Hiking trails lead to Glenveagh Castle, located in a national park in northwest Ireland. Photo © Romrodinka | Dreamstime.com

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Hillwalking is part of Ireland’s culture.

To the American eye, hillwalking and hiking have a lot in common. Both involve lacing up a pair of boots and heading somewhere on foot.

But in Ireland, hillwalking is more than an aerobic activity; it’s a cultural tradition. Hillwalking may involve few trails and no particular destination. The focus is on wandering — and wonder. That said, there are plenty of hillwalks where the trail has already been blazed.

On a recent trip to Ireland, I tried my hand (er, feet) at hillwalking and found no shortage of places to practice.

A day on the Mournes

A two-hour drive from Dublin, the Mourne Mountains are a Northern Ireland-designated “Area of Outstanding Beauty.” Under the tutelage of tour guide Peter Rafferty from Walk the Mournes, I completed my first hillwalk to the peak of Wee Binnian, just 1,500 feet high. It’s the little sibling of sorts to Slieve Binnian, one of the tallest peaks in the Mournes, at 2,450 feet. (“Slieve” is a Gaelic word that means mountain.)

Along the way, Rafferty pointed out native flowers, expounded on local history, and paused often to let me take in the seemingly endless views of Ireland’s famous green hills below.

Nestled between the Mournes and the Irish Sea — with a stunning view of both — Slieve Donard Resort and Spa was an ideal place to rest after a long and windy walk in the hills.

Glenveagh National Park

After fewer than three hours in the car, I arrived at Glenveagh National Park on the northwest side of the island in County Donegal.

To fuel up for my hillwalk, I stopped for lunch at the visitors center, which offers a more sophisticated take on typical park concessions — and, of course, tea. After a falafel wrap and fries, I was ready for Glenveagh’s most popular walk, a two-mile trek from the visitors center to the park’s eponymous castle.

The paved, flat trail winded through peat bog and wetlands before emerging into a more open landscape where the park’s moody blue lake, Lough Beagh, reflected the steep, green mountains that rise above it.

The 19th-century Glenveagh castle, located at the end of the walk, looks like something out of Beauty and the Beast. But it’s all beauty here, especially the castle’s carefully-tended gardens, where plants like dahlias and rhododendrons grow.

A seaside saunter on Cruit Island

Another County Donegal gem, Cruit Island (pronounced “Critch”) offers the hillwalker a chance to take a windswept, seaside walk and explore endless rocky coastlines, fields of wildflowers, and busy tidepools.

Only about 85 residents live on this four- square-mile island, and their charming, thatched-roofed cottages are mostly built behind grassy dunes to protect them from the elements.

Although there aren’t any official trails on Cruit Island, per se, it’s easy to find
recognizable foot paths made by hillwalkers who have come before. They traverse stretches of heather and thistle — and many of the island’s 12 sandy beaches.

As I wandered about, I couldn’t help but wish I’d brought a picnic, an excuse to stay even longer to marvel at the foamy sea.

For a completely different kind of walking adventure, Cruit Island is also home to one of Ireland’s most scenic golf courses.

Rails to trails

The next day I woke up in a well-appointed room at the Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh, a dignified estate that overlooks the gray Atlantic Ocean. After a hearty breakfast in the hotel’s Glasshouse Restaurant, I headed south to Achill Sound in County Mayo to check out the Great Western Greenway — Ireland’s version of a rail trail.

The Great Western Greenway — which follows the right-of-way of the old Midlands Great Western Railway — runs for 27 miles, from Achill Sound to the bustling village of Westport.

I opted to try about eight of those miles from Achill Sound to Mulranny, where I would reward myself with lunch. The paved trail offered gentle gradients and breathtaking views. Soaring cliffs towered above spongey peat bogs and sparkling estuaries.

While the Great Western Greenway is an ideal walking path, many choose to see it by bike. Clew Bay Bike Hire offers regular and e-bikes for those looking for more wind in their hair.

At the end of the trail, Mulranny Park Hotel served up enough Irish food to keep me sated until my next journey to the Emerald Isle: brown bread, black pudding, and, of course, fish and chips.

If you go

Aer Lingus offers two daily direct flights from Dulles to Dublin — a breezy six-hour (or two-movie) trip.

On the way home, travelers will appreciate Dublin International Airport’s U.S. pre-clearance facility, allowing all U.S.-bound passengers to clear immigration and customs prior to departure. Upon landing stateside, you’ll get to skip the passport line.

It’s a great perk, but do plan ahead; arrive at the airport three hours early to ensure enough time to make it through check-in, security and immigration control.

For more information about Ireland’s hillwalks, visit walkthemournes.com or hillwalktours.com.