Wicklow Mountains Nat Park Photos
Recommended Reviews - Wicklow Mountains Nat Park
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It's ABSOLUTELY a beautiful place to visit, but DO SOME RESEARCH and check their website BEFORE driving out there. Visiting the national parks in Ireland and the UK are a bit different than it is in the US. In the US, there are usually one or more entrance points (where you pay and get a ticket to enter - and a trail map) and specific exit points. In contrast, the parks in Ireland are wide open and free to visit, but you have no idea when you are inside the park boundaries - you're just driving along a highway, and then you realize you are in the park. Entering the address into Google Maps will lead you to random spots. Quite confusing. Look for trail markers along the roadsides and very small shoulders off the side of the road where you can park your car and then go hike. Sometimes there is only space for one car, sometimes there are 3 or 4 spots. Some of the trails have roads to drive down but portions are privately owned and they will let you walk through them, but they won't allow you to drive down them to get to the trail head. Honestly, do your research before visiting on a whim like I did. Google Maps will do you no favors. It will just lead you to a random spot within the park. The park is HUGE. If you are looking for Lought Tay, there is single roadside parking spot nearby on R759. You'll have to walk a quarter mile to get to the trail head, and then it's all downhill from there. The hike down is fun, but don't forget you'll have to hike back UP this STEEP roadway. Most of it is paved, but it's so steep that it's a butt kicker! Lots of movies and TV shows are filmed in this area In fact, they were filming a new TV show when were were here, so we had to walk under a few awkwardly placed tarps, and a few trails that were filled with theatrical smoke - see pix.
Yelp 100 Challenge - #99/100 Grateful to my nature loving friend who took the time out to drive us here. Love the green and the fresh air of the Irish countryside. There were sheep grazing on the green, green grass (of home?). One super cute sheep scratching its tush on the rock. My friend told me the owners distinguish their sheep from their coloring. We all got out for pictures when we got to the mountain overlooking the lake. Such a wonderful drive.
On our way to our B&B we saw this beautiful place and had to stop! We saw people hiking and taking photos and we knew it was worth getting out to walk through. As you can tell from these photos... totally worth while! I can't get over the beauty of this place. It was a Sunday and after enjoying this area...We drove a little farther down from here looking for a restroom and came upon a little town that was having a little community craft fair. Well worth it!
It's beautiful here. I've got the pictures to prove it. Our friend has a cabin in Wicklow across from a field of sheep (we baaah-ed with the lamb) and made a quick stop here before heading to Heather. It was windy near the lake but we expected the worst coming to Ireland. Our friend Sean told us this lady once said to him, in Norway (or whatever country) there are 4 seasons a year, in which he replies - in Ireland, there's 4 seasons a day. HA! Wicklow is worth a visit. Make sure to drive by the Guinness Estate. We were told they are friendly and allow visitors on their premises (which is a man made beach and acres and acres of land and mountains). Thanks to our friends in Dublin for being our personal tour guides (except for not knowing any names of streets we asked about but know exactly where each bar is located).
