View of Dublin Bay from the southern side of Howth!

Just northeast of the center of Dublin, there sits an ultra-wealthy yet publicly accessible community called Howth. I decided to visit with some friends one day after getting suggestions from my homestay family along with having the excuse to visit some of my other friends who were staying in the area. From where I was currently staying, it was nearly an hour away by public transit. Nevertheless, it made for a wonderful excuse to get out of the house on a beautiful (and rare) sunny day.

The first order of business was to meet up with my other friends who lived right outside the community. Joe (my roommate) and I hopped on the N6 bus that took us right to Kilbarrack, which was only a block from the others. We got off at a stop right outside a sports field and a Toyota dealership (it was the final stop anyway) and took a 10-minute walk over to my friend’s homestay.

After gathering a group together, we set off for Howth. We decided early on to take a long yet scenic route, which snaked through the peninsula’s many cliffs and rocks that were free of paved roads and mansions. As we passed by bigger and bigger houses and a small sailing club that was practicing at the time we walked by (two sailboats had capsized in the five minutes we were watching), we came across a dirt road that seemed to lead straight into the vegetation. From that moment on, we were moving from the comfort of paved roads onto the beaten path.

A perfect cut for a perfect view!

The tall pine trees that dotted the landscape welcomed us to a more untouched part of Ireland. The rock formations that jutted out from the grassy bills had a slight pinkish hue that complimented the arctic flowers blooming in between. Howth’s trails took us through a variety of landscapes in a very short period of time; which was all open and free of any sort of barriers, even along the steep waterfront cliffs. Everything was so beautiful and well taken care of, and would have easily counted as one of the most relaxing walks in Ireland if it were not for the fact that the two others in my group felt ballsy enough to stand at the edge of the cliff’s edge and nearly tumbled over the side from a large gust of wind.

Disaster was avoided, but narrowly… And they called me anxious after they got back on the path!

By the time we got to the actual city of Howth, we had walked nearly nine miles up steep hills without any water. At the southern entrance to the town, the Summit convenience store was our saving grace from dehydration and voracious college male appetites. As we got water and a quick snack, we took the bus down to the main marina area. As per request by my homestay mother, we all got Beshoff’s fish and chips for dinner. Before hopping on the train to complete our final trip back to the homestay, we sat down at a local memorial to eat our food. I will never forget the first bite of a Beshoff’s fish sandwich moved me to literal tears after such an exhausting day. And so, with our stomachs full and knees nearly giving out, we took the train back to Killarney and our respective buses back to our homestays, where we all passed out instantaneously.