10 Best Walks in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is a walker’s country. Not in the dramatic Alpine sense — there are no cable cars or mountain huts — but in the sense that the landscape rewards those who move through it on foot. The coastline is among the most spectacular in Europe. The forests are ancient and atmospheric. The mountains, though modest in height, offer genuine wildness. And the distances are small enough that you can walk somewhere extraordinary on almost any day, from almost any starting point.

The Mourne Mountains rightly get attention, but this guide deliberately looks beyond them. Northern Ireland has hundreds of marked trails, and the ten below represent the best variety — coastal, woodland, lakeland, and mountain — across all six counties.

1. The Causeway Coast Way (Portstewart to Ballycastle)

Distance: 53 km (full route) | Time: 2–3 days | Difficulty: Moderate

The premier long-distance walk in Northern Ireland, running the full length of the Antrim coast from Portstewart Strand to Ballycastle. The path passes the Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Whiterocks Beach, Dunluce Castle ruins, and a succession of bays, headlands, and fishing harbours that make this one of the great coastal walks in the British Isles.

You don’t have to walk the whole thing. The section from the Giant’s Causeway to Ballintoy Harbour (about 16 km) is the most dramatic single day, combining the basalt columns, cliff-top paths with vertigo-inducing drops, and the descent into Ballintoy’s tiny harbour — recognisable to Game of Thrones viewers as the Iron Islands. Our Causeway Coastal Route guide covers the area in detail.

The path is well-marked and well-maintained, but some sections involve steep steps and uneven ground close to cliff edges. Proper footwear matters.

2. Glenariff Forest Park — Waterfall Walk

Distance: 4.8 km (circuit) | Time: 1.5–2 hours | Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Glenariff is known as the “Queen of the Glens” — the largest of the nine Glens of Antrim — and the waterfall walk through its gorge is one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful short walks. The path follows a wooden boardwalk along the Glenariff River through deep, fern-covered gorge walls past three waterfalls: the Ess-na-Crub, Ess-na-Larach, and the main falls.

The gorge is a microclimate. Even on a dry day, the air is damp and green. Mosses coat every surface. The sound of falling water never stops. It feels subtropical, improbable, utterly unlike the open farmland above. On a rainy day — and there will be rainy days — the walk is actually better. The falls swell, the gorge fills with spray, and you understand why the Victorians fell in love with it.

There’s a longer Rainbow Trail (9 km) for those who want to climb out of the gorge and walk the rim, with panoramic views across the glen to the sea.

3. Divis and Black Mountain

Distance: 8 km (circuit) | Time: 3–4 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

The Belfast hills. Visible from almost everywhere in the city, Divis and Black Mountain form the western horizon and offer the most accessible mountain walk in Northern Ireland. The National Trust car park on the Divis Road puts you directly onto the open hillside, and within thirty minutes you’re above the city with views that stretch from the Mournes to Scotland.

The walk crosses open moorland — blanket bog, heather, rough grass — on a mix of boardwalk and natural paths. The summit of Divis (478m) has a military installation, so the path skirts around it, but Black Mountain (390m) is open and its summit provides the best panoramic view of Belfast available anywhere. On a clear evening, watching the sun set behind the Sperrins while the city lights come on below is worth the trip to Northern Ireland by itself.

This walk is exposed. Wind and rain arrive without warning. But the proximity to Belfast — twenty minutes from the city centre — makes it extraordinarily convenient.

4. Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail (The Stairway to Heaven)

Distance: 11.5 km return | Time: 4–5 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

The most popular walk in County Fermanagh and one of the most Instagram-famous trails in Ireland. The boardwalk climbs the northern face of Cuilcagh Mountain to a viewing platform at the edge of the summit cliff, 665 metres above the surrounding Fermanagh Lakeland.

The walk begins gently, crossing flat bogland on a wooden boardwalk. The final section steepens dramatically — a staircase of steps climbing the mountain’s escarpment. The views from the top, across the lakes and drumlins of Fermanagh, are extraordinary. On a clear day, you can see from the Atlantic to the Irish Sea.

A note on timing: the trail’s popularity has led to a booking system for the car park. Check the Marble Arch Caves Geopark website before visiting. Early morning or late afternoon visits are quieter.

5. Castle Ward and Strangford Lough Shore

Distance: 5–8 km (various routes) | Time: 2–3 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Castle Ward is a National Trust estate on the shores of Strangford Lough that doubles as Winterfell in Game of Thrones. But the walks here are worth doing regardless of your feelings about dragons. The estate covers 820 acres of parkland, woodland, and shoreline, with several marked trails.

The lough shore walk is the highlight. The path follows the water’s edge through mature woodland, past a ruined tower house and a Victorian laundry, with views across the lough to the Ards Peninsula. At low tide, the mudflats teem with wading birds. The light on the water changes constantly.

