Why A North Bull Island Walk is One of the Best Hikes in Dublin

Explore North Bull Island in Dublin, a great place in the Ireland for a nature and birdwatching walk. Discover Bull Island birds

A nature walk on North Bull Island is one of the best hikes in Dublin and is the perfect weekend activity when the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky. (an admittedly rare occurrence). 

We're not the type to sit around on a beach, but we do love a good hike in an area of natural beauty, especially when that walk is practically in our backyard in Dublin. 

With this in mind, we set out for a hike and a bit of birdwatching on North Bull Island which is located just offshore between Clontarf and Raheny in the suburbs of Dublin.

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: It is also well-worth spending some time in Dublin City Centre. Check out our huge list of one day Dublin City itineraries to keep you busy.

Visit North Bull Island Dublin Two Hours Before High Tide

I've read that the best birdwatching times are a couple hours before high tide.  When we arrived at the entrance to North Bull Island, the grass peeked out in the marshy area below the causeway out to the island.  Dublin's iconic Poolbeg smokestacks stood vigil in the distance.

Birdwatching on Dublin's North Bull Island

On the other side of the Bull Island causeway, I looked out through my binoculars and quickly spotted birds.  They were everywhere!

We spotted teals, godwits, barnacle geese, and a curlew on Bull Island.

Walking on, we picked our way through tall grasses rustling in the wind moving north toward the tip of Bull Island.

We spotted a reed bunting in the distance balancing precariously.

We saw more birds in the distance and hiked down off of the North Bull Island dunes to water's edge.  The tide was slowly but visibly coming in.

We crept closer and spotted a group of ringed plovers hanging out on a small patch of dry ground as the tide came in around them.  Such beautiful birds!

As we were walking around Bull Island, we heard a near constant and beautiful song.  We saw a bird soaring over our heads.  In flight, it sang without stop.  We finally caught a glimpse of this lovely little skylark when it came in for a very brief landing near water's edge on Bull Island.

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Looking for other places to go for a hike in Dublin? Why not walk Sandymount Beach and onward to the Poolbeg Lighthouse?

Beautiful Views on a Nature Walk on North Bull Island Dublin

At the very northern tip of Bull Island, we were rewarded with gorgeous views of Howth Head. Just beyond Howth Head is another fantastic birdwatching spot in Dublin that I recommend checking out: Ireland's Eye.

North Bull Island Beach

We walked carefully to the edge of the Bull Island and made our way down onto the beach.

We strolled back the way we had come and spotted all sorts of amazing shells along the way.

We even spied a very large jellyfish washed up on shore.

Wrapping Up Our Bull Island Walk at High Tide

By the time we finished our walk around North Bull Island, it was definitely high tide and the channel under the causeway used to walk onto the island was flooded.

Post-Hike Coffee Near Bull Island Dublin

We finished our afternoon adventure in the suburbs of Dublin with a stop at Perkulicious for coffee and a snack in their outdoor garden.  It was a perfect end to a perfect sunny day on North Bull Island!

Map of Our North Bull Island Dublin Walk

Click on the image of the map below to open up an interactive version in Google Maps to help you plan your walk (perhaps retracing my steps).

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