Awaken Your Senses

Terry's first encounter with full moon walking came years ago while training for his Mountain Skills during a night navigation session at Trooperstown, near Glendalough.

“I loved the feel of walking with the moon shining across the valleys and the silvery light that it gave. I was very surprised of how much I could see and silhouette of the surrounding hills and woodlands around us. I thought it would be a great experience fort others to discover and offered my first ever full moon walk shortly after this.”

Night vs Day

“It is an entirely different experience to walking during the day. At first with the darkness, you may be nervous because you are not used to it but you start to adjust and enjoy the experience. The features of the surrounding landscapes lose their depths and distinct features become powerful shapes and outlines.”

“The landscape takes on a very different feel and you really can’t tell how far or close certain features are. The moon can light up tracks on the hills or rivers close by and even, where we sometimes take these walk, we can see the reflections from the sea.”

“Then of course there is the sky and stars, where you can make out the different constellations on a clear night.”

Moon Cycles

“The groups that I have brought out absolutely love these unique walks. I found that they become very excited and start to think about different things, like the size of the sky, the universe, stars, constellations, moon cycles.

“Depending on the month, I explain that each month has a unique moon name which reflects activities of that period for humans, such as the Harvest moon and the Hunter Moon. The Honey Moon is one we are not all familiar with, that’s the moon in June.”

“As you start to consider how important these moon cycles were to early farmers, you start to understand why there are so many neolithic monuments in Ireland to reflect our changing seasons, where our early story tellers got some of their ideas and how sailors would use constellations to navigate.”

Your Senses & Imagination

“When walking in the dark, your hearing is greatly heightened due to the lack of light, you can hear the wind going through the trees and maybe some deer or other wildlife. Your imagination can really run amuck sometimes and you may think you see all types of objects along the trails.”

Lasting Impressions

“We get a lot of great feedback from many walkers and it’s an experience that can stay with you for a long time. Years later after doing this walk with me, a past customer will sometimes remind of their experience even though I haven’t seen them for such a long time. With the groups there is a sense of a shared adventure and a very quick binding among them. The feedback is very positive from those who have done these walks with us.”

Upcoming Full Moon Walks

Hilltop Treks have two upcoming Full Moon Guided Walks:

• Beaver Moon: Friday, 8th November, 2025
• Wolf Moon: Friday, 3rd January, 2026

Each walk begins from Shankill in South Dublin, following a section of the Dublin Mountains Way, passing one of Ireland’s oldest early Christian sites at Rathmichael, continuing past Carrickgollogan and towards the landmark Ballycorus Leadmines Chimney, a striking silhouette under moonlight.

The walk lasts approximately 2.5 hours and costs €25 per person.

More Information: Hilltop Treks