Wicklow Way Guided Holiday

The county of Wicklow is often called ‘the Garden of Ireland’, alluding to the fine agricultural land and magnificent scenery in the hinterland of Dublin, Ireland’s capital city. There are several fine country houses with estates: Powerscourt, Avondale, Russborough, Kilmacurragh, Kilruddery and Mount Usher. However, Wicklow is not all country estates and green, rolling hills. The Wicklow Mountains (which together with the Dublin Mountains form a single range) constitute the highest unbroken highland area in Ireland. The predominant rock is granite, forming a plateau mainly covered with peaty soil. Most of the valleys which cut into this plateau run down to the east coast (Glencullen, Glencree, Glendalough and Glenmalure) or west to the plains of Kildare and Carlow (Glen of Imaal and the Upper Liffey Valley).

The jewel of Wicklow is undoubtedly Glendalough, ‘the valley of the two lakes’ where St. Kevin founded a monastery in the 6th century. A number of buildings remain (mainly from the 10th and 11th centuries), including the cathedral, a chapel known as St. Kevin’s Kitchen, the round tower and several subsidiary churches. The nearby interpretative centre has an audio-visual presentation on monastic life in Ireland and a scale model showing how the monastic city looked in its heyday. The Upper Lake at Glendalough is in a deep U-shaped glacial valley which can be appreciated in full by making the steep climb to the viewpoint of the Spink.

Wicklow is an ideal area for walkers who want to enjoy splendid scenery without too much arduous terrain. Most of the walks are on well-walked tracks, many of them waymarked, with some stretches on minor roads. The climate in Wicklow, being on the east coast, is noticeably drier than in the West of Ireland. Access to the region is simple from Dublin and a tour of Wicklow can easily be combined with a visit to Ireland’s capital.

Day 1 A Courtesy Transfer is available at 16.00 hrs from Dublin Airport. Arrive to our accommodation in Enniskerry where we stay for the next 2 nights. We will have an evening meal together and a general chat about the coming week’s walks.

Day 2 Our first walk commences in Marlay Park, the start of the ‘Wicklow Way’. You walk through Marlay Park before rising to cross the Dublin Mountains, enjoying sea and mountain views. Crossing the boundary into County Wicklow and descending into the Glencree Valley and continuing to Enniskerry village. The views over Dublin City behind you as you climb and out over the Irish Sea are breathtaking and unique. Dinner and overnight in Enniskerry.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 16 kms. Approx. Duration: 5.5 hours. Max. Height: 500 mts. Path, some road walking, forest track and mountain path. Can be wet underfoot. Boots essential.

Day 3 After Breakfast, a short transfer takes us via the Sally Gap well into the Wicklow Mountains for today’s walk on Kippure mountain and the surrounding hillsides. Continue our walk along the shores of Lough Bray, upper and lower, and the Liffey River Valley (source of Guinness!) before retuning to the Military Road for our transfer to Laragh for dinner and overnight.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 12 kms. Approx. Duration: 6 hours. Max. Height: 757 metres. Path, some road walking, forest track and mountain path. Can be wet underfoot. Boots essential.

Day 4 Transferring to Oldbridge, we start our walk along the shore of Lough Dan, one of the largest lakes in the Wicklow Mountains, continuing along through the “lost village”, then on to the summit of Brown Mountain, Scarr, and by joining the Wicklow Way on Paddock Hill we return on foot to Laragh. This is one of the “classic” Wicklow walks and has to be experienced to be appreciated. Dinner and overnight in Laragh.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 16 kms. Approx. Duration: 6 hours. Max. Height: 641 metres. Pathways, some road walking, forest track and trails, with open mountain paths. Can be wet underfoot/soft. Boots essential.

Day 5 This morning you leave the Glendalough valley via the Upper Lake and the ‘Spink’ to visit the old lead works, disused mines and the upper regions of the famous National Park that is the Glendalough Valley. After lunch you will enjoy a ‘Free afternoon’ — this is an opportunity to spend some “quality/personal time” in the famous monastic village of Glendalough with its seven Churches and St. Kevin’s Round Tower. Overnight and dinner in Laragh.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 8kms. Approx. Duration: 3.5 hours. Max. Height: 600 metres. Paths, forest track and trails with open mountain side. Can be wet underfoot. Boots essential.

Day 6 Leaving the Glendalough Valley, we now walk south via the Giants Cut, Derrybawn and Cullentragh Mountains to descend into the Glenmalure Valley and the tiny hamlet of Drumgoff on the banks of the Avonbeg River. The views as we leave Glendalough and cross over the mountains are breathtaking and help to give a great understanding of the plateau that is the Wicklow Mountains. This is not a long days walking BUT is rewarded by the quality of the trek. Overnight and farewell evening dinner in Glenmalure.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 10 kms. Approx. Duration: 4.5 hours. Max. Height: 650 metres. Path, some road walking, forest track and mountain path. Can be wet underfoot. Boots essential.

Day 7 The Glen of Imaal and rugged Lugnaquilla dominate today’s walk as we enjoy our final day in the beautiful ‘Garden of Ireland’. From the summit of Lugnaquilla you have views to the north towards Dublin City and to the south towards the Saltee Islands off the coast of Wexford. Being the third highest mountain in Ireland, Lugnaquilla offers a fitting climax to the week’s walking/hiking in Wicklow, which is the largest upland granite plateau in Northwest Europe. Overnight and evening farewell meal at Glenmalure.
Walk Details: Approx. Distance: 12 kms. Approx. Duration: 6 hours. Max. Height: 930 metres. Path, some road walking, forest track, open mountain side and paths. Can be wet underfoot. Boots essential.

Day 8 Departures. After breakfast we bring you back to Wicklow Bus/Rail station for approx. 09.30/10.00 hrs. from where there is an excellent bus/rail service to Dublin or to Rosslare.