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Tom Parnell from Scottish Borders, Scotland · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsGuide · Northern Ireland
Walks near Belfast you can do by bus or train
Nine walks from the city without a car: a hill above the docks, the Lagan, the Mournes from Newcastle and the Causeway Coast.
By the TRXO team · · 4 min read
- walks
- 9
- long
- 2.8–9 km
- biggest climb
- 850 m
- by public transport
- 9
- dog-friendly
- 9
Belfast has hills on three sides and a lough on the fourth, and Translink's buses and trains reach most of the good walking in Northern Ireland from the city centre. The Mournes are an hour and a half away by bus; the Causeway Coast two hours by train and bus; Cave Hill is a city bus ride.
These nine walks all start at a stop or a station. The first few are short and in or near the city; the Mournes and the Causeway ones are proper days. Translink's app has live times and day tickets cover most of them.
Where they are
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Belfast
The Lagan towpath from Shaw's Bridge
- 4.4 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe river that built the city, followed on its towpath out through the Lagan Meadows to Shaw's Bridge, with kingfishers, herons and the Minnowburn woods. Flat and shaded. Any bus along the Malone or Ormeau roads gets you to the start.
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Belfast
Cave Hill from Belfast Castle
- 3.3 km distance
- 260 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe hill that looks like a sleeping giant from the city, with Napoleon's Nose at its end. From Belfast Castle's grounds a path climbs through the woods and up to the top, where the whole city, the lough and the shipyard cranes are laid out below. Bus 1 to the castle gates.
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Bangor
Bangor coastal path to Groomsport
- 5.1 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Bangor, then the North Down Coastal Path round the rocky shore to the old fishing village of Groomsport: seals, eider ducks, little bays and a pub at the end. Flat and buggy-friendly, 25 minutes from the city.
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Armagh
Armagh: the Mall to Navan Fort
- 8.2 km distance
- 40 m ascent
- 2–2.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXBus to Armagh, the city of two cathedrals, then out along the old railway line to Navan Fort, the Emain Macha of Irish legend, a great green mound where the kings of Ulster held court. History underfoot the whole way and a visitor centre at the fort.
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Derry
Derry's city walls and the Peace Bridge
- 2.9 km distance
- 50 m ascent
- 0.5–1 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Derry along the shore of Lough Foyle, which is the best railway journey in Ireland, then a circuit of the only complete city walls in the country and across the Peace Bridge. Short, but a day out, and the Bogside murals are a few minutes from the walls.
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Newcastle, Co. Down
Slieve Donard by the Glen River
- 9 km distance
- 850 m ascent
- 4–5 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXBus to Newcastle, County Down, and up the highest mountain in Northern Ireland from the sea: the Glen River through Donard Wood, the saddle at the Mourne Wall, then the final pull to the summit cairn with the whole coast below. A real mountain day, 850 m of climbing; boots and waterproofs.
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Ballintoy
Carrick-a-Rede to Ballintoy Harbour
- 2.8 km distance
- 170 m ascent
- 1–1.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Coleraine, the Causeway Rambler bus to Ballintoy harbour, then the clifftop walk to the rope bridge across to Carrick-a-Rede island. Book the bridge ahead in summer. The harbour, where Game of Thrones filmed, is the better half of the walk.
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Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway to Dunseverick
- 6.8 km distance
- 430 m ascent
- 2.5–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe same bus, to the Giant's Causeway, then east along the clifftops over the Amphitheatre and the Chimney Stacks to Dunseverick Castle, looking down on the stones from above. The best stretch of the Causeway Coast Way and quiet within half a mile of the visitor centre. Bus back from Dunseverick.
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Castlerock
Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple
- 3 km distance
- 90 m ascent
- 1 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXTrain to Castlerock, then up to the ruined bishop's palace at Downhill and the little round temple he built on the cliff edge, with seven miles of beach below and Donegal across the bay. An easy afternoon by train, and the beach walk back along the sand if you've time.
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Before you go
- Translink's iLink or day tickets cover bus and train; the Causeway Rambler (402) runs between Coleraine, the Causeway and Ballycastle in summer only.
- Slieve Donard is a mountain: the summit is often in cloud and wind when Newcastle is fine. Check the forecast on the walk page.
- Carrick-a-Rede needs a timed National Trust ticket in summer; the walk to it from Ballintoy is free.
- Sunday services are reduced everywhere; plan the last bus before you set off.
Questions people ask
What is the best walk in Belfast?
Cave Hill from Belfast Castle: an hour and a half up and down, and the best view of the city there is. The Lagan towpath for something flat.
Can you climb Slieve Donard without a car?
Yes. Buses from Belfast's Europa Buscentre to Newcastle take about an hour and a quarter and stop a few minutes from Donard Park, where the walk starts.
How do you get to the Giant's Causeway from Belfast without a car?
Train to Coleraine, then the Causeway Rambler bus in summer or the 172 all year. About two hours each way.
Read next
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GuideThe best coastal walks in Northern IrelandNine walks on the finest coast in Ireland, from the Causeway cliffs to the dunes under the Mournes. -
GuideWalks near Glasgow you can do by trainTen walks from Glasgow with a station at the start, from an afternoon in a country park to a Munro from a bus stop. - Trail NotesAll postsEvery guide, article and blog post by the TRXO team.