South Great Wall Hike

One of my favourite walks in Dublin, the Great South Wall is the perfect way to blow away the midweek cobwebs. You have to drive through some fairly undesirable areas to get to the car park, but you can also walk through the park in Ringsend if you’re coming from the city.
From start to finish allow an hour. I love walking here at sunset because the sun bounces off the strand and looks amazing — although no matter what the weather it’s freezing once the sun goes down. Bring a jacket!

I did the «great south wall hike» last weekend and really enjoyed it. I don’t know if I can really take credit for a hike as I was cycling, but it was still really enjoyable.
A few months ago, I took the path through Irishtown Nature Park which has absolutely stunning views of Sandymount and the Dublin mountains, this path takes you more from the Poolbeg yacht club at the base of the Liffey all the way through the docks, power station and to the beginning of the pier leading to the Poolbeg Lighthouse. This can be quite a distance. From Merrion Square, it is about 5 miles each way. It is not a boring 5 miles though. Checkout the cannons in front of the power station and the various beaches and of course one of the entry ways to the Irishtown nature park. Once of the wall itself and headed to be Lighthouse, the wall is quite wide and large rocks are piled on one side. It is a great place to watch the sun setting or watching ships go sailing by into Dublin port.

I discovered this walk one day when I was in search of a cruise liner I had heard had come in to Dublin Port. I ended up walking 20KM’s that day and found some great new places this is one.
To get to this by car you have to drive through some pretty horrible areas around the docks, which can smell to be honest. But once there the fresh sea air clears it all away.
You can also walk to it through a park which is a bit nicer.
The wall itself its long and you will always see big ships and ferry’s scooting through. Occasionally a ship can cause a bit of wake which at high tide can lead to waves crashing over the wall. This doesn’t happen very often though.
People cycle, walk, fish and run up and down this wall so its pretty popular, but you always feel quite alone as its so big.
A nice walk!

I love this walk, how did I not know about it for so many years of living in Dublin?
It’s just about long enough for a nice post teatime walk in the working week. The views both left and right are nice. While the lighthouse at the end of the wall is nice to inspect on your first visit.
The bird life is good too, if you are a bit of a twitcher. And the great big boats coming and going are something to watch as you make your way there and back.
The only reason I don’t give it five stars is because the ground can be quite uneven. So be careful if you are not sturdy on your feet or have a dodgy knee like me.

«The Great South Wall (also sometimes called the South Bull Wall) took some fifty years to construct and was finally completed in 1795. It was the world’s longest sea-​wall at the time of its building and still remains one of the longest in Europe.»
what a great walk! its never too crowded because other people are walking along the beach. the surface is a bit uneven so you definitely need to wear runners, no fancy high heels here!
What i love about this place, being a south sider i always have one perspective of Dublin city and this gives a totally new view. it is breathtaking really.

The South Great Wall Hike is not long and scenic as the nearby Irishtown Walk, but it too has some interesting sights.
It starts pretty much where the wall along the Dublin Port pier begins. It ends at the Poolbeg Lighthouse, right where the Liffey becomes the Dublin Bay.
Walking a long the pier, you’ll see some wonderful ships coming into the port. There are also plenty of sea birds to look at. They are close to shore, looking to eat either fish or algi.
The pier also attracts fisherman who sit along the wall, hoping like the birds to catch a meal. A number of other people come here to do sports. Some swimmers do their laps in the choppy water. Wind surfers also coast the waves.
The South Great Wall Hike is far from boring. On a beautiful summer’s day, there’s lots to look at.