First pick
The College Garden
Park or garden
1.9 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Youghal
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: David P Howard · CC BY-SA 2.086%near a park
Outdoors in Youghal · parks, paths & countryside
Youghal is on the coast
The sea makes up 29% of the area within 5 km. 3 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Youghal, among them the Midleton to Youghal Greenway and Capel Way Coastal Trail Glen Loop. Parks and playing fields in Youghal add up to 2.0 ha for every 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Near a park
86%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
2.0 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
20 km
0.9 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
13%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC
The sea
29%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Youghal?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast29% of the area within 5 km is sea.Hills with a view4 mapped viewpoints, about 13× as many per resident as the typical Irish town.Protected land nearbyBlackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC reaches the edge of Youghal.Less park per person2.0 ha of parks and playing fields per 1,000 residents; the typical Irish town has 4.1.
Youghal’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by its views. Where it falls short is park space per person.
Against other towns
How Youghal compares with Irish towns
Each figure against Ireland’s 321 towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (city hubs left out): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Ireland has no Outdoors Grade yet: the figures are described, each against other Irish towns, and none of them counts towards the overall grade.
A park within a walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
40out of 100
Public green space2.0 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
23out of 100
Footpaths0.9 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
27out of 100
Protected for nature13%of the land within 5 km
94out of 100
Woodland0.6%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
10out of 100
The sea29%of the area within 5 km
88out of 100
Parks, paths and woods: OpenStreetMap; residents: CSO Census 2022 Small Areas; protected sites: NPWS; sea: CSO and ONS land outlines. A 0 means nothing is mapped.
Towns its size
Youghal has the 9th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (7,438 to 9,831 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cabra West (7.8 km per km²) to Tuam (0.4 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Youghal0.9
Towns its size2.7
Co. Cork towns1.8
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Youghal2.0
Towns its size4.7
Co. Cork towns4.3
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Youghal86%
Towns its size97%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
Youghal falls furthest behind on path per km², where 31 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabra West Dublin | 7.8 | 4.5% | 0% | – |
| 2 | Sandyford Dublin | 7.5 | 4.8% | 0.3% | 6.2% |
| 3 | Grand Canal Dock Dublin | 6.6 | 0.9% | 1.4% | 16% |
| 4 | Glasnevin Dublin | 6.6 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 5 | Killiney Dublin | 6 | 7.7% | 0.5% | 45% |
| 6 | Dubber Dublin | 5.7 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Ballybough Dublin | 5.5 | 1.4% | 1% | 9% |
| 8 | Booterstown Dublin | 5.4 | 2.2% | 0.2% | 29% |
| 9 | Clongriffin Dublin | 5 | 0.2% | 6.6% | 31% |
| 10 | Cherry Orchard Dublin | 4.6 | 0.5% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Monkstown Dublin | 4.2 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 38% |
| 12 | Finglas North Dublin | 4.2 | 1.2% | 0% | – |
| 13 | Baldoyle Dublin | 3.7 | 0.3% | 11% | 40% |
| 14 | Perrystown Dublin | 3.6 | 1.8% | 0% | – |
| 15 | Donaghmede Dublin | 3.5 | 2.7% | 6.2% | 31% |
| 16 | Kilmore Dublin | 3.1 | 2.2% | 3.5% | 9.5% |
| 17 | Raheny Dublin | 3.1 | 2.8% | 11% | 46% |
| 18 | Farranshone Limerick | 2.8 | 1.5% | 11% | – |
| 19 | Walkinstown Dublin | 2.8 | 0.3% | 0% | – |
| 20 | Donabate Dublin | 2.8 | 6.8% | 2.8% | 32% |
| 21 | Dalkey Dublin | 2.6 | 3.5% | 0.2% | 60% |
| 22 | Kinsealy-Drinan Dublin | 2.3 | 1.8% | 1.1% | 8.3% |
| 23 | Howth Dublin | 2.2 | 2.4% | 18% | 75% |
| 24 | Hollyhill and Ballincolly Cork | 2.1 | 7.2% | 0.5% | – |
| 25 | Frankfield and Grange Cork | 2.1 | 4.3% | 2.1% | – |
| 26 | Kilcock Kildare | 1.7 | 2.8% | 0% | – |
| 27 | Ballyvolane Cork | 1.6 | 6.7% | 2.8% | – |
| 28 | Trim Meath | 1.3 | 0.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 29 | Monaghan Monaghan | 1.3 | 8.7% | 0% | – |
| 30 | Waterford City Centre Waterford | 1.3 | 1.5% | 6% | – |
| 31 | Lusk Dublin | 1.1 | 0.6% | 1.3% | 6.4% |
| 32 | Youghal Cork | 0.9 | 0.6% | 13% | 29% |
| 33 | New Ross Wexford | 0.9 | 7.3% | 5.4% | – |
| 34 | Portarlington Laois | 0.8 | 2.5% | 1.6% | – |
| 35 | Grantstown and Ballinakill Waterford | 0.6 | 4.5% | 10% | – |
| 36 | Clane Kildare | 0.6 | 1.9% | 1.5% | – |
| 37 | Thurles Tipperary | 0.5 | 2.8% | 1.2% | – |
| 38 | Bandon Cork | 0.4 | 5.6% | 0% | – |
| 39 | Edenderry Offaly | 0.4 | 7% | 1.7% | – |
| 40 | Tuam Galway | 0.4 | 1.4% | 2.7% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Youghal’s urban area.
