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County Wicklow - the garden of Ireland

Glendalough

The garden of Ireland, Wicklow is a 20 minute drive from Dublin city.

Yet the contrast to Dublin is outstanding - Wicklow is one of the most dramatic landscapes in Ireland and parts could be mistaken for Donegal. An extraordinary oasis for this part of the country.

There is so much to choose from when considering a visit - beaches, mountains, lakes or a day trip to one of the fine stately homes and their majestic gardens?

The National Park is the lynchpin of the countys tourism - a mountainous terrain of 400 square miles of desolate heather-clad mountains embroidered with rivers, perched lakes and magical woodlands.

Spot ravens and peregrine falcons circle the mountains or walk The Wicklow Way, one of Irelands longest marked walks at 121km beginning in the foothills of Dublin Mountains in Marlay Park and ending in Clonegal in County Carlow.

Glendalough, a sacred glacial valley is one of the top visitor sites in the country and is one of three such valleys, the others being Glenmacross and Glenmalure, the longest glacial valley in England and Ireland which descends from Lugnaquilla, a 930m peak.

The Military Road is the name of the narrow route that cuts through the higher reaches of the Park built by the British Army to quicken the transportation of troops brought into to capture Irish rebels who escaped to the hills during the 1798 revolution. Although relatively busy with cars, it is still offers one of the loneliest views in Ireland without a house in sight, enjoyable year round - in summer the fields are a carpet of blooming purple heather while in winter the hills including Sally Gap are a vista of burnt orange.

Hike, bus or drive the Military Road which starts in the outskirts of Dublin City (Rathfarnham), goes past Glencree, over the hills of Glenmalure and ends at Aughavannagh.