Wicklow – Ireland.com County Guides
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.
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Wicklow – places to stay, things to do and see
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Wicklow National Park
The National Park, which covers much of upland Wicklow, contains an area of approximately 20,000 hectares (49,421 acres). This includes large areas of mountain blanket bogs, including the Lugnaquilla and Liffey Head Bog complexes and Glendalough Wood Nature Reserve. The National Park provides protection for the landscape and wildlife, from rare orchids to the wild and beautiful Pergrine Falcon. The ...
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Victoria’s Way
Victoria’s Way is Irelands largest and most spectacular Sculpture Park. Spread out over 22 acres of beautiful County Wicklow, it contains 14 major black granite sculptures. The theme of Victoria’s Way is the hero’s Journey, whereby the sculptures show stages of the path to self-completion and ultimate happiness. There is a meditation path for the spiritually inclined and a philosophic maze unique in Europe.
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