July 30, 2022
The Republic of Ireland has 43 long-distance waymarked trails, totaling over 2,500 miles. The 80-mile Wicklow Way was the first of these waymarked trails, with its initial section opening in 1980. It primarily runs through the Wicklow Mountains, one of Ireland’s longest mountain ranges.
We chose this trek to experience hiking over secluded mountains, through lush forests, and into deep glacial valleys. As a bonus, we would also travel to the monastic city of Glendalough, founded in the 6th century. This trek would be different from the others on our journey because we would be hiking in remote areas, away from villages and towns. This required some additional logistics and creative planning.
Our trekking route along the Wicklow Way
Into the Dublin Mountains on a Warm Day
Our first day’s stage was only 10.6 miles. It was a good thing, as it took some time to reach the trailhead on the southern outskirts of Dublin. We boarded a city bus that left just steps from our hotel. After about a 50-minute ride, we exited at Marlay Park. We posed for a photo at the trail’s start, and then set off through the park.
After leaving Marlay Park, the path began a climb into the Dublin Mountains section of the Wicklow mountain range. We walked on a paved surface, which turned into a dirt road before finally yielding to a path. As we hiked we came across both day hikers and trekkers walking toward us who were finishing their last day on the Wicklow Way trail.
It was the warmest weather we had on our entire trip – close to 70° F and quite humid. There was no shade during the climb, and we were glad that we had brought extra water with us.
Stopping to look back at times, we could see the city of Dublin behind us.
After we reached the top of our ascent, the path intersected with the Dublin Mountains trail. Many day hikers turned off there, and the number of people walking with us decreased.
The trail took us along the crest of the mountains for a short time then went steeply down to a valley.
From there it was a 1.5-mile paved road walk to a path and another climb. We took a break before beginning the ascent. Darren checked our route progress on his watch before we started up again.
We hiked through the beautiful Glencullen Forest as we began our ascent.
The climb, while not as steep as the previous one, also provided us with nice views at the top. This time we could see all the way to the Irish Sea.
We also could see some of the mountains in the Wicklow range, including Great Sugar Loaf Mountain (1,644 feet).
The trail descended through a steep rocky section that we needed to take our time to complete.
Our stage ended at another paved road. From there, we needed to carefully walk 1.4 miles down a moderately trafficked road to a bus stop. We arrived about 20 minutes early for the hourly bus. Once we boarded, it was a five minute ride to the village of Enniskerry, where we spent the night.
Typical of the places we would visit in the coming days, Enniskerry was originally built as a planned village to support the nearby 18th century Powerscourt Estate.
A Foggy and Rainy Ascent into the Highest Wicklow Mountains
We looked forward to the next day’s 14.3-mile stage because we would be hiking through the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Established in 1991, it is the largest of Ireland’s six national parks, covering an area of 50,000 acres. Ten miles of the Wicklow Way path travels through the national park.
The Day 2 stage would also take us into some of the most remote sections of the Wicklow Mountains and to the highest point of the trek. The book I bought promised wonderful views from these high points on the trail.
The weather forecast called for just a little rain in the morning, and it was misting as we left. We took the bus from Enniskerry and started our road walking again after arriving at our stop. There were fewer cars on the road this time, making things easier.
Back on the main trail, we walked on a paved road and then joined a forest road in the Lackan Wood. We missed a turn and ended up at the Glencree River. After looking at the Gaia GPS app on my phone, we realized that we could just follow a river path for a short distance to rejoin our trail. Once we were back on the Wicklow Way, we continued along the river for a few more minutes.
After we left the river, the day’s climbing began. We ascended steadily, gaining about 1,200 feet over the next seven miles. The trail weaved in and out of the National Park as well. The signs were very subtle, so we tried to be on the lookout for each national park entrance and exit point.
National Park entrance and exit signs on the trail
The path ran along a ridge that reminded us of hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. The beautiful blooming plants and ferns kept our interest as we ascended steeply at times.
