10 micro hikes to try in Ireland - easy walks that take less than an hour

As school and office life return, short walks can be squeezed into busy weeks, says Pól Ó Conghaile

Pól Ó Conghaile walking in Deputy's Pass, Co Wicklow

Pól Ó Conghaile

You don’t have to walk for hours to discover something new. You don’t even have to work up a sweat.

That struck me as I walked the 4km Deputy’s Pass Loop in Co Wicklow with my daughter. It took less than an hour, with lots of stops - to examine spiders in their webs, a bank of purple flowering heather, weird and wonderful autumn mushrooms, and a thrush watching from a darkened branch.