Loving the Wicklow Mountains

Saturday, August 23rd

Breakfast this morning was in a small cafe in the village of Blackrock, quite a picturesque area about five blocks long facing the sea. Mike was last here about sixty years ago sitting on the wall facing the sea. We know because we have a little black and white picture to prove it. 

Same wall, same Mike + 60 years

Blackrock 

Another Dolmen sighting but as usual not easy to find. The Proleek Dolmen is located by parking in a very ritzy resort and then hiking a quarter of a mile around their lovely golf course. 

Proleek Dolmen

After a quick stroll and a few photos we jumped onto the motorway and zipped at high speed to the south of Dublin for a change of pace and scenery as we entered the Wicklow Mountains. Slowing down we followed the narrow, winding path of the Old Military Road which was built by the British trying to quell the Irish Uprising in 1798. In contrast to the "oh well, so what" underwhelm of the Mourne Mountains, this was mile after mile of wonderment. It was a vastness of peaks and valleys, rocks, purple heather, lakes, streams, waterfalls, lush greens and ochres with the narrow road twisting among it all. More than once we commented that it seemed way too big to fit into Ireland. 

Wicklow Mountains

The colors of Wicklow

Still in the mountains we stopped at Glencree Center for Peace and Reconciliation. Originally built as a British Barracks it is now a nonprofit organization attempting to heal the wounds of violence in Ireland. Also located on the property is a graveyard housing the remains of 138 German soldiers from both World Wars. While eating lunch I read a newspaper article on the wall praising a four mile hike beginning near the center. We hiked about two miles out and back along the road without finding the trailhead. At least it wasn't raining.

Entrance to Glencree

By the time we reached the heralded Glenmacnass waterfall the weather had warmed and the sun was out. The water drops nearly a thousand feet over a series of rocks paralleling the road. At the bottom of the mountain, in the village of Glendalough, are the remains of a 6th century monastic village. The area was crowded with people exploring the church, tower, house, and graveyard. As usually the theatre with the short explanatory film was nearly empty while the ruins with no informative signage was overrun with tourists.

The scale and beauty of the landscape was stunning and our deliberately slow pace meant the afternoon disappeared too quickly and we needed to head off to Wicklow Town for our overnight stop.

Tower and graveyard at Glendalough

Glendalough Church