The rain increased and the visibility lessened. Looking down from the ridge, we could make out the Powerscourt Waterfall in the fog. It is Ireland’s second-highest waterfall at 397 feet.
Shortly after we reached the top of the climb the rain let up. We took a break at about the five mile point in our stage.
After we started back up, the path turned a corner. Darren let out an audible, “Wow!”
Ahead of us was a very steep downhill and an even steeper ascent on the other side. Darren led the way down and I followed him.
The climb on the other side was difficult. We gained 750 feet in just 1.5 miles. To make matters worse, the rain came back. Soon, it was raining quite hard with 20 to 30 mile-per-hour winds. We stopped to put on our raincoats and kept climbing.
Climbing up the steepest part of the stage
By the time we reached the top of the climb at White Hill, we were inside a cloud. The rain and wind were still strong and our visibility was just a few hundred feet.
At the highest point of the trek at 2,066 feet, the path turned on to a narrow boardwalk lined with horseshoe nails and chicken wire to make it easier for our shoes to grip while walking. Given the wet weather, I was relieved that the boardwalk was not slippery. I fell pretty badly five years ago while hiking on a slick boardwalk in the rain while in Voyageurs National Park during our TTP National Parks adventure.
Even with the uncomfortable conditions, we weren’t too worried about the elements. We passed many locals out hiking, and some of them were even wearing shorts and sandals. And there was no lightning in the forecast. The only bummer for us was that we had no views at all. One woman we passed even apologized to us about the weather and lack of scenery.
Finally, we started down from the mountains and entered the Ballinastoe Woods. Turning a corner, the wind finally abated. The boardwalk continued, now featuring a series of steps downward.
The rain turned to a drizzle as we met a forest road. Soon we were beside a field and in civilization again.
Our night’s guesthouse accommodation was one of the few places located right next to the trail. It was in a residential area, with no stores or restaurants around, so we had brought some snacks with us to eat for dinner as we relaxed after our long and wet hike.
A Short Stage to a Monastic City
After the long and wet stage the previous day, we were happy to have just a 5.6-mile hike to one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions. Before getting started we ate breakfast at the guesthouse. The porridge with clotted cream was very good!
The climbing started right after we began walking. Even though the skies were partly cloudy, we had an opportunity to look back as we climbed higher to try to see what we had missed during yesterday’s stage. In the far distance we could make out the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain that we had trekked by during our first stage.
As we continued to climb, the trail ran across the shoulder of Paddock Hill. The sun shone through at times and we had clear views all around us.
A steep downhill took us through a dense forest.
We came to a bridge crossing the Glenmacnass River.
From the river we had just one more climb to complete before dropping down to the glacial Glendalough Valley to finish our hiking stage. However, the top of the ascent, the weather took a sudden turn, becoming cloudy. It soon began to rain.
Disappointed, we started down and arrived at the Glendalough monastic site as the rain continued. I checked the weather forecast on my phone, and it looked like the rain was going to get worse. Since we were now done with our stage, we decided to do some sightseeing and hope for the best.
Glendalough is the location of an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin. After his death in 618, the site thrived for the next six centuries. In 1214, Glendalough was united with the diocese of Dublin. This began the loss of its influence. English forces destroyed the settlement in 1398 leaving much of it in ruins.
Most of the buildings we saw dated from between the 10th and 12th centuries. We entered the site through the Gateway. This structure was originally two stories with a timber roof. The gatekeeper would have lived on the second floor.
There were several tour groups and many other people at the site. We took our time viewing everything and were able to take some good photos as the rain dissipated and the weather began to clear.
The 100-foot high Round Tower is the centerpiece of the entire site. It had six floors, and it was probably used as a bell tower to summon the monks to prayer. The door is 12 feet above the ground and was probably reached via a portable ladder (that could be pulled up in case of an enemy attack). Construction was estimated to take place between 900 and 1200.
There were seven churches in the Glendalough area. One of the most famous is St. Kevin’s Church. Dating from the 12th century, it is also known as St. Kevin’s Kitchen because of its bell tower that resembles a chimney.
