Arklow: Maritime History, Walks and Coast

Arklow brings together maritime town history, several walking routes and a sandy stretch of coastline near the town centre. Each experience has a different focus: the Heritage Museum centres on boatbuilding and lifeboat and fishing traditions, while walks and the Arklow South Beach Walk shape a stay in other ways. When choosing a holiday rental in Arklow, you can therefore start by asking whether you would most like to include culture, exercise or activities on the water in your trip.

Maritime history and a distinctive landmark

The Arklow Heritage Museum presents Arklow’s maritime history in County Wicklow. Its particular focus on boatbuilding and lifeboat and fishing traditions gives a museum visit a clear theme: the activities associated with Arklow’s maritime past. If you would like to get to know the town through more than its walks and coastline, you can include this cultural highlight in your travel plans.

One distinctive landmark is the Nineteen Arches Bridge. It is considered Ireland’s longest hand-built stone bridge and connects the southern, or main, part of Arklow with the northern district of Ferrybank. The bridge can therefore be viewed both as a remarkable structure and as a link between two parts of the town. This distinction sets it apart from the walking routes, where distance and walking time are more relevant to planning your day.

Walking routes of varying lengths

The Arklow Riverwalk is a 3 km circular walk. It starts at the edge of the Nineteen Arches Bridge and at the Bridge Hotel. If you are looking for a route with a clearly stated length, you can consider this as one of the options in Arklow. The distance also makes it easy to compare with the other circular walks mentioned, without needing to infer a walking time.

The Arklow Loops Town Walk is an easy 4.3 km circular walk, taking about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It passes Arklow Library along the way. Its length and approximate walking time give you two specific points of reference, while the Riverwalk is listed as the shorter option at 3 km. When planning, you can compare these two town walks by distance and, for the Town Walk, by the stated walking time.

Another option is the Arklow South Beach Walk, an easy circular route of just under 6 km. The Riverwalk and Town Walk are the shorter alternatives to the nearly 6 km South Beach Walk. If you would like to plan your stay around a particular walking distance, these details are more useful than broadly treating all the routes as equivalent tours.

Sandy coastline and activities on the water

Arklow South Beach is a sandy stretch of coastline near the town centre. Fishing, kitesurfing and kayaking are among the popular activities there. This gives the coastline a different focus from the museum, bridge and town walks: here, the emphasis is on water and beach rather than maritime history or a walk. If you are travelling with people who have different interests, you can treat these experiences as separate parts of your plans and decide which are most important for your stay.

Getting there and other destinations

Arklow is on the N11 and the Dublin–Rosslare railway line. Depending on your chosen mode of transport, you can take these two transport connections into account when planning your journey: the N11 is the road connection, while the railway line connects Dublin and Rosslare.

If you would like to explore other destinations, you can also find Boystown, Tinahely, Bray, Tulfarris Holiday Village, Blessington, An Láithreach, Redcross and Donard here.

For the broader travel overview: County Wicklow.