Dog-Friendly Wexford: The Complete County Guide

Described as “a hidden gem” by Wexford Walking Trails themselves. Near the village of Taghmon. Recently featured in their community walk programme. Ask locals in Taghmon for directions.

200+ acres of mature woodland that appears on the original 1835 Ordnance Survey map. Ancient woodland that has never been fully clear-felled. A relict of the vast forests that covered Ireland before the 16th century. You’re walking through 200-year-old trees on paths older than the state itself.

New 2.4km cliff trail (5km looped) built by Wexford County Council and the Ballygarrett Tidy Towns group. Connects to Old Bawn Beach. Community-built, barely known outside the parish. Coastal views.

Three looped trails climbing to Gibbet Hill, the old hanging hill. Views, windmills, Marian Year cross at the summit. Wildlife: Irish hare, fox, badger, peregrine falcon, hen harrier. The name alone tells you nobody’s marketing this as a tourist walk.

Scenic loops on tarred roads through the Clody Valley. Blackstairs Mountains on both sides. Mount Leinster as the focal point. Connects Wexford’s walking network to the Carlow border. Peaceful, flat, and completely overlooked.

Seven wind turbines on the peak. Walk among the turbines. Sea and land views in every direction. On a clear day you can see Mount Snowdon in Wales across the Irish Sea. Steeped in history from prehistoric times. Nobody here except you and the wind.

Tiny fishing village with castle ruins and a harbour. Almost no tourists. The kind of village where you park, walk the harbour wall, let the dog sniff every lobster pot, and leave without seeing another car. Combine with Hook Head for a full peninsula day.

Walk out to what was once an island. The Norman invasion of Ireland started here in 1169. Carrig Graveyard nearby has medieval church ruins and graves dating back centuries. Bannow Bay views. Hauntingly beautiful and almost never visited.

Loop walk from the abbey through Saltmills village. Wild garlic smell in April, bluebells in May. Views over Bannow Bay. Stop at Saltmills for food. Wreck of the Port Lairge visible from the trail. Oyster harvesting in the bay below.

A sand spit nature reserve stretching into the estuary south of Kilmore Quay. Remote, wild, windswept. The kind of walk where your dog runs for 20 minutes straight without meeting another living thing. Not safe for swimming but spectacular for walking.

Ancient Christian pilgrimage site. Loop walk around the lake. The “island” is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Medieval church and castle ruins. Quiet, contemplative, completely off the tourist radar.

“Hard to find beach which is down a potholed lane but the beach is a hidden gem.” Looking out at the Kerragh Islands. The kind of beach you feel like you discovered because nobody told you it existed.

1,500 yew hedges forming a maze within the grounds of the medieval abbey. Castle, museum, craft shop. Scenic walks and picnic spots. Not a walk for speed; this is a place to slow down and explore.

1798 Rebellion site. A tulach (burial mound) connecting the world of the living and the “other world.” Views across the county. A history walk more than a nature walk, but the views make it worth the climb with your dog.