuments. I’ve written previously about the almost mystical feeling when I visited Loughcrew. Being on my own at Seefin Tomb felt similar. I think the solitary aspect adds to this. I had climbed the mountain and the only living creatures I had seen were a few deer. Now, here I was at the top beside this impressive national monument. The entrance to the passage tomb faces north and interestingly in the direction of the more famous similar type monuments in Newgrange and Knowth.

A view from beside the Seefin passage tomb. The stones of the passage tomb are on the left. A stunning vista of a patchwork of green fields can be seen in the distance.

The entrance to the Seefin Passage Tomb. Two large flat stones on each side of the opening. Light can be seen filtering through to the end of the passage.

Across to Seefingan

The next part of the Seefingan hike is less enjoyable. The summit of Seefingan is clearly visible from Seefin. For most of the year, conditions underfoot will be extremely soft and mucky. Indeed, during the winter months, I would not recommend crossing this bog land at all.

The view from the top of Seefin Mountain towards the top of Seefingan Mountain/ Underfoot is very mucky. A rough path stretches out through a valley of bog land and then back uphill again.

I completed the energy sapping trek across the valley and up to Seefingan as quickly as I could. Along the way, I still managed to enjoy some lovely views.

A view from the near the top of the Seefingan hike looking back over the top of Seefin. Beyond Seefin is a patchwork of fields and forest stretching out into the distance with Poulaphouca Reservoir also visible.

To my left was the Kilbride Rifle Range. It goes within saying to avoid going near the range.

It took me about 25 minutes to summit Seefingan from Seefin. Another burial cairn sits near the top of Seefingan. I had my lunch at the top and admired the views. To the north Dublin City can be seen on clear days. To the south east is Kippure – the highest point in County Dublin.

A view of the Seefingan Stone Cairn. The cairn is surrounded by grass. Grey clouds are overhead.

A view from the top of the Seefingan hike. Grass from the summit of the mountain is in the foreground with fields, forests and bodies of water can be seen in the distance.

The Return Journey

I retraced my steps and moved back towards Seefin. On the way down after Seefin, I took a more direct route to get down through Athdown Woods. About 300m downhill from Seefin tomb, I took the left option when coming to a fork in the path. Going right would bring me back the way I came up.

A rough path going downhill on the return leg of the Seefingan hike. The path is through rough gorse. The path forks out to the left and the right.A lovely view of fields and mountains can be seen in the distance.

After taking the left option, I moved in pretty much a straight line down the hill.

A rough path goes downhill on the Seefingan hike return leg. Trees mark the left of the path. Thick gorse and scrubland can be seen on the right. Rolling Mountains can be seen in the distance. Scattered clouds are overhead.

A single spruce tree in the foreground of the picture. Forestry can be seen behind it after a patch of thick gorse and scrub. Rolling mountains can be seen in the background.

The path brought me back to the forestry maintenance road I used earlier. From there, I followed the road downhill and back to my car. Thankfully, the entrance gate was still open!

Overall, it took me just under 2.5 hours to complete the Seefingan Hike via Seefin. That includes stopping for a quick lunch. The hike itself is nice and offers up some lovely views along the way. As mentioned above though, the real highlight is the Seefin Passage Tomb.