The Cathedral was the largest of the churches in Glendalough. It was originally dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. With the merging of the Glendalough and Dublin dioceses in 1214, it ceased to function as a church.
Glendalough means “valley of two lakes” in Irish, and near the monastic site are two lakes. After touring the buildings, we took a short walk to view each lake. At the Upper Lake we took some time to sit on the shoreline and enjoy a snack while gazing at the water.
Views of the Lower Lake and Upper Lake
As we walked back to the main Glendalough site, the sun actually came out for a time. Overall, we spent about three hours exploring the area.
Our night’s accommodations were at an inn in the village of Laragh, located about a mile down the road. Because it was Sunday, there was scheduled shuttle bus service between Glendalough and an overflow car parking lot in Laragh. So we boarded the shuttle to take us to the village, saving us the walk distance in one direction.
Climbing from One Glacial Valley to Another
Our Day 4 stage was another short day of only 8.5 miles. It would be a challenging stage because we needed to climb out of one steep glacial valley and down into another. First, we needed to walk a mile back to Glendalough and the main trail, as there was no bus service on an early Monday morning.
As we walked, we passed the Trinity Church, another of the seven churches that were in the area. It also dated from about the 12th century. We took a moment to visit it.
When we arrived back at Glendalough, we were surprised to find that we were the only ones there. So we took a few minutes to walk through the area again and relish one of Ireland’s most important monastic sites.
After leaving Glendalough, we began the climb out of the glacial valley. Almost immediately we came upon the beautiful Poulanass Waterfall. Since we were the only ones on the trail, we sat on some rocks in silence to gaze at the waterfall and listen to the sound of the rushing water.
The next four miles were a steady ascent, gaining about 1,200 feet in elevation. The weather forecast had been promising, but it was another stage of drizzle and rain, coupled with wind gusts of about 30 miles per hour. At one point we could see the Upper Lake that we had visited the previous day far below us.
We had some intermittent mountain views, but it became foggier the higher that we climbed.
Finally reaching the top of the climb at the Borenacrow gap, we joined another boardwalk path along the crest of the mountain. The skies cleared a little as we continued walking.
The boardwalk steps took us down the other side, and we had a nice vista of the new valley below us. The 12-mile Glenmalure Valley is the longest glacial valley in Ireland.
A steep rocky downhill deposited us on another forest road, and we finished the stage at a pub in Drumgoff.
Our B&B for the night was four miles away, and we arranged a pickup with the owner at 3:00 pm. Since it was only about 1:15 pm when we arrived at the pub, we ate a leisurely lunch there. At least the rain had stopped and it was much clearer in the valley.
Leaving the Mountains Behind for Flatter Terrain
During the first four days of our trek we had hiked about 40 miles. Our remaining 40 miles would be completed in just three days. Our Day 5 distance was 14.5 miles. After spending the night at the B&B, we were driven back to the trail by the owner.
Resuming our hike, we climbed for several miles on a combination of boardwalk paths and forest roads to the slope of Slieve Maan Mountain.
At the top of the climb, we could see that the terrain ahead of us was comprised of flatter farmland.
After the climb, the downhill portion was steep. We crossed a river before starting the next ascent.
Our next uphill section was much shorter and almost entirely on forest roads.
We finished our stage at a farmhouse B&B catering to walkers that was about a half-mile walk off the main trail.
Since the Wicklow Way is so remote and accommodations near the trail are scarce, hikers end up staying at the same places each night. So we began seeing the same people over multiple days. This was the first time we had experienced this on any of the treks we have done thus far in the British Isles. We met other Irish, but also several people from the European continent, primarily from the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Now out of the major Wicklow mountain range, our Day 6 14-mile stage consisted of several shorter ascents and descents. Even though we did not venture as high up as the previous stages, we still had nice views of the surrounding countryside.
At the base of the descents we continued to walk through dense green forests.
One climb took us on a boardwalk trail known as the Fairy Walk. It consisted of 175 steps.
