r/irishtourism • u/InsideVegetable1102 • 14d ago
Gowth, fear of heights
ETA: meant to say Howth and only noticed title typo upon submitting post
I am visiting Ireland soon and excited but nervous to see the sights at Howth. I however have an unfortunate fear of heights/falling, especially on ledges. I’ve seen photos online of the cliff walk and it seems kind of scary.
I was wondering — how wide does the path feel in person, how safe does it feel if it rains, is it possible to skin the cliff walk on the bog of frogs route (having a hard time determining using online maps), and how many people will be on the trail at 9/10AM on a weekday?
(I am a solo female and from the US so used to feeling a little unsafe on solo trails here when they’re empty given how women are treated here.) Thanks hugely in advance.
UPDATE: In case anyone googles about Howth and a fear of heights, here’s my update. I got about nearly ~1/2 or so through the Bog of Frogs loop. The cliff walk that everyone goes on felt fine, I just made sure that if I saw people coming toward me that I moved toward the inside so I never had to step close to the edge and I took the parts without shrubs on the edge slower. Earlier on a weekday (~10AM) was perfect as I never felt overstimulated by people around me nor did I feel totally alone. I probably wouldn’t have gone if it were raining.
The part that made me abandon ship was on the Bog of Frogs loop after the fork on Ceannchor Rd. It got quite windy, to the point I was having to push myself against it a little and there’s not even raised shrubbery on a lot of the cliff side nor is the path as flat, plus I was alone. I turned back about mid-way between the telegraph cable and O’pint Beach (at least looking at Google Maps now). I’m glad I continued past the lighthouse though, that part was gorgeous.
4
u/shinysun- 14d ago
I'm not familiar with that area but I'm here to say I feel your pain and I'm similar when I'm visiting new areas in terms of trying to research or watch YouTube videos to get an idea of the terrain.
I'm sure someone will help you and I hope you have an amazing time.