County Wicklow, Ireland 🇮🇪 2019

Date: 7th June 2019

Travelled: 24 kilometres from Valleymount to Glendalough, County of Wicklow

Visited: Wicklow Mountains National Park and the Miner’s Trail

Stayed: National Park car-park, €4 with toilet, water and bin. N53.00675, W06.34448

Budget: 5 days @ €123 per day (include ferry crossing)

After a quiet and uneventful evening in the pub car-park at Valleymount, we have slept in a little. 5.30am is a lot better than 4.30, so perhaps we are leaving the time-zone change behind us. Mind you first light is around 4 am and the birds are chirping away noisily by 4.30.

It’s a fruit and coffee breakfast and we are on the road by 8am, driving the Wicklow Gap.

No sooner we stop and take a walk, we are joined by another camper-car. The mountains trough the Wicklow Gap are all treeless and stand less than 900m.

The views back down the valley toward Glendalough make the stop worthwhile.

We decide the Wicklow Gap and its view, make the perfect spot for a camper-car breakfast, so it’s English smoked bacon, eggs and some French St Dalfours’ jam on toast and another coffee as we take in the view.

We continue on to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. We plan a walk here today, but find with horror that parking here is €15 per day for a motorhome. I wasn’t overly rude to the woman at the gate, but I indicated my displeasure. We continue on another kilometre to find a second car-park at €4 per day with services. So we settle in.

Map of Wicklow Mountains National Park and the car-park

After another coffee we walk up to the information centre and start the Upper Lake Walk, part of the Miner’s Trail that weaves through the national park.

As usual we take a picture of the map and information sheet and save a €1.

Almost to the waterfall, we can see the remains of the smeltering plant.

After a late lunch and a rest we venture out again this time in the opposite direction. The LP describes the ruins of an ancient monastic complex. So we follow the path downstream for 20 minutes.

The weather is changing by the minute, this causes some delay as Pam decides on a scarf changeover, just before we depart.

We see a few deer as we do, this one slow enough for a photo.

Our first glimpse of the monastic complex.

There is an expansive cemetery surrounding the ruins. The headstones date from the 1700 up to recent. Nice views as well.

The last point of interest is the Round Tower, standing 100’ high. Thought to have been built circa 900.

So we make our way back to the car-park, there are a few midges buzzing around and we are keen to get inside and lock up. Cannot say it was a great nights sleep as the security guard appeared annoyed by our stay.

Michael and Pam

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