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Home  »  Extra  »  Hillwalking  »

Solo hillwalking in Ireland

A day out on the hills all by yourself can be a fulfilling and mind-freeing experience. Not speaking to other human beings for a few hours can give your brain the space it needs to think away problems, make plans and come up with new ideas while exercising your body in the beautiful great outdoors. Solo hillwalking, however, does come with risks. Before venturing into the hills by yourself, it is important that you have all the necessary walking kit, food, hydration and skills. You will be depending entirely on yourself, what you are wearing and what you are carrying. Always recognise what your limits are, and don’t put yourself at risk by trying to exceed those limits. A Mountain Skills course is a worthwhile investment if you do not have the confidence to head out onto the hills by yourself. We list some skills training services in our Community section.
 
Always carry a fully charged mobile phone and conserve its battery as much as possible by not running apps continuously during your walk. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to navigate using a hardcopy map and traditional magnetic compass rather than draining your phone’s battery. Avoid listening to music through your phone. Immerse yourself instead in the sounds of nature. Time in the hills is time to disconnect from technology. A power bank is also a useful piece of kit to bring, just in case the phone battery mysteriously looses its charge. We also recommend using a GPS-enabled watch if you want to record activity data throughout your walk rather than a phone app.
 
Plan your route in advance before you leave home by spreading the map out on a table. This should be the map you bring with you on the walk. Study your route on the map. If your route is described in a guide book, read over that chapter while comparing it to the map spread out in front of you. Tell a responsible person what your route will be before you leave. If it’s a long route, draw them a diagram or write down a list of waypoints with times you expect to be at each. When out on the hills, update that person on your progress or of any changes you make to your route. This could be a simple text message while you are stopped to take a photo (e.g. “2:15pm. At Carrauntoohil summit now. Heading to Beenkeragh next.”). These updates could provide vital information if you get into difficulty and are relying on that person to initiate a rescue, so please do bear this in mind.

If you want to go hillwalking with other people but your family, friends and colleagues aren't so keen, we recommend joining a local walking club. We list walking clubs in our Community section. Clubs who are actively seeking new members have completed their profile page on this website. Club profile pages contain helpful information for potential new members, including maps showing membership catchment areas and where the clubs regularly walk. Most clubs allow potential new members to walk with them a few times to get a feel for the club. To continue with the club after those sample walks, you would be required to join. Annual club membership fees include insurance cover.

If you visit mountain summits and High Points in Ireland on a regular basis, we strongly encourage you to take part in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships. The format of this eight-month-long competition (March to October) has been designed to accommodate the solo hillwalker. As well as the Individuals category, there are also team categories for Clubs, Counties and Provinces. Even if you walk exclusively by yourself, you can represent your county and province. To represent a club, you must be a member of a club who has a completed profile page on our website..

Hillwalking in Ireland



Shortcuts & bookmarks

If you find yourself returning to any particular page on this website, we recommend creating a shortcut on your device and a bookmark in your internet browser. These will give you much quicker access to the Irish walk-related information you need. For full details, including step-by-step instructions, please visit our "Shortcuts & bookmarks" page.
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Walking initiatives

We have developed the widest possible selection of meaningful initiatives to promote recreational walking in Ireland. These are delivered across The Ireland Walking Guide and High Point Ireland websites and range from monthly walking themes right through to the official All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships. We aim to deliver a consistent programme of initiatives every year on a recurring basis rather than a series of standalone one-off campaigns. Our "predictable" approach to participation initiatives means walkers always know what's coming up and have ample time to plan ahead. But why should you take part? Click here to find out...
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​The Ireland Walking Guide is the best and most user-friendly Irish walking and hiking information website. If you are planning a day walk, a weekend of walking, a holiday or vacation in Ireland, make us the first stop for all your on-foot Irish adventures. 

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Disclaimer

Please be aware that recreational walking in the great outdoors can be a risk activity. The Ireland Walking Guide and Donard Media (the website's publisher) accept no responsibility for any injury, loss or inconvenience sustained by anyone using this website. Personal safety is entirely the participant's own responsibility.

The inclusion of walking routes, locations and geographical areas on this website is not an indication that access is permitted. It should not be assumed that access is permitted to any any specific piece of land in Ireland. Please note that upland areas and coastal areas indicated on this website are based purely on their geographical characteristics. It should not be assumed that access is permitted to any of the upland areas and coastal areas illustrated on this website. Where local access restrictions exist (e.g. those indicated by "Private Property" signs, "No Trespassing" signs, etc), we strongly advise that you comply with the relevant landowner's wishes. The Ireland Walking Guide and Donard Media recommend that anyone planning to go walking in Ireland should check for potential access restrictions and to request permission from the relevant landowner(s) in advance.

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  • Where to walk
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  • Community
  • Walking Kit
  • Extra
    • About >
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      • Follow us
      • Terms & conditions >
        • Terms & conditions for advertisers
    • Our news
    • General Information >
      • Clothing & equipment
      • Knowledge & skills
      • Countryside etiquette
      • Walking holidays in Ireland
      • Gift ideas for walkers
    • Shortcuts & bookmarks
    • Reasons to take part in our initiatives
    • Downloads >
      • Wall calendars
    • Our other websites >
      • The Ireland Travel Guide
      • The Ireland Sightseeing Guide
      • High Point Ireland