Fergal McLoughlin and Mairéad Furlong are the authors of the newly released book The 50 Best Family Hikes in Ireland. Together with their young son, who has already climbed all of the highest County Peaks in Ireland, they have walked each of the trails featured in the book.
As psychologists, Fergal and Mairéad bring an extra layer of insight into the mental, emotional, and family benefits of time spent hiking, making their perspective both practical and deeply thoughtful. Here, Fergal shares his reflections on what makes hiking with children so rewarding, and how parents can make it more fun for everyone.
Fergal: "Some other countries in Europe have a culture of family hiking whilst other countries, such as Ireland, hiking is largely seen as the preserve of adults. Therefore, many parents may simply not consider hiking as a family activity. Our son keeps pace with adults and we see that he is typical of children his age. We were struck by the lack of guidebooks to enable families to hike with children so decided to write our own."
"Research indicates many mental and physical health benefits to hiking, including closer family relationships, improved mood, sleep, resilience and reduced stress and anxiety. When our son was a baby, we brought on him for walks along canal banks, forests and lakeshores. We wanted him to experience the beauty and wildness of Ireland."
"Being out in wild spaces also reaches parts of our minds/psyche (e.g. imagination, deep connection to nature) not easily accessible in our modern fast-paced lifestyles. Stories from Irish mythology and local folklore are a great way to make the landscape come alive, and to effortlessly learn about geology, history and ecology."
Fergal: "From age four, it was clear our son loved scrambling and spectacular scenery. To keep children engaged, we recommend selecting hikes that are scenic and adventuresome. It is important to allow children time to explore, and build in breaks and snacks. Long straight tracks become boring and rely on parents to make up stories or games to keep children interested. Families should start with easy hikes to build resilience and a sense of achievement."
"Hiking is a low-cost activity but it requires time and planning. We made a conscious decision as a family to free some weekends for hiking and not to fill them with paid child activities/lessons which could be completed during weekdays."
"The hikes in our book cover the north, south, east and west coasts of Ireland and include the often-overlooked midlands. Our hikes range from 1km to 17km. The easiest hikes are suitable for 3-4 year olds and upwards. Our son’s favourite walk is Mullaghmore in the Burren as he loves scrambling the karst landscape. He also remembers Carrauntoohil fondly for being high above the clouds!"
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We would like to thank Fergal McLoughlin and Mairéad Furlong for shining a light on the joy and importance of getting young children more active and helping to impose a love of nature on them. We wish them every success with The 50 Best Family Hikes in Ireland and hope it inspires many more families to lace up their boots and hit the trail.
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