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The Wicklow Way

The Wicklow Way

The Wicklow Way
5
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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles217 reviews
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ecellobrill
Durham, NC66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I wanted to hike a bit of the Wicklow Way before leaving Ireland, so my friend and I took a bus to Marley Park and fit in what we could before thunderstorms set in. I'd love to do the entire trail!

If you're starting from Dublin, the trailhead is well marked, as well as the route around Marley Park (which is a lovely forest experience). The surprise to us was that you then walk along a road, under a motorway, and uphill past some large manors before entering the Kilmashogue Forest. But it's all part of the Wicklow Way! Even our trail section changed elevation quickly and had some nice views of Dublin as well as sheep peacefully grazing alongside the trail.

This was a great way to get out of Dublin for a bit more hiking before a long plane flight, and the trail definitely deserves its good reviews.
Written June 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FrankRSydney
Sydney68 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
We had a fantastic Day. All around the Wicklow County, very interesting and not always sitting on the bus. Vlad the driver new the roads well and navigated with expertise. Brian kept us engaged all day with his knowledge, interesting stories and fables. This tour is worth doing, not expensive.
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Enkanear
Seattle, WA17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Solo
The Wicklow Way is an 81-mile (131-kilometre) long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. I walked this in October 2016. I was very lucky with the weather, with just a little rain on one of my 7 days. This is my 4th long distance walk, and I really enjoyed it. At this time of year there are not too many people walking the way. I only met five people walking the whole length (2 going south like me, and 3 going north). This is peaceful, but a concern in one aspect. If you are alone and twist an ankle, for example, it might be a while before you get some help. I kept in contact with my family and B&Bs so that someone always knew my approximate location and schedule (luckily cell phones work all over Ireland, and I had a good signal even at wooded high altitudes). It is probably best, however, to do this challenging walk with a friend. I stayed at the following inns and B&Bs: Leeson Inn Downtown in Dublin; Coolakay House B&B in Enniskerry with included ride from/to Crone Woods; The Coach House in Roundwood; Riverside House B&B in Laragh; The Glenmalure Lodge in Drumgoff; Murphy’s Hotel in Tinahely with included ride from/to Moyne; Madeline’s B&B in Tinahey with included ride from/to Dying Cow Pub; and Millview House in Bunclody with included ride from Clonegal. All of these establishments were comfortable and friendly with places to eat nearby. All but the Dublin inn included full Irish breakfast. Notice that since some sections of the way are quite remote, several B&Bs offer rides between the trail and their premises. I highly recommend this walk, especially in fall. You will meet some great people and see some spectacular scenery. However, the amount of forest clear-cutting is a little disconcerting. I wore low-cut Merrill walking shoes, and carried a 30 pound Outdoor Master backpack. I'm 68 years old. If I can do it, you can do it.
Written December 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John B
Geneva, Switzerland23 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Friends
I walked the Wicklow Way in July 2016, which coincided with some fairly mixed weather. I enjoyed this walk, and it contrasted nicely with the Tour du Mont Blanc, which I'd walked for the second time a couple of weeks beforehand. My friend and I walked the Way from north to south: beginning in Marlay Park on the outskirts of Dublin, and finishing in Clonegal in County Carlow, which is seven days in all.

First, the good aspects of the walk. The walking is not too difficult (you don't ascend or descend much more than 400m or so each day), and the days are not overly long, although a couple of them exceed 20km in distance, including the first. Anyone with a fairly moderate level of fitness should be able to complete the Way, and there are baggage services available to transport luggage for those who would prefer it. (My friend and I carried everything we needed.)

There are some very nice views, especially between Knockree Hostel and Glenmalure Lodge, with the Irish sea visible and Dublin Bay in the distance at certain points, and increasingly expansive views to the south. The area around Glendalough is quite special, and walking in, through and out of that valley is one of the highlights of the walk.

People we encountered on the walk and at each place we stayed were friendly and helpful on the whole. Special distinction goes to the folk at Glenmalure Lodge, who were especially welcoming and helpful to the point of driving us some 10km to the Iron Bridge after our stay there to shorten a long and pointless road walk in heavy rain. If you like a pub / B&B ambience and an absence of pretentiousness, you will find it on this walk. You will also find plenty of full Irish breakfasts.

