Walking the Skerries Coast: Red Island, the Harbour and on Towards Ardgillan

Skerries gives you two walks for the price of one. There is a short loop around Red Island that anyone can do in a spare half hour, and there is a proper coastal walk that carries on for miles to the north towards Ardgillan if you want to make a day of it. You can stop wherever your legs run out and still have done something worthwhile.

The short one: the Red Island loop

Red Island is the headland on the south side of the harbour. It is a tied island, joined to the town by a low neck of land, so you walk on to it without noticing you have left the mainland. A path rings the headland, and the loop is short, flat and easy, the kind of thing you do after lunch or to clear your head.

On the loop you pass the Martello tower, one of two in Skerries, built in the early 1800s as part of the chain of towers around the Dublin coast. You also pass the Springers and the Captains, the deep-water bathing places out on the rocks, so there will usually be swimmers in below you. The views run out over the harbour, the sailing boats and the islands offshore. It is a genuinely good short walk and you do not need any kit for it.

Linking it up through the town

From Red Island it is a few minutes back round to the harbour, which is the heart of the town and a fine place to stop. From there the South Shore esplanade and South Strand run along the front, and the path continues north past the harbour along the North Strand. You can build your own loop out of these pieces: Red Island, the harbour, a strand, and back, at whatever length suits.

The long one: north towards Ardgillan

If you want a real walk, head north along the coast. The path traces the shoreline out past the Martello tower and along the North Strand, then follows the rugged coast with views over Barnageeragh Bay, and keeps going towards Ardgillan Castle and demesne and on towards Balbriggan beyond.

The full route from Skerries out to Ardgillan and on is in the order of 15 km one way, the kind of distance that takes most of an afternoon at a steady pace. Treat that as a rough figure and check a map before you set out. The good news is it is not all or nothing: you can walk as far as Barnageeragh and turn back, or push on to Ardgillan and arrange to be collected, rather than committing to the whole thing out and back.

Ardgillan

Ardgillan Castle is an 18th-century country house set in a large public park, with gardens, sea views and walking trails of its own. It makes a natural turning point or destination for the longer walk: somewhere to wander the grounds, sit down, and look back along the coast you have just covered. Check current opening times and whether the house, as opposed to the grounds, is open before relying on it.

What to expect underfoot

The Red Island loop is easy and flat. The longer coastal route is more mixed: surfaced path in places, rougher ground in others, with some gentle climbs along the rugged stretches. Decent shoes are sensible for the long walk; trainers are fine for the loop.

This is the exposed east coast, so wind and weather make more difference than gradient does. A clear, still day is a different walk from a raw, blowy one. Bring a layer more than you think you need, and check the forecast for the afternoon rather than the moment you leave.

How to plan it

For a first visit, do the Red Island loop, take in the harbour, and get a sense of the place. If the weather holds and you want more, carry on north along the coast as far as you fancy. The route rewards going further, but it does not punish you for stopping early, which is the best kind of walk to have on your doorstep.