Our Guided Hike with Salomon on the Fairy Castle Loop

Two Saturdays ago we did something a little different. We took a sold-out group of walkers up into the Dublin Mountains for our Salomon hike on the Fairy Castle Loop, a morning out on top of the usual day in the shop, and it turned into one of the best we have had all year. The forecast behaved, the boots came out of their boxes, and by lunchtime everyone had earned a seat in the sauna.

We had quietly hoped the event would land well. We did not expect it to sell out. Every ticket went, the group was brilliant, and the whole thing ran from start to finish without a single hitch. Here is how the day went, and how to get your hands on the boots that stole the show.

Meeting at the GAP

We gathered first thing at Glencullen Adventure Park, better known to most as the GAP, tucked into the hills above Glencullen in south Co. Dublin. It is one of those places that feels a long way from the city while sitting only fifteen minutes off the M50, which made it the ideal base for a morning on the hills. There is a café on site and easy parking, so the group came together quickly with coffees in hand.

Before a single boot touched the trail, the Salomon reps had their demo footwear laid out and ready to try. This was the part a lot of people had come for. You can read about a boot all day, but there is no substitute for lacing a pair up and walking real ground in them, and that is exactly what everyone got to do. Our own 53 Degrees North team worked alongside the Salomon staff, getting people into the right size and talking them through fit, lacing and what to look for underfoot before we set off, which set the tone nicely for the climb ahead.

Half the fun was watching people who arrived unsure about what they needed leave with a clear idea of the boot that suited them. A few tried a stiffer, more supportive boot for the first time and were surprised by how much steadier it felt once we hit the rougher ground. That is the whole point of getting out and testing gear on the terrain it is built for, rather than on a shop floor.

Up to the Fairy Castle

From the GAP the Fairy Castle Loop climbs steadily onto Two Rock Mountain, following good tracks that form part of the Dublin Mountains Way. The Fairy Castle itself is the ancient cairn that sits on the summit, a heap of stones with far more history than its size lets on, and one of the finest viewpoints in the county.

The walk was properly guided, too. Elaine from Súil Linn led the way, and our mountain guides brought the trail to life as we climbed, talking us through the native flora underfoot, the historical sites scattered across the hillside and plenty more besides. It is the kind of local knowledge you only pick up from people who know this ground, and it turned a good walk into a genuinely memorable one.

What makes the loop such a good group walk is that it never feels like a slog. The gradient is honest but manageable, the surface underfoot is mostly firm, and there is enough changing scenery to keep the conversation going the whole way up. We stopped often, partly for the views and partly to let people feel the difference the demo boots were making, and nobody was left behind.

On a clear morning the reward at the top is hard to beat. The Great Sugarloaf stands proud to the south, Dublin Bay opens up to the north, and on the day we could see for miles in every direction. It is a moderate walk rather than a hard one, a steady pull uphill on decent ground that took us a couple of hours at a relaxed group pace, with plenty of stops to take it all in. Good footwear makes all the difference on this kind of terrain, which brings us neatly to the boots.

The boots that stole the show

The star of the demo was the Salomon Quest 5. It was the boot most people wanted on their feet, and it did not disappoint on the climb, with the grip, support and comfort that have made it Salomon's benchmark backpacking boot.

If the Quest 5 is not the boot for you, the rest of the range is well worth a look, and much of it walked the loop with us. The Salomon line runs from the lighter, faster X Ultra 5 through to the fully supportive Quest, all built on the same GORE-TEX, Contagrip and chassis technology that keeps your feet dry and planted. You can browse everything we carry below, and anything showing is in stock and ready to go.

Weighing up your first proper pair, or moving up from a walking shoe to a boot? Our guide to choosing walking and hiking boots covers fit, height and sole in plain terms, and it leans on the same Salomon range you saw on the hill.

Warming up at Tigh'n Alluis

No hike in the Dublin Mountains is complete without somewhere to thaw out afterwards, and we were spoiled. A short walk from the GAP sits Tigh'n Alluis, an outdoor sauna retreat with a barrel sauna, a yurt and a natural pond looking straight out over the mountains. The optional sauna was one of the most popular parts of the day, and it is easy to see why.

There is real substance to it beyond the novelty. The heat of the sauna against the cold of the plunge is the classic contrast that leaves you feeling reset rather than wrecked, and after a couple of hours on the hill it was the perfect way to round off the morning. A few of the group had never tried it before. By the end they were converts, already asking when the next one would be.

Watch the day back

We captured a bit of the morning on camera too. Here is the day in a couple of minutes, from the first boots going on to the last of the steam rising off the pond.

Thank you, and what is next

A sincere thank you to everyone who came out, to Elaine from Súil Linn and our mountain guides for leading the way and bringing the trail to life, to our own 53 Degrees North team and the Salomon staff for the boots and the fittings, and to the crew at Tigh'n Alluis for the welcome at the end. A sold-out event only works because people turn up ready to enjoy it, and this group did exactly that.

We will be running more of these through the year with our brand partners, and if this one is anything to go by they will not hang around for long. The best way to hear about the next one first is to sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social. In the meantime, if a morning on the hills has you thinking about a new pair of boots, the Salomon range and our wider selection of walking and hiking boots are all online and in our four stores. Order online for free Click & Collect, or free home delivery over €100 across Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, usually 1 to 2 working days with DPD.