What about the less good? Well, a rule of hiking in Ireland is that you will always have your share of "very soft" (i.e. wet) Irish mornings, and this was no exception. Decent wet weather gear including pack rain covers is essential, and we had opportunity to use ours. Decent footwear is a must: we each had decent 'traditional' hiking boots, which given the range of weather was more or less appropriate. You could get by with something a bit lighter if the fine weather holds. Bringing an additional comfortable pair of running shoes with more absorbent soles than hiking boots might make sense for some of the road sections.

The Wicklow Way on the whole is well signposted. Much of the Way is on asphalt roads or on forestry tracks. Both are tedious, and road walking is hard on the feet. In fact, our conclusion was that the best of the walk is between Knockree and Glenmalure. The last two or three days of the walk are increasingly pastoral in nature, and the walking road based. In certain cases, the itinerary of the walk seemed to us planned as a 'make walk'.

Folk considering doing the walk might want to consider the following two observations. If you only have four or five days, a good option would be to start by arranging some sort of transportation drop off to Glenmalure Lodge, and starting there walking north toward Dublin, and finishing in Marlay Park. (It's then easy just to take the no 16 bus into Central Dublin.)

The second observation is that if you have a week, and want to make the most of the scenery on the Way, I would suggest doing as suggested above, but spending two nights in Glenmalure, and two nights in Glendalough or Laragh. The first full day in Glenmalure could be used for a bit of conditioning, say by doing a day hike up the local peak, the third highest in Ireland. An additional day in Glendalough or Laragh (a short distance away) would allow time for a day of hiking in the area, which would be more interesting than much of Wicklow County to the south is once the mountains are cleared.

Finally, the worst aspect of the Way was some truly ferocious biting insects. Take insect repellent—something DEET based, or napalm. You will need it.

Overall, a good walk, and we enjoyed it. It's not the European Alps, but then the folk are friendlier and the breakfasts and ale are better.
Written August 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FintanM
Baile Atha Cliath33 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Friends
Lots of reviewers have walked just one or two sections of the Wicklow Way. You've really gotta do the whole thing! Yes it require planning and an investment of 5-7 days of your time,but it will leave you wanting more of the same.

Some of the mountain top views are exhilarating, some of the B&Bs are charming, almost all of the people you will meet are welcoming, passionate about their area, knowledgeable and great conversationalists. It's not about any one viewpoint, route, lake, forest; the whole of the experience exceeds the sum of the parts. The variety makes it interesting; a steep hill is more challenging when you've been on gentle ones, a dense forest is a greater contrast to a sunlit lakeside; a quirky B&B contrasts with a classic one.

Take the advice of the best guide books and travel south to north starting in Clonegal. There are three reasons; the prevailing wind is behind you; and you get accustomed to the little hills before hitting the big ones; the most spectacular stuff comes last. The Wicklow Way by Sandra Bardwell and Jacquetta Megarry is published by Rucksack Readers. The best map is from EastWest Mapping and is available on their website (Don't rely on the Rucksack map - it's pretty, but the EastWest is far superior).

The Wicklow Way website is a useful place to start, but be aware that it's a commercial website that obtains commission from the accommodations listed on it. Most of them are very good, but there are others that are not listed on the website. It takes a little detective work to identify the accommodations on the EastWest map and then find their names and locations, but we found it worthwhile.

Wicklow Way Baggage is a commercial service that will transport your bags each day for €7.50 per bag per stage. We found it very reliable, but are reliably informed that it does not cover the two ends of the trail and a few interesting parts at the southern end. An alternative is an accommodating B&B owner, who will move your bag to the next location.

We can recommend all of the accommodations we used and will review them separately on Tripadvisor; some were more fun; some were more comfortable; some had better food; none disappointed.

We covered daily distances ranging from 14-28 km, with an average of just over 20 km per day for seven days. The official trail is 131 km, but occasional short forays from it may be needed for accommodation or refreshments.

Two small diversions add greatly to the trail. On the trip from Lough Tay to Knockree, take the diversion to the top of Djouce (not officially on the trail). The views compensate for the additional climb. A similar diversion to Prince William's seat on the stage between Knockree and Marley adds hardly any distance, but again provides magnificent 360 degree views.

Weather: we were lucky to have enjoyed five and a half dry days out of seven. One day was a downpour and we got wet even through our waterproof gear; it was the least pleasant experience, but was ameliorated by the hot showers and good drying facilities in our lodgings.

