County Wicklow, known as ‘The Garden of Ireland’, is full of mountains, lakes, rivers and a great coastline. Wicklow is a popular destination for walkers of all levels from family strollers to serious mountain climbers and cliff walkers. Anyone walking in Wicklow can find numerous mapped walks all around the county whith varying degrees of difficulty to suit all levels of fitness.
The Wicklow Way
This is the longest walk in Wicklow, covering 130km from Marley Park in South Dublin, to Clonegal in County Carlow. There is a wide variety of terrain and the full walk should be attempted only by experienced walkers. The full trail can take up to 7 days to complete but most walkers will just do one section at a time over one day.
You can plan your walk including staying overnight in one of the many accommodations along the route.
Te route passes through or near some towns and villages including Glencullen, Enniskerry, Roundwood, Laragh, Glenmalure, Tinahely and Shillelagh. Walkers will encounter lots of great scenery and points of interest including prehistoric tombs, cairns, Powerscourt waterfall, forests, Glendalough monastic site and lots more.
This Google Map shows The Wicklow Way and points along the Route:
For a very detailed account including in depth views of the seven segments of the route visit http://visitwicklow.ie/the-wicklow-way/
Walking in Wicklow – The Spinc
This walk of about 3.5 hours is on a well marked path on Spinc ridge overlooking Glendalough and the surrounding hills. There is a fairly strenuous climb at the start but the rest of the walk is fairly easy.
For details about this walk see https://www.wicklowwalks.com/the-spinc. That website (Dublin & Wicklow Walks) is a great resource with details of over a dozen walks in County Wicklow. It outlines the time and difficulty of the walks which is important especially if you are bringing young children.
The Devils Glen
Located near the village of Ashford, this is one of our favourite easy walks in Wicklow. It is a very nice woodland walk with some excellent scenery and some surprises along the way including a waterfall and some wooden sculptures. The full walk takes about 1.5 hours and can be done by anyone with a moderate level of fitness. It is a popular walk for families.
Scarr & Lough Dan
This walk takes about 3 hours and has great views to the sea and over the hills. This walk should not be attempted before researching the route as it is not always clear where the pathways are. Also, proper gear, especially walking boots, is essential as some of the terrain can be muddy at times – but the views are worth the effort!
Easy Strolls
Some people are not fit enough to do even some of the easier walks listed on walking websites. But for anyone who wants to get some fresh air without too much exertion there are some places where they can enjoy the pleasant surroundings while taking a leisurely stroll.
Here are some we recommend:
Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford: Fantastic garden on 20 acres with a huge variety of exotic trees and shrubs as well as the Avoca Garden Café and Courtyard Shops.
Avondale House & Forest Park: Set on 500 acres of land, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell is surrounded by beautiful gardens with very impressive trees from all around the world.
Powerscourt Gardens and House: The landscaped garden surrounding Powerscourt House is a great place for a leisurely stroll while admiring the house, sculptures, formal gardens, terraces, and ornamental lakes and over 200 varieties of trees and shrubs.
Victor’s Way: This 22 acre park in Roundwood contains highly unusual stone sculptures of Indian gods and other strange creations.