Green: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces and woods, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · NPWS · Sport Ireland · CSO
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Youghal
The biggest is The College Garden, 1.9 ha (5 acres).
Green Park
Park or garden
1.0 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Millenium Park
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.4 km of path
0.9 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Named parks, gardens, commons and woods in the town or within 400 m of it, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); pieces of one name that touch are one place. Sizes are the whole site; directions go to a point inside.
Close to home
9 in 10 Youghal residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (CSO Census 2022 Small Areas against OpenStreetMap).
Within 400 m (86%)Further (14%)
Youghal86%
Co. Cork towns90%
Typical Irish town92%
About 1,200 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
13% of the land around Youghal is protected for nature
Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, within 5 km of the town’s edge.
Inside Youghal1.1%
Within 5 km13%
Co. Cork towns1.5%
Typical Irish town1.8%
4 protected sites lie within 5 km of Youghal. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 14% of the land within 5 km as well; many have been proposed since 1995 and aren’t counted here. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 103 km² · reaches Youghal
NPWS pageBlackwater Estuary SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 1.7 km² · reaches Youghal
NPWS pageBallymacoda Bay SPASpecial Protection Area (birds) · 5.9 km² · 0.8 km from the edge
NPWS pageBallymacoda (Clonpriest and Pillmore) SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 5.0 km² · 2.1 km from the edge
NPWS pageProtected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service designated site boundaries (CC BY 4.0), 2026; land within 5 km from CSO Small Areas and, over the border, ONS. Overlapping sites are counted once.
National Parks
Killarney National Park is 110 km away
Ireland’s National Parks within 100 km, and the nearest always, by direction and distance from the town’s edge; circle size shows each park’s area.
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park
Killarney National Park
110 km west104 km²
None of Ireland’s six National Parks is within 100 km of Youghal; the nearest is shown.
National Park boundaries: National Parks and Wildlife Service, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0, © Government of Ireland), 2022. Distances from the town’s outline (CSO Small Areas).
Footpaths and woods
20 km of footpaths cross Youghal
Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and mapped woods and forest, in the town and 1 km around it, each beside the county’s and Ireland’s typical town of 2,500+.
Footpaths
20 km
over 20.8 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
0.6%
about 0.1 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
3
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
YoughalCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.9
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
YoughalCo. Cork townsTypical Irish town
Woodland0.6%
0%50%100%
Youghal has less footpath per km² than 73% of Irish towns and less woodland than 90% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
3 waymarked trails start near Youghal
20 km of footpaths are mapped in Youghal and the kilometre around it, 0.9 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
GreenwayWalking trail
Midleton to Youghal Greenway8.0 km
Capel Way Coastal Trail Glen Loop6.0 km
Capel Way Coastal Trail Island Loop2.5 km
For a shorter walk, the Capel Way Coastal Trail Glen Loop is 6.0 km, graded easy. 2 cycling or paddling trails also start within 5 km.
3 more waymarked walks on OpenStreetMap
Local
Youghal Foxhole Loop walk4.5 km
Slí na Sláinte Youghal1.8 km
Youghal Heritage Walk1.7 km
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). More waymarked walks: OpenStreetMap route relations (ODbL) within 2 km, those already on the register left out. Coillte’s own forest trails and recreation sites aren’t included: Coillte’s terms limit its data to research or private study. Its trails on the National Trails Register are listed.
