Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the Killiney Hill car park, follow the park's paths round the west side of Killiney Hill, past the café and the viewpoint over Killiney Bay, to the summit, where the obelisk of 1742, the Wishing Stone and the smaller Boucher's Obelisk stand together. Walk north across the saddle to Dalkey Hill and its ruined Semaphore Tower, then follow the paths round the east side of the hill past the old quarry and back to the car park.
It is 3.7 km round with 141 m of ascent; allow about 1¼ hours. The grade is Easy: surfaced park paths and short flights of steps, with a few steeper paths on the hills.
The hilltops are open to the wind. Keep to the paths near the quarry and on the tops, where the ground drops away, and keep children close there.
The Killiney Hill car park is on Burton Road, at the park's main entrance; the council's park page gives no charge and OpenStreetMap tags it as free. The council says Dalkey station, on the DART, is about 15 minutes' walk from the park, and lists bus 59 to Victoria Road.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Killiney Hill is 153 m high; with Dalkey Hill it makes up Killiney Hill Park, which opened to the public in 1887 as Victoria Hill, in memory of Queen Victoria's Jubilee.
- The obelisk on the summit carries an inscription saying it was put up by John Mapas in June 1742, when the winter had been hard on the poor.
- From the hilltops you look across Dublin to the north-west, out over the Irish Sea, and on a clear day to the mountains of Wales and, to the south, Bray Head and the Wicklow Mountains.
- Dalkey Hill has the ruined Semaphore Tower on its top and an old quarry on its flank.
Summits on the way
- Killiney Hill 154 m
- Dalkey Hill 140 m
Getting there
Start: Killiney Hill car park. 53.26941, -6.11001
Directions to the start
By train: Dalkey station is 0.8 km from the start.
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Dalkey: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.