Bohernabreena Reservoir in South Dublin County is situated in the Glenasmole Valley. The reservoir supplies water to many homes in Dublin and is a beautiful place to come and visit for a family walk.  As part of the Dublin Mountains Way you are surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery.

The Dodder River flows through the reservoir and there is plenty of wildlife and birds for the family to spot on a visit.

I spotted a post on Mykidstime asking for volunteers to visit places in South Dublin County and do a quick review on them. We had been to  Bohernabreena Reservoir before and loved it, so were happy to visit again and give our feedback.

I visited with my partner and our 3 year old.

It is free to visit so there was no need for tickets or advance booking.

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I found parking tricky as the car park is quite small and there were queues to get in. I used Google maps to find my way, and the smaller car park was where it directed me. After our visit, I discovered there is an alternative car park at the other end, but it is not as buggy friendly.

Once you get parking there is a long buggy friendly route surrounded by farmland up to the reservoir. There is a steep hill near the end before you reach the reservoir which is a good bit of exercise.

The reservoir itself is very impressive. From this point onwards there is a water spillway to the right of the path and it is not so buggy friendly. But in saying that, this bit for us is the far more pretty part of the walk.

The sound of nature is all around and on more than one occasion we’ve been lucky to hear cuckoo’s. There are also other migrating birds such as willow warblers here so great for wildlife enthusiasts.

Once at the top you come to a road which you have to go around to get back on the path which is much narrower. Our 3 year old can walk 2.8km but usually we’d have to put her in a carrier for this walk.

We love hiking so this doesn’t put us off. It’s a walk we’ve done on more than one occasion and it’s particularly pretty in Spring and Autumn. Do wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty for after the reservoir.

There is a coffee truck at the start of the trail and I believe there is one at the end too, where the other car park is.

There is another park opposite the carpark with spectacular views of the mountains and which is buggy friendly.

In addition you can walk along the banks of the Dodder from the Dublin Mountains out to the reservoir and back towards Tallaght, Templeogue and Rathfarnham.

The reservoir itself is the highlight of any visit.

It would be great to have better parking and some more picnic benches added so that you could enjoy more time there.

I would recommend a family visit to Bohernabreena Reservoir for anyone who likes hiking. It is probably best suited to those with slightly older kids, maybe 8+.

I’d give the Bohernabreena Resrevoir 4 out of 5, there are definitely some things that could be improved.

Find out more at Dublin’s Outdoors

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