The better you plan and research your trip, the more you will enjoy it. Even with planning there are a few pitfalls. Going south to north, there is a missing sign in Newry forest that cost us an additional 4 k. On the same direction, there is an almost invisible sign just off the road after descending Croaghanmoira mountain near Augahavanna (shortly after the road crosses a gully/ravine).

It's a splendid experience; don't be seduced by one of the abridged versions.
Written October 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julia O
Saint Paul, MN9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Friends
My mother (69 years old) and I (37 yo) hiked the Wicklow way in early October. It was the best thing we've ever done. We used Contours Walking Holidays to book the trip -- they planned everything from our first nights in Dublin and all our inns and luggage transfers along the way. They did a great job making sure we were well taken care of. The only complaint we had was our lodging in Enniskerry the first night of our walk, the hotel was pretty shabby. Apparently, it was the only place available, and we survived. Everything else was great. The walk is absolutely gorgeous. The scenery varies from windswept heather moorland to rolling green fields of sheep. There is a LOT of up and down and the days are pretty long, but if you're in reasonably good shape you'll be fine. We're certainly not mountaineers. It was relatively quiet this time of year, we met several day hikers but only two other pairs hiking the full Way. Highlights were dinner in Roundwood at Byrne and Woods, lodging at the Wicklow Way Lodge and Glenmalure Lodge, the hike from Enniskerry to Roundwood - our longest and favorite day, and our alternate return route hike from Glenmalure to Glendalough - absolutely stunning! Go for it, you'll be so glad you did.
Written October 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael D
Wexford, Ireland19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Friends
I think this is my favourite day out in the Dublin Mts. In early May 2015 my friends a Dutch couple came over to Dublin for a long w/e. On Saturday we took the 16 Bus from O'Connell Street to Marley Park and started walking the Wicklow Way. When you leave Marley Park the first hour is the most strenuous and after an hour's walking you'll leave the forest and you're out on the mountain. Near Fairy Castle, the highest point of this walk you'll swing east on to the Dublin Mt Way, pass Fairy Castle and skirt the 3 Rocks and down through Forest green roads to Glencullen and Johnnie Foxes. Enjoy drinks or a meal in this vey friendly pub and the barman will order a taxi to take you down to the nearest Luas in Lepordstown. It cost us €14 for 3 passengers. Brilliant day helped by great weather.
Written May 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephanie Weir
Dungannon, UK215 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2018 • Couples
Went here with my then boyfriend. We were staying in Dublin for a few nights and I wanted to see the wicklow mountains. We started off at Glendalough visitor centre. We choose the red route and went left at the start which I thought was best way most of boardwalk was in the middle of walk. Says it takes 4 hours but took us 5 hours from start right back to car and that was with a few breaks and photostops in between. The views are amazing. We also got engaged here while looking over Lough Tay. Definitely recommend this it's not too strenuous compared to some hikes I've done before. Would love to do it again in the summer. Can be a bit windy at the top so take care. Comfortable footwear, raincoat, water/energy drinks and food needed. There are different spots you can stop at and chill and eat/drinks whilst taking in the beautiful scenery.
Written January 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

n0madsland
Vancouver, Canada73 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Solo
The Wicklow Way is the oldest and one of the most popular walking trails in Ireland - and with good reason. This well marked trail takes you into the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, from windswept peaks with 360 views stretching out to the Irish Sea, to quaint and friendly towns, and everything in between.

The trail starts in the southern suburbs of Dublin, and if you follow the traditional route, you'll finish 6 - 7 days later in County Carlow. The great thing about this walk is that most of the daily stopping points are fairly near to public transport options, so you can easily do smaller sections. I started in Knockree and finished in Glenmalure (Days 2, 3, and 4 in the traditional route). There are several BnBs and hostels along the way that you can overnight in. Most will provide a filling breakfast and (for a fee) a packed lunch that you can take with you the next day, so its an easy way to do a multiday hike.

Though the trail is fairly well marked, it's always a good idea to carry a good map/guide book of the area. Also, there is nowhere to buy food/drink within the national park itself - you'll need to bring everything you'll need for a day's hiking with you before you set out from your accommodation that day (BnBs and inns are usually just off the trail, outside of the park). Also, much of the Wicklow Mountains are not forested - which means the peaks can be very windy even in the summer. Come prepared, and watch out for the weather.
Written July 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

edwardl39
United Kingdom47 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Couples
The scenery has to be seen to be believed. The sun was shining and we loved it. PS I Love you and Leap Year were both filmed around here and I am not surprised!
Written October 15, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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