Walks & Trails in County Louth

Nearly all of this list sits in the north of the county, on or around the Cooley Peninsula, so a walking day in Louth usually means heading for the Carlingford Lough side and choosing between the flat and the steep.

The flat end is largely old railway. Omeath is a small village on the north shore of the lough, looking across to the Mournes; it grew up around an 1876 station, and the line into Carlingford is now a level greenway, with a foot ferry to Warrenpoint in summer. Dundalk Bay is the other easy option, boardwalks along the Navvy Bank from the Newry Road out to Soldiers Point. The bay holds more than 20,000 waterfowl through the winter, so the cold months are the reason to go rather than the thing to avoid.

For height, the Táin Way circles the peninsula from Carlingford in 40.3 km with about 1,025 m of ascent, usually split over two days across Slieve Foy and Clermont Pass; dogs are not allowed. The Annaloughan Loop is the short version of the same country, 5.9 km signed from the car park at Fitzpatrick’s pub in Jenkinstown, nearer 8 km all in, with one open stretch over Dundalk Bay and a lot of forestry track that turns to mud after rain. Ravensdale Forest, climbing towards Black Mountain on the old Clermont estate, keeps its waymarked walks, free parking and dogs.

Where to start

  1. Omeath – greenway on Carlingford Lough Cooley Peninsula

    Sits on the north shore of Carlingford Lough, where an 1876 railway line is now a flat greenway running the whole way to Carlingford.

  2. Ravensdale Forest – stones and ridge walks Dundalk

    Waymarked woodland walks climbing towards Black Mountain, with standing stones nobody can date, free parking, dogs allowed and far fewer people than the Cooley honeypots.

  3. Táin Trail – Maeve's march Louth

    Follows Queen Maeve's army from Rathcroghan in Roscommon to Cooley under brown-bull markers, though the 40 km Louth section is the part actually worth walking.

  4. Annaloughan Loop Jenkinstown

    A signed 5.9 km loop from a pub car park in Jenkinstown, about 250 m of climbing for one wide view over Dundalk Bay.

  5. Dundalk Bay – waders and tidal flats

    Boardwalks along the Navvy Bank to Soldiers Point, on a bay carrying more than 20,000 wintering waterfowl, among Ireland's most important bird sites.

5 of 6 shown — tap a pin for the place.

Omeath – greenway on Carlingford Lough
Courtesy Failte Ireland

Omeath – greenway on Carlingford Lough

Cooley Peninsula, louth

Omeath is a small village on the north shore of Carlingford Lough on the Cooley Peninsula, looking across the water to the Mourne Mountains. It grew up around an 1876 railway station; the line is now a flat greenway to Carlingford, and a foot ferry crosses to Warrenpoint in summer. It was also one of the last Gaeltacht pockets in eastern Ireland, its dialect recorded before the final speaker died in 1960.

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Questions people ask

Which Louth walk is easiest if I don't want a climb?
The Omeath greenway, which follows the old railway line along Carlingford Lough into Carlingford on the flat, or the Navvy Bank boardwalks at Dundalk Bay between the Newry Road and Soldiers Point. Neither involves any real ascent.
How long does the Táin Way take to walk?
It is a 40.3 km circuit of the Cooley Peninsula starting and finishing in Carlingford, with roughly 1,025 m of ascent, and it is normally done over two days. Dogs are not permitted on it.
Are any of these walks dog friendly?
Ravensdale Forest is the obvious one, a dog-friendly woodland with waymarked routes and free parking. The Táin Way does not allow dogs at all, so if you are walking with one, keep to the forest and the flatter greenway and boardwalk sections.
Do I need a car for these, or can I walk from town?
Dundalk Bay's boardwalks start in Dundalk itself. The rest sit out on the Cooley Peninsula: Ravensdale, Jenkinstown for the Annaloughan Loop, Omeath and Carlingford for the Táin Way, all of which are easier reached by car.
What time of year suits these walks best?
Winter is when Dundalk Bay is at its best, with over 20,000 waterfowl on the flats. Summer brings the Omeath foot ferry across to Warrenpoint. Annaloughan's forestry track turns muddy after rain, so save it for a dry spell.

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