Fourknocks

I wasn’t expecting much from Fourknocks but it is a lovely walk. On Google maps it looked too straight and too boring but on Google Maps everything looks flat. This route was up on a high point, which is why Fourknocks tomb is situated here. You can visit inside to look at the art by getting a key from a local house. If you want a spot overlooking the Irish Sea, the Dublin Mountains, the Cooley Mountains and the plains of Meath, this is the location.

The first thing we noticed was the Sugarloaf Mountain rising like a witches hat in the distance. It took me a while to get my bearings as I could not understand how we were looking at the top of a mountain which you can usually only see when you drive off the M5O near Bray. But yes, there was the little Sugarloaf beside it too. Crazy!

This route is pretty much the highest point around here so no matter which section you are on you will be looking out over green plains that go on and on into the distance.

It is a quiet location too – quiet enough to take Pixel off the lead. It actually helped that the road stretches were so straight as we could see any cars coming well in advance and put him back on the lead.

As we walked Delphine checked out the houses, their views and the way they were positioned. No doubt she is checking the larger ones and the period ones on her special property websites as you read. I’m more into scenery so I was happy to catch glimpses of the sea in the distance when we swung our first left.

The next left had more straight sections. These were made for great walking and most of the road was hemmed in by mature trees. Give me trees any day over hedges. Trees add an openness to a walk while also providing shade and we needed it on this day. Hedges, specially the big and dense ones, make me claustrophobic. Once again we startled a buzzard and it took off slowly from a tree in front of, its great wings meant for gliding doing their best to get a bit of distance between us.

Our next left swung us around the corner of a glorious free range house with a van advertising polytunnel construction. Red tin roof, cob cottage walls that were whitewashed in the sun. It was just lovely.

The road rose again and the views spread out below us but my camera could not capture how good they were as they just blended into different shades of greenness. We ate blackberries all along here until we came to another junction. From here it was uphill back to our car so I got a good stretch on my calves while I listened to Delphine cursing.

Google Maps: 53.595717, -6.327776

Distance: 7.25 km

Time: Two hours

Type of walk: Quiet country roads.

Views: Farmland, Dublin Mountains, Irish Sea

Animals: Horses, cows, buzzard, hens

Plant of the Day: Blackberries

blackberries

Humans: 1 x family walking dogs

Score: 7/10

This was my first time being so close to the Dublin border and I don’t really know it as well as the rest of the county so feel free to let me know anything interesting about the area..

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