When to get out
The best walking months in Youghal: May to September
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages for the town’s 1 km square and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.2 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.6 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 14.6 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 103 | 79 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 71 | 74 | 85 | 76 | 110 | 105 | 114 |
June is the driest month (71 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.8 hours of daylight in December, and 114 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Youghal →
The coast
The coast and bathing waters near Youghal
29% of the area within 5 km of Youghal is sea. 3 bathing waters are within 5 km, each with its latest class.
Youghal Front Strand BeachExcellent (2025) · 0.1 km from town
beaches.ieYoughal, ClaycastleExcellent (2025) · 0.2 km from town
beaches.ieRedbarnExcellent (2025) · 0.6 km from town
beaches.ie3 of the 3 are rated excellent, Youghal Front Strand Beach among them.
Bathing water classes: EPA, latest season (CC BY 4.0). Sea: the area outside CSO and ONS land outlines. Check today’s water quality on beaches.ie
Things to do
4 viewpoints and 2 playgrounds
Mapped on OpenStreetMap in the town and 2 km around it; each count per resident beside Irish towns’ typical town of 2,500+. Beaches are on the coast’s list, from the EPA.
Per resident, viewpoints stand out most: Youghal has 12.8× as many as the typical Irish town.
Every named place, with directions
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 1
Plus 1 slipway without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Gardens & nature
A garden or nature site to visit near Youghal
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
Millennium Garden of TimeGarden · In Youghal
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Youghal
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
CastlemartyrTallowYoughal
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youghal | 86% | 2.0 | 0.9 | 13% |
| Castlemartyr 14 km | 100% | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0% |
| Tallow 19 km | 72% | 4.6 | 0.3 | 4.5% |
In Castlemartyr, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Tallow has at least twice Youghal’s green space per resident.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (CSO Small Areas, by where people live) within 400 m of a park, garden, common or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap. Mapping is uneven: a town whose parks nobody has mapped looks greyer than it is.
- Protected areas. Land in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Natural Heritage Area within 5 km, overlaps counted once. Protected for nature doesn’t always mean open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it, from OpenStreetMap. Trails are the registered ones within 5 km; a trail often follows mapped paths, so the two aren’t added.
- Woodland. Woods and forest as OpenStreetMap maps them, private and Coillte forests included: mapped cover, not access.
- No grade yet. Ireland’s grades don’t include the outdoors yet: these figures describe the town and stand beside the median Irish town.
Questions about the outdoors in Youghal
What is the biggest park in Youghal?
The College Garden, 1.9 ha (5 acres). Green Park (1.0 ha) is second. 4 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Youghal?
Yes: 13% of the land within 5 km is protected, across 4 sites. Blackwater River (Cork/Waterford) SAC reaches Youghal.
What are the best walks near Youghal?
3 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Midleton to Youghal Greenway, Capel Way Coastal Trail Glen Loop and Capel Way Coastal Trail Island Loop.
Where can you swim near Youghal?
The nearest bathing water is Youghal Front Strand Beach, 0.1 km from town: Excellent (2025). Check beaches.ie before swimming: a notice can close a beach for the day.
How many people in Youghal live near a park?
86% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a park or playing field; in the typical Irish town it is 92%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Youghal?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Youghal near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Killarney National Park, 110 km west of the town’s edge; it covers about 104 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Youghal?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 4 viewpoints; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Youghal’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks, woods and paths. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): parks, woods and footpaths, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Protected sites. National Parks and Wildlife Service: designated sites (SAC, SPA, NHA), 2026
- Trails. Sport Ireland: National Trails Register, 2026
- Residents. CSO: Census 2022 Small Areas (residents)
- National Parks. National Parks and Wildlife Service: National Park boundaries, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0), 2022
- Things to do. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): viewpoints, hills, waterfalls, nature reserves, picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites and waymarked walks, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Bathing water. EPA: bathing water quality, 2025 season
- Weather. Met Éireann: 1991–2020 averages (Copyright Met Éireann)
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service (CC BY 4.0). Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0). Bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Parks, woods and paths: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Not on this page yet: Coillte’s forest trails (its terms) and bike routes.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).