County Dublingreen waymarksA loop

Howth Cliff Path Loop

The Cliff Path Loop is the shortest of the four waymarked loops that leave Howth railway station, and the one that runs along the cliffs on the south side of the head. It is marked with a green arrow on a white background, which is why it is usually searched for as the green route.

Show on the map Sport Ireland page

Directions in

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7.8 km

as Sport Ireland has it

7.5 km

measured on the map

130 m

of climb, published

Moderate

grade

Distance: 7.8 km as Sport Ireland publishes itSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-217.5 km measured along the line the map drawsThe map also carries a distance tag of 6 km, which agrees with neither.
Time allowed: About two hours, as Sport Ireland allows for itSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21That is the operator’s allowance, not a promise about your pace.
Grade: Moderate, on Sport Ireland's gradingSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21
Climb: 130 mSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21
Shape: A loop, back to where it started
Starts at: Howth railway stationSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21
Waymarked: A green arrow on a white backgroundSport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21
Network: Local waymarked route
County: County Dublin
Ground: Sport Ireland says the ground may be rough in parts and recommends walking boots.Sport Ireland, source, read on 2026-09-21
On the map: OpenStreetMap relation/10813065

The route will draw when you reach it.

Howth Cliff Path Loop in green, with the other routes from the same place behind it in grey. The line is continuous as the map draws it.

The other routes from the same place

These start within eight hundred metres of the same point and share parts of their length. The arrows are what tell them apart on the ground, so each is named with its colour here rather than shown only in it.

Route	Waymark	Published	Measured	Shape
Howth Cliff Path Loop	Green arrow on white background	6 km	7.5 km	Loop
Howth Tramline Loop	Blue arrow on white background	7 km	6.7 km	Loop
Howth Black Linn Loop	Red arrow on white background	8 km	7.7 km	Loop
Howth Cliff Walk	Not recorded	None	10.8 km	One way

Getting to Howth Cliff Path Loop

About these directions

Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.

Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.

How journey planning works

Destination, access and nearby stops

Howth Cliff Path Loop is in Howth, County Dublin. Routes here end at the start of the trail.

The nearest settlement this site covers is Howth, 680 m from where the line begins, in a straight line. The journeys below are worked out to the start of the walk itself, so the last stretch is measured rather than left to you.

Get directions

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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Howth Station (579), 20 m away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

Howth Station 20 m
bus H3
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Howth 20 m
train DART
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Howth Harbour 250 m
buses H3 and 6
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Howth Castle 360 m
bus H3
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Howth Abbey 530 m
buses H3 and 6
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

Getting to Howth covers the journeys into the town itself.

Questions people ask

How long is Howth Cliff Path Loop?

Sport Ireland publishes 7.8 km. Measured along the line OpenStreetMap draws it comes to 7.5 km, and the map's own distance tag says 6 km. This page shows each of them with whose it is rather than settling on one.

Where does Howth Cliff Path Loop start?

Howth railway station, according to Sport Ireland. The nearest settlement this site covers is Howth, 680 m away in a straight line.

Is this the same as the other walks from here?

No. 4 waymarked routes start within eight hundred metres of the same point: Howth Cliff Path Loop (green) at 7.5 km, Howth Tramline Loop (blue) at 6.7 km, Howth Black Linn Loop (red) at 7.7 km, Howth Cliff Walk at 10.8 km. They share parts of their length and are told apart by the arrows, so the one you follow is the one whose colour you keep to.

Is it open today?

This page holds no closure notice for it, which is not the same as knowing it is open. Cliff paths and forest routes close after storms and during works, and those notices are published by the operator rather than on the map. The link above goes to whoever manages it.

Where this comes from

The route: The line, the name, the colour and the waymark are the OpenStreetMap relation relation/10813065, and can be corrected there.
Worked out here: The measured distance, whether the line is continuous, which settlement is nearest the start and every distance on this page are this site’s own calculations from that relation, last built on 2026-09-20. No climb is measured here, and no time is estimated: a walking time appears only where an operator publishes one.
Checked with the operator: Howth Cliff Path Loop Sport Ireland, read 2026-09-21