Howth, Ireland is located a mere 12 miles from Dublin on a peninsula just north of the city, but it feels worlds away. Howth is most known for its seaside Cliff Walk and piers which are home to the many fishmongers who call Howth their home port. Howth was my destination for the day and was perfect for a half-day trip outside of Dublin.
But first, breakfast. I have seen Bread 41 on several blogs, top bakery lists, and YouTube videos, as their baked goods are seriously Instagram worthy. Obviously, I needed to try it for myself. And… wow. I couldn’t decide what to get, but the girl working behind the counter suggested the lemon cruffin. The cruffin was flaky, messy, and both filled with and topped with lemon curd and buttercream. Need I say more? It was delicious and definitely lived up to the hype.
The DART train takes about 30 minutes to reach Howth Station from Dublin, and soon I was surrounded by the sights and sounds of the sea. Howth has three piers and I took my time strolling along the waterfront harbor before heading to the cliffs.
The Howth Cliff Walk is actually four different routes that loop around the headlands. I picked the most popular, the green route, clocking in at just 6 kilometers. The first half was amazing and had me oohing and aching around every bend. The second part only had glimpses of the sea, as you descend downhill through residential neighborhoods above the town. I definitely got my steps in, and the rewarding view of Baily Lighthouse from the summit was worth it.
While Howth Castle is privately owned, I had read that you can visit the grounds, which was my next stop after finishing the Cliff Walk. Other than viewing the castle from the outside, there wasn’t much to see, so I headed back to town in search of food.
My original lunch destination was described by someone online as having life-changing fish and chips. Sadly, a medical emergency just as I arrived caused them to close temporarily and I settled for Beshoffs, which seems to be the “classic” spot for fish and chips in Howth. The fish was excellent but the service was mediocre at best.
After lunch, I needed to have my first Irish ice cream. I stopped at Howth Abbey to take a couple of pictures since the lighting was not very good this morning, then headed to Ann’s for a “99” ice cream. A 99 is a soft serve cone with a Cadbury Flake. It was good, but Carvel is still my gold standard when it comes to soft serve.
After taking the train back to Dublin, I hightailed it to The Cobblestone, a pub on the north side of Dublin that has live music all afternoon and evening. I grabbed a Legacy craft cider and a seat at the bar to enjoy the music for a while. I’ve read that this is about as traditional as an Irish session gets in Dublin. There were probably a dozen musicians in the front of the pub who took turns playing various instruments and singing.
I have an early departure for my day trip tomorrow, so I grabbed a sandwich and yogurt at the grocery store to have for dinner in my hotel room tonight. I pulled the table and chair over to the window and watched the trams going by as I feasted on my grocery store dinner. Tomorrow I’m leaving the country for the day… I’ll let you take a guess as to where I’ll be going!
Traveling with Laura 