Skerries

Victorian fishing village north of Dublin, with offshore islands, working mills, and a small harbour.

Skerries is a pleasant surprise — a genuine Victorian fishing village that has somehow survived the ham-fisted urban planning that plagues the Dublin commuter belt. It's on the train line from the city, 30km north of Dublin, and the coastline is good for walking. Three offshore islands are visible from the harbour: Shenick's, St. Patrick's, and Colt, giving the view a proper maritime depth.

Skerries Mills is the main sight: the only place in Europe with two windmills and a watermill on a single site, all restored to working order. The harbour is a small working fishing port with a handful of seafood restaurants and kayak tours that paddle out to the islands. Shenick Island can be walked to at low tide and hosts a Napoleonic Martello tower and a colony of harbour seals. Red Island is a headland park connected by a causeway, with good views across the Irish Sea.

There are plenty of pubs. The Stoop Your Head is a reliable gastro-pub. The chip shops, on the other hand, are a low point: dreadful food at inexplicable prices.

Guide

Bars and Cafes

Skerries has a good number of pubs for its size, many of them serious about food as well as drink. The Stoop Your Head is the best known, a gastropub on Strand Street with reliable food and a friendly crowd. The town is close enough to Dublin to attract weekend visitors, which keeps the bar scene livelier than most seaside towns its size.

Coffee options are improving; the harbour area has a couple of spots suitable for a morning sit-down before exploring the coast.

Guide

Things to Do

Skerries is a town that rewards walking. The harbour, the mills, the coastal headlands, and the offshore islands are all within easy reach on foot. It is also a good base for day trips to Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, about 30km to the north.