Late in the stage the path passed a pub called “The Dying Cow.” The 300-year old pub got its name in the 1920’s when a woman who owned the pub was accused of serving locals beer on Good Friday, which was against the law at the time. Her response to the police was that the customers were there to help her with a dying cow. She was still issued a citation, but the name stuck.
Arriving at the Dying Cow pub for a break
We stopped to take a break and split a pint of Guinness beer while finishing the rest of the packed lunch that we ordered from our previous night’s B&B.
At the table next to us was an Irish family, and we got talking to them. After we told them we were walking the Wicklow Way, they offered us a couple of extra mini apple pies they had just picked up at a bakery. We graciously accepted their kind offer, and the food and drink carried us through the remaining four miles that we had left in the stage.
After we left the pub the route traveled along quiet paved country roads. At the end of the stage, we called our B&B for a pick up to the village of Shillelagh. It was only about two miles off the trail, but we opted for a pick up because it would be a busy road walk with no shoulder.
We found Shillelagh, an estate village founded by the FitzWilliam family, to be very quaint. Some of the village buildings harkened us back to our first trek on the Cotswold Way.
Out of the Mountains and on to the Road
Our final stage was 11.8 miles. The path was a combination of some final forested sections and a couple of steep climbs as we left the mountains for good. It also meant that we would have a significant amount of paved road walking before we ended the trek in a small village. Twenty-five miles of the Wicklow Way path is on paved roads, with most of it occurring in the latter portion of the trek.
After we were dropped off by our B&B owner in the morning, we joined a paved road that took us uphill on one of the steepest climbs of our entire trek.
During these last few ascents, we savored the views of the surrounding countryside.
As we walked, we took in the scenery around us, from the butterflies fluttering along the path, to the cows, sheep, and horses in the farms next to us.
Butterfly and horses on the trail
We also enjoyed the final forested areas as we walked through the woods.
Soon after the route turned on to paved roads for the remainder of the trek. A sign helped a little bit with the increased traffic as we got closer to the end.
After seven days and 80 miles of hiking, our Wicklow Way trek ended in a small park in the village of Clonegal.
As we took a few photos to capture our finish, an older man called to us from across the street. He wanted to know if we had just finished the trek.
When we told him we had, he invited us to visit a small Weavers Cottage museum to receive a finishers’ certificate. After presenting us with the personalized certificate, Martin gave us a tour of the historic cottage. He even offered to drive us to the town of Bunclody, about five miles away, where we planned to spend the night.
Like Enniskerry, the first village that we stayed in during our trek, and Shillelagh, where we had stayed the previous night, Clonegal was an estate village for the Huntington Castle. As Martin drove us to Bunclody, he offered to take us by the Huntington Castle. It was a place that we wouldn’t have been able to see without a car. Because Martin knew the people at the castle, they let us take a few pictures on the grounds without charging us.
When we reached Bunclody, we thanked Martin and offered him some money for his time. His kindness was such a nice end to our seven day trek.
Even with the challenging ascents and descents and changing weather, we felt a real sense of accomplishment in completing the Wicklow Way. We enjoyed hiking through the remote Wicklow Mountains, taking in the sweeping vistas, walking in the beautiful lush forests, and traversing the deep glacial valleys. And visiting the historic monastic city of Glendalough was a real highlight of the trek.
With the conclusion of the Wicklow Way, we have now hiked over 500 miles during our Trekking the British Isles journey. And we still have two more treks planned in Ireland. After a rest day in Bunclody, we will start walking again from a village three miles away, as we begin the 65-mile South Leinster Way.
Really enjoyed reading this! Loved the pictures also!
Hi Kathy, thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the story and pictures!
You guys are so amazing! I’m so glad that we have actually spent some time with you.
Hi Abe and Betty, so great to hear from you! We are enjoying spending time with you two as well, through our stories and photos.
Another great post for another great adventure. So lovely all that you have seen. Love how the locals seemed so ready to help you during your journey. Great photos!!!
John, Thanks for your comment. Yes, the locals were so kind on this trek and made us feel very welcome.