Combine it with a walk through the farmland behind the house for views of the Mourne Mountains across the lough. Quiet, gentle, and genuinely lovely.

6. Binevenagh and Gortmore Viewpoint

Distance: 6 km (circuit from Gortmore) | Time: 2–3 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

Binevenagh is a basalt plateau in County Londonderry that drops away in massive cliffs above the coastal plain. The walk from Gortmore car park traverses the cliff edge with views that regularly appear on “best views in Ireland” lists — and deserve to. Below you, the land flattens to the vast beach of Magilligan Strand, Lough Foyle, and the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal. Above, the plateau stretches away into wild moorland.

The area was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones (the Dothraki grasslands), and the landscape does have an otherworldly quality — particularly in autumn when the heather turns purple and low cloud hangs around the cliff tops.

The cliffs are sheer and unfenced. This is not a walk for those uncomfortable with exposure.

7. Tollymore Forest Park

Distance: 3–8 km (multiple trails) | Time: 1–3 hours | Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Tollymore, at the foot of the Mournes near Newcastle, is Northern Ireland’s oldest forest park and its most atmospheric. Ancient oaks, beeches, and cedars line the Shimna River, which tumbles through granite boulders in a series of pools and cascades. Ornamental follies — stone bridges, gateways, grottos — are scattered through the woods, remnants of the eighteenth-century estate.

The River Trail (3.2 km) is the classic walk, following the Shimna through the heart of the forest. The Drinns Trail (8 km) climbs higher for views of the Mournes. Game of Thrones filmed extensively here — the Haunted Forest scenes — and the atmosphere is appropriately dramatic: tall trees, filtered light, the constant sound of water.

Tollymore is excellent in every season. Spring for bluebells. Summer for swimming in the river pools. Autumn for colour. Winter for the bare trees and the mountain views.

8. Lough Navar Forest Viewpoint Walk

Distance: 5 km (circuit) | Time: 1.5–2 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Lough Navar Forest sits on a cliff edge high above Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh. The viewpoint — reached by car or a short walk through the forest — overlooks a panorama of lake, island, and mountain that extends into Donegal. It is one of the finest views in Ireland and remarkably few people know about it.

The forest walk itself passes through mature conifer and broadleaf woodland, with several marked trails. The longest takes you along the cliff edge with continuous views over the lough. In the evening light, when the lake turns gold and the islands cast long shadows, this place is extraordinary.

9. Ring of Gullion Way

Distance: 35 km (full circuit) | Time: 2 days | Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous

The Ring of Gullion in south Armagh is a geological oddity — a ring dyke surrounding the central peak of Slieve Gullion, created by an ancient volcanic caldera. The Ring of Gullion Way is a waymarked trail that circuits the outer ring, passing through some of the most undervisited landscape in Northern Ireland.

The highlight is the ascent of Slieve Gullion itself (573m), which sits at the centre. The summit has two small lakes — one associated with the legend of Fionn Mac Cumhaill — and panoramic views across the border into the Republic. The area is steeped in mythology. This was the heartland of the legendary warrior Cú Chulainn, and the landscape feels appropriately ancient.

For a shorter walk, the Slieve Gullion Forest Park trail (5.5 km) climbs to the summit and back through mixed woodland.

10. Murlough National Nature Reserve

Distance: 6.5 km (circuit) | Time: 2–2.5 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Murlough is a 6,000-year-old sand dune system on the coast of Dundrum Bay, with the Mournes rising behind. The reserve covers heath, dune grassland, and woodland, and the boardwalk trail loops through all of it before emerging onto a long, quiet beach.

The dunes support a remarkable variety of wildlife — over 600 species of moth and butterfly have been recorded here, along with orchids, lizards, and seals offshore. In summer, the dune grassland fills with wildflowers. In winter, the beach is wild and empty, with the mountains dusted with snow behind.

It’s a gentle walk with no significant ascent, but the combination of habitats — forest, heath, dune, beach, mountains — packed into a single short circuit makes it one of the most rewarding easy walks in Northern Ireland.

Planning Your Walks

Weather: Northern Ireland weather is changeable in every season. Waterproofs and layers are essential even for short, low-level walks. For hill walks, bring map, compass, and warm clothing regardless of the forecast.

Getting there: Most walks are accessible by car. Public transport options are limited outside Belfast, though the Antrim coast walks can be reached by the Ulsterbus Antrim Coaster service. For transport options, see our guide on how to get to Northern Ireland.

Maps: Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland (OSNI) 1:25,000 Activity Maps cover the main walking areas. The Mournes, Causeway Coast, and Glens of Antrim each have dedicated sheets.

Dogs: Welcome on most trails but must be on leads in nature reserves and during lambing season (March–May). Forest parks generally allow dogs on leads.

Best time: May to September for the longest days and warmest temperatures. But Northern Ireland walking is a year-round activity. Winter walks — clear, cold, empty trails — have their own appeal. The landscape looks completely different under a low winter sun.