The Wicklow Way

Thursday, September 6th. We've been in Ireland for 3 months !

Kelly & Alli are in Paris, so I decided to go for a hike in the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin.


The Wicklow Mountains are amazingly remote being only 15 kilometers south of Dublin. The Irish rebels used these mountains as a sanctuary and base when fighting the English for centuries.

Much like the Appalachian Trail in the US, there are many waymarked, long-distance hiking trails in Ireland. The first & longest one ever mapped out is the Wicklow Way which runs for 132 kilometers (82 miles) from South Dublin to Clonegal in County Carlow. The Wicklow Way connects to other Trails that enable you to walk from coast to coast in Ireland. It is also part of the 4700 kilometer E8 trail which runs all the way across Europe to Turkey ! (You have to take a ferry from Ireland to Wales and then again from England to France)

My friend Sean dropped me off at the eastern base of Djouce Mountain south of Crone woods, where I began my hike.

(you can click on any of the pictures to see them in their original bigger size)

The first few miles were fairly level as I walked down country roads and through farmland looking for where the trail met the.....

Glencree River near Lackandarragh. My route would take me through the river and over the mountains in the distance. Over the river and through the woods so to speak !

Once crossing the river, I got a feel for the scope of the journey ahead. Nearing 12 noon I was hoping I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew !

The path ran parallel to Glencree River for a while through a large field of ferns. It was very quite except for the sounds of birds. Every now and again I would spook a deer, grouse or dove.

This is the view looking back over the ferns to the base of the mountain I started at.

Although it was after noon already, the mist hung low on the mountains. Although I was hoping for better opportunities for pictures, this was a breathtaking view mist and all.


When I reached the the ridgeline of Knockree Hill (342m) I had a spectacular view of the Glenncree.

I walked for several kilometers along the ridge passing some farms and this very friendly horse. We shared a granola bar while I drank some water and took a quick break to consult my map before entering Curtlestown Wood.

Apparently Curtlestown Wood is currently under some sort of logging operation, unbeknownst to the guy who made my map from last year.

I had hiked from Ireland into a very weird place ! Eerily quite and shrouded in the mist, it was hard to stay on the "way" as it already has a reputation for having insufficient markings.

I dont think I have ever been to a more quiet place. No birds, no people, no noise...nothing. Where is the trail !

Luckily I was heading in the right direction and eventually picked up the trail or what appeared to be a trail

Magically the colorless void of Curtlestown Wood transformed into a colorful hillside of heather as I approached the treeline of the approach to Prince Williams Seat(555m)

The trail led through a giant expanse of turf and bog.

The path skirted the edge of the mountain into Glen Cullen. Lots of farms and lots of sheep !

I hiked through farms and onto a few country roads that led me down into the Glen across Glencullen River and back up the other side.

(this picture is worth clicking on to see bigger)
This is the view back towards Prince Williams Seat, the way I crossed the Glen.

I now had a few kilometers of road walking, which is nerve racking since the roads are so narrow.

The walk along the road did have wonderful views of the Glen...the Sun even made a brief appearance !

I was happy to get off the road and start the ascent of Two Rock(515m). The forest floor was carpeted in clover. How very Irish !

I now had to skirt the side of the moor to get to the ridge pictured above. My route would take me up to the left along the tree line and then across the hilltop pictured above from left to right.

(this picture is also worth clicking on to see bigger)
Here is the view looking back down the trail, across Glencullen and to Prince Willams Seat.

The terrain turned into an open moor as I approached the top. It got a good bit cooler and I was hoping that this wouldnt be the place it started raining as there is no shelter.

After hiking along the hilltop I mentioned earlier, I paused for a moment and took this picture back the way I came. The tree line in the distance is the where I came up the hill to the left.

When I crested the hill, the mist lifted and look what you can see behind me, the far southern suburbs of Dublin !

Its pretty much downhill from here, or so I thought. I just have to follow the hill down towards Kilmashogue Mountain(408m) and into Kilmashogue Forest. The Glen in the distance to the left is Kellys Glen.

Thats the top of Kilmashogue Mountain. At 408m it doesnt look that big since I'm coming down from the saddle between Two Rock(515m) and Fairy Castle(536m)

I followed the rocky trail around the ridge of Kilmashogue in the forest below. This was the hardest descent of the day as it was extremely rocky and steep.

Kilmashogue Forest was mostly pine forest with little undergrowth, but very spooky.

It was a nice cool walk amongst the trees which eventually led to nice wide open country roads.

The roads zig zagged down the North side of the mountain and into an ever increasing amount of farms and lots of clearings where housing areas were being built.

From here it was only an hour or so hike to the official end (or beginning) of the Wicklow Way in Marlay Park.

After reaching the park I walked a further 3 kilometers to the pub near my friends house where I had a few pints of Guinness and big fat steak !

The entire 16 mile (26km) trek took me 6 1/2 hours.

Stay tuned for Kelly's Paris blog post coming soon !

-Chris