The Wicklow Mountains are a stunning expanse of nature. Everything is so green and due to the low temperature, it stays all green. There are so many outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, birdwatching, and scenic driving. A hike or walk here will ensure you some nature backed peace and calmness. the park is close to Dublin making for an easy 1/2 day or day trip. In my brain, mountains are supposed to be rock with no greenery: The Wicklow Mountains, however, are unlike many traditional mountain ranges and have lush greenery all over them. We did the Glendalough Lake upper and lower lakes hike. read more
2 years ago
If you have a few days to spend in Dublin, don't skip out on a visit to Wicklow. You'll need to rent a car or book a tour to get up here (about 40min from Dublin City Centre) but it was worth the trek. I had a friend drive me here and it was such an incredible experience. If you're visiting during the winter months, layer up. It gets cold and windy up there, but it's 100% worth it. read more
The park is absolutely beautiful! We were traveling from Dublin to Kilkenny and went via Glendalough to see the mountains. We were intending to park at the upper lake lot, but on arrival we saw the signs and the combo of the GPS being a little wonky and it being my first day trying to drive on the left from the right side of the car, we ended up at the lower lake car park. The cost was 4€ and it worked out fine. The restrooms were easy to find and clean, and we picked up the Green Trail from here which is what we wanted from the upper lake car park anyway. It actually worked out well as we also then got to walk past and see the monastery ruins and some deer that were also visiting the ruins. We aren't super into ruins, but it was actually interesting! The Green Trail is very easy as described, and includes a lovely view of the upper lake and mountains. It is a combination of paved and packed dirt surfaces and is largely very level. There are many other trails ranging in difficulty from easy like this one to more challenging and longer. There is a snack bar and restaurant at the lower lake area and a few food trucks at the upper lake area. The roads in and out of the park were easy for a first day driver...good warm up for the one lane with two way traffic roads later in the trip! Definitely don't miss this if you're in the area, even if you only are passing through with a couple of hours to spend. read more
It's ABSOLUTELY a beautiful place to visit, but DO SOME RESEARCH and check their website BEFORE driving out there. Visiting the national parks in Ireland and the UK are a bit different than it is in the US. In the US, there are usually one or more entrance points (where you pay and get a ticket to enter - and a trail map) and specific exit points. In contrast, the parks in Ireland are wide open and free to visit, but you have no idea when you are inside the park boundaries - you're just driving along a highway, and then you realize you are in the park. Entering the address into Google Maps will lead you to random spots. Quite confusing. Look for trail markers along the roadsides and very small shoulders off the side of the road where you can park your car and then go hike. Sometimes there is only space for one car, sometimes there are 3 or 4 spots. Some of the trails have roads to drive down but portions are privately owned and they will let you walk through them, but they won't allow you to drive down them to get to the trail head. Honestly, do your research before visiting on a whim like I did. Google Maps will do you no favors. It will just lead you to a random spot within the park. The park is HUGE. If you are looking for Lought Tay, there is single roadside parking spot nearby on R759. You'll have to walk a quarter mile to get to the trail head, and then it's all downhill from there. The hike down is fun, but don't forget you'll have to hike back UP this STEEP roadway. Most of it is paved, but it's so steep that it's a butt kicker! Lots of movies and TV shows are filmed in this area In fact, they were filming a new TV show when were were here, so we had to walk under a few awkwardly placed tarps, and a few trails that were filled with theatrical smoke - see pix. read more
7 years ago
Yelp 100 Challenge - #99/100 Grateful to my nature loving friend who took the time out to drive us here. Love the green and the fresh air of the Irish countryside. There were sheep grazing on the green, green grass (of home?). One super cute sheep scratching its tush on the rock. My friend told me the owners distinguish their sheep from their coloring. We all got out for pictures when we got to the mountain overlooking the lake. Such a wonderful drive. read more
On our way to our B&B we saw this beautiful place and had to stop! We saw people hiking and taking photos and we knew it was worth getting out to walk through. As you can tell from these photos... totally worth while! I can't get over the beauty of this place. It was a Sunday and after enjoying this area...We drove a little farther down from here looking for a restroom and came upon a little town that was having a little community craft fair. Well worth it! read more
It's beautiful here. I've got the pictures to prove it. Our friend has a cabin in Wicklow across from a field of sheep (we baaah-ed with the lamb) and made a quick stop here before heading to Heather. It was windy near the lake but we expected the worst coming to Ireland. Our friend Sean told us this lady once said to him, in Norway (or whatever country) there are 4 seasons a year, in which he replies - in Ireland, there's 4 seasons a day. HA! Wicklow is worth a visit. Make sure to drive by the Guinness Estate. We were told they are friendly and allow visitors on their premises (which is a man made beach and acres and acres of land and mountains). Thanks to our friends in Dublin for being our personal tour guides (except for not knowing any names of streets we asked about but know exactly where each bar is located). read more
What a gorgeous drive in with so many different terrains and beautiful sceneries. The sheep along along the way provide ample entettainment, chillin on the side or trotting alongside ...even the occasional headbutt or two. We made it to the Glenmacnass falls which was picturesque....such a great ride. read more
10 years ago
More info about Wicklow Mountains Nat Park
Upper Lake
Glendalough
Bray, Co. Wicklow
Republic of Ireland
Directions
(0404) 45425
Call Now
Hours
Outdoor Amenities
