Keadeen Mountain

It is in the south of the Wicklow Mountains and about 650 meters high. I started out at Dwyers McAllister cottage which is an original Irish cottage where two Irish rebels were cornered by the English in the late 18th century. One of them drew fire to let the other one escape by standing in the doorway.

It wasn’t a good day for hiking as there were low clouds so I didn’t get any of the great views :-(. It is a plateau mountain which means that the top is more or less flat, this unfortunately also means that the water up there is stagnant and the ground therefore very boggy.

Discovered a beautiful stream running down the mountain on the way down and followed it’s course down to the road. There was no path and it was a lot of slipping and sliding but the beauty of the stream was worth it.

Lough Tay over Djouce Mountain to Powercourt waterfall

And back…..phew. Long hike today with strong winds but not too cold. Djouce Mt links up Lough Tay to Powerscourt with great views of all my previous hills. As always in the Wicklow Mountains some great views all the way from Dublin to Greystone and the sea. Was absolutely nackered afterwards. 

One good thing though: I saw the mountain rescue in action and it does give me some confidence that they will get me of the mountain if anything ever happens to me. There were about 14 of them hiking up the mountain when I was on my way down and they had enough gear with them to build an entire hospital up there. I hope they got the injured person of ok.

Lough Tay and Luggala mountain

I went hiking around Lough Tay in the Wicklow Mountains today. Unfortunately the area around it turned out to be owned privately and therefore it wasn’t possible to go where you liked. However you were allowed to hike some of the areas. I went up mountain Luggala which is actually one of the few places from where you can see the lake.It is about 580 meters high and the trail up is a track straight up the mountain, despite it being cold I was sweating quite hard by the end of it. I shared the mountain with a large herd of deer only, not a living soul in sight! From here you can also hike to Lough Dan which is supposed to be pretty too. One of my favs will definitely come back here.

Sugarloaf mountain

Today I climbed the Sugarloaf mountain (yeah my first mountain) and went down the other side to hike the three hills next to it. It was lovely with nobody there (very windy today) You could see some of my old hikes (Howth and Bray to Greystone) from the top. I need a better camera and good weather! The pictures don’t do the views justice.

Glendalough

Coming from one of the flattest countries in the world I find myself drawn to the Wicklow Mountains which are just south of Dublin.The wide views the streams, waterfalls and mountains are simply magnificent. For me one of the best places to go is Glendalough because of it’s wide variety of attractions:

• Lakes
• Forrest
• Waterfalls
• Streams
• Mountains
• Old miners town
• Old churches and graveyards

You better come prepared to do some serious walking/hiking/climbing to see it all though :-).

The meeting of the waters in the Wicklow mountains.

We discovered this spot on one of our drives. Quite nice spot where two rivers join and was described by one of Ireland many poets Thomas Moore.

There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet 
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet;
Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart, 
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart. 

Yet it was not that nature had shed o’er the scene 
Her purest of crystal and brightest of green; 
‘Twas not her soft magic of streamlet or hill, 
Oh! no, — it was something more exquisite still. 

‘Twas that friends, the beloved of my bosom, were near, 
Who made every dear scene of enchantment more dear, 
And who felt how the best charms of nature improve, 
When we see them reflected from looks that we love. 

Sweet vale of Avoca! how calm could I rest 
In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best, 
Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease, 
And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace.