Similar but different - a week in County Wicklow

I was fortunate enough to travel to Ireland last week, on a work trip to research the Wicklow Way.

This is a well established trail starting on the outskirts of Dublin and ending in the quaint village of Clonegal, favourably known as the "Switzerland of Ireland". The route, through the Wicklow Mountains (although we'd possibly call them hills in Scotland!), avoids towns and villages, making it a good option for backpackers and those who are really looking to get away from civilisation. That being said, there's a fair bit of road walking in the southern section of the trail, albeit on quiet country roads.

Having been to Dublin three times, I was keen to see another part of a country I don't know well at all. I was very fortunate that Dave was able to accompany me - as a former tour guide in Ireland he is well used to the roads and the small differences between our two Celtic countries - such as the extreme lack of road signs. However he hadn't been to County Wicklow before so we were both new to this beautiful area.

And it is beautiful. It's no wonder much of Braveheart (and many other films and TV shows!) were filmed in the Wicklow mountains - scenery rolls out in front of you as far as the eye can see. Naturally you can't help but compare it to home - and we concluded that it was "similar but different", if you know what I mean.

Our first two days were spent in the hire car, exploring Marlay Park in the south of Dublin's fair city, Enniskerry, Roundwood, Laragh, and the beautiful monastic city of Glendalough.

Lough Tay

 

 

It was lovely - but my feet were getting itchy and I was looking forward to hitting the trail on Wednesday.

We had a long day ahead of us. Our plan was to walk from Laragh to Iron Bridge, a distance of around 20 miles. We were warned that this was an ambitious plan - I wasn't initially concerned but the closer we got to the day the more anxious I got. Perhaps it was too ambitious - not the distance itself but the terrain and the undulation of the trail.

I wanted to be walking by 9am, but it wasn't until about twenty past that we got going. We thought it would be a relatively short walk from Laragh to Glendalough, as they sit side by side, but in fact it took us an hour to get there, as we weaved our way through the trees. We set a fast pace, and stopped for a wee rest at Glendalough.

It was now half past 10 and we still had 19 odd miles to go. I had to really make an effort not to be concerned by this - it didn't matter. All we had to do that day was get to Iron Bridge - it didn't matter what time we got there, as long as we got there.

The trail passes by the beautiful Poulanass waterfall - the water really looked emerald green.

We then started our first 'up' of the day - and there was a lot of it! We joined our first forest track of the day - and there was a lot of that too!

It certainly felt like a slog for much for this stage, up and down along forestry paths. However, climbing up allowed views of the hills, the trees, the lakes of Glendalough.

 

Finally, we broke the back of the first uphill struggle, and headed along the shoulder of Mullacor mountain. We reached a boggy section; thankfully though some great work had been done with old railway sleepers and there was a pleasant section of boardwalk to stroll over. This was a nice relief for our feet!

 

 

Sadly this relief was short-lived, as soon we were off the hill and back onto the forest tracks.

However the walking was straightforward, and the views over Glenmalure got better and better.

 

We stopped in at Glenmalure Lodge - the only B&B accommodation that is actually located on the Wicklow Way. It is, as you'd expect, a charming Irish pub with friendly owners and what looked like a great atmosphere - even on a Wednesday afternoon.

We had a packed lunch with us, and enjoyed it here at Glenmalure, before setting off for the next section of the trail at 2pm.

The second part of the day, 9 miles from Glenmalure to Iron Bridge, was mostly on forestry tracks. We plodded on, enjoying the glimpses of scenery we got through the trees.

At around half past 4, we reached Muckragh Hut, which had great views down the glen. Here we signed the visitor's book - the last entry had been written by a Californian couple the day before.

Just after 5pm, we descended to Iron Bridge - not a village, but an iron bridge, over the Ow River. We were due to be collected by our hosts at the Meath Arms in Aughrim at 5.30pm so we enjoyed a wee rest while we waited. It was a peaceful spot. Our feet tingled and our muscles were sore. We were tired, but we'd made it.

Tired, and trying to keep warm!!

It had been an enjoyable day, and we felt a great sense of achievement. After showering and eating, we were completely zonked. I think I fell asleep around 9.30pm - and woke up at 8.30am!

On Thursday, we were due to walk from Iron Bridge to Tinahely, a distance of 14 miles. I felt fine when I woke up, a wee bit sore but looking forward to hitting the trail again. Dave unfortunately wasn't in good shape - sore feet, sore back and a sore knee. No wonder; there had been a lot of track pounding and ups and downs.

He decided not to walk this stage, and instead take the hire car to Tinahely to meet me there. It sounded like a good plan - I was keen to walk and would have a chauffeur if required!

It was around 10.40am by the time I actually got going again from Iron Bridge, and after a bit of road walking I was back into the forestry.

Unfortunately it was raining reasonably heavily.

It had snowed overnight, which I think was unexpected. It hadn't been heavy where we were, but it was rather bizarre to see a dusting on the trail.

I emerged from the forest to...deforestation!

The cloud was very low, although I could tell that on a good day the views would be great. That's one positive you can take from the tree felling - it allows the views to be seen!

I have to say I was thinking a lot about the East Highland Way at this point - a lot of this forestry walking reminded me of my time on that trail in August.

Soon I reached the road, and I knew I had 3km to go to a wee place called Moyne - where I was hoping I'd meet Dave. I was greeