We came back from visitng family in MN in the middle of August and we said we would spend the weekends in September working on house projects and not travel. However, by the middle of the month I couldn’t sit still any longer and and jumped at the chance to stay in a littel chalet in the Wicklow mountains for 1 night the last weekend in September.
The Wicklow Mountains are only about an hour drive from Dublin Airport, so they’re an easy (and magnificent) place to sightsee even if you’re only flying to Ireland for a short visit. We obviously drove from our house which took about 2 hours. Wicklow Mountians National Park is one of 6 national parks in Ireland and our 5th one to visit. The only one left for us is Ballycroy National Park and I’m already scheming about a weekend here in the near future. But I digress, the Wicklow Mountains are a beautiful area and we genuinely enjoyed exploring for 36 hours.
Really just driving through the mountains is an enjoyable way to take in the scenery (for the passengers in the car, sorry Julian! #alwaysthedriver). Our first stop of the day was at Lough Tay or Guinness Lake. It’s stunning and it’s one of the most photographed areas in Wicklow. It’s referred to as Guinness Lake because it truly resembles a glass of the good stuff! Just so you’re in the know, the Guiness family, who own some of the land around the lake, actually import the white sand to give it that frothy appearance at the top. Even though it’s not naturally occuring, it’s still a beautiful sight to behold. We first stopped at a viewpoint at the top of the lake closest to the froth of the Guinness, if that makes sense. We feel that the best views however, are from the side of the lake and we stopped there the next day when we were passing by again. Also, it was much earlier in the day when we stopped the following day which was better for enjoying the scenery, having more space to explore and taking the odd photo or two. Earlier in the day = smaller crowds.
It was time for a hearty lunch after the drive so we made a stop at Byrne and Woods in Roundwood. I’m picky about restaurants, if I’m going to spend money on food I want it to be good quality and filling and this meal was top notch. I absolutely hate it when the kids menu only offers frozen sh1t. Here the kids were offered homemade spaghetti (the sauce, not the pasta, I mean we’re not in Italy people) that was so tasty I would have happily eaten it as my own entree. I had fish and chips, Jules had fish pie and it was all really good. #notsponsoredjustgood
With our bellies full we headed to our next destination, Glendalough. Parking was a fiver in the hotel car park, but I think you can go into the hotel for food/beverages and you would get 5 euro off your order. First we explored the monastic site which was founded in the 6th century. It’s just mind blowing how old that is. Now, the structures that remain intact are mostly from the 10th-12th centuries, but my goodness that’s old. It’s no wonder this area is called Ireland’s Ancient East.
We headed out on a trail towards Upper Lake. I had read that it was a 2.2km loop, but that’s not quite accurate, it’s definitely 3km. Our family members with the short little legs did great though and only whinged a titch at the end. The Upper Lake is really lovely and we enjoyed taking it all in. We always try to get the kids to meditate with us when we arrive at a scenic destination, but understandably they’d rather throw stones and splash in water.
We headed to our chalet after this. Now, in my country, I would call it a trailer, but chalet does sound much classier! It was actually perfect for us, clean, two bedrooms, and we could sign into our Netflix account to watch a show after the kids went to bed. We could cook a hot breakfast in the morning before venturing out on day 2 and it had quite a lovely view right next to farm land. It was a good find and we were cosy there, the cost was 150 for the night, but I believe in that part of the country and having 2 bedroms, it was a decent price.
We drove past Lough Tay again on our way to Powerscourt Waterfalls and like I mentioned, we again stopped to admire the view briefly. Then we made a stop at the P.S. I Love You Bridge. Do you remember the book by Cecilia Ahearn that became a movie with Hilary Swank? There was a scene in the movie where Hilary was walking through the Wicklow Mountains, which is absurd because the roads are incredibly narrow and the drivers are incredibly speedy, and she and Gerard Butler cross a small bridge. We stopped at the bridge to capture a photo for fun and to have a giggle about the absurdity of how it was portrayed in the movie. There are cars and tour buses traveling at breakneck speeds across this bridge all day long, I hope nobody traveled to Ireland thinking they could actually take a scenic walk here! Anywho, it’s an adorable little bridge and I’m happy to have the photo below that was taken by our 4 year old Frank.
Then onto Powerscourt Waterfall, which was particularly beautiful. Now, this spot is a bit dear, 16 euro for the four of us to enter, but if we were going to make an afternoon of it with a picnic I wouldn’t mind paying the entrance fee to go back again. We had only planned on staying for a couple hours and we didn’t think to pack a picnic (which is unlike us, we’re slipping!) There was a lot to do besides just enjoying the waterfall, including trails for hiking, playgrounds for the kids, and lots of green space. Definietly a perfect spot to spend with a half day as a family.
The sun made an appearance in the afternoon, so rather than head straight for home after lunch, we veered off course a bit and headed to Killiney Strand (Beach). We threw rocks in the water, splashed a bit and ran around before our drive home. It was really lovely and warm and the perfect end to a really fun weekend getaway. The waves were quite strong so we weren’t sure if Killiney would be a place where you could swim in the summer time. I’ll have to do a little digging to find out about that.
Transatlantic Leonards 