It takes 45 minutes to reach the trail’s northernmost point at seaside Balbriggan. As we glide into the station, I spot a pale beach with a lighthouse-tipped breakwater stretching into the sea. Within moments, I’m on the sand amid lulling waves. Around me seniors in swimming caps wade into the water while schoolchildren roll up their trousers to hop among scavenging ravens and gulls.
Despite being less than an hour from Dublin, it feels like another world entirely, and despite having visited the city many times, I’ve never ventured this far. Before setting off, I’d asked a few city-based friends if they’d ever explored the coast themselves. They looked at me as though I’d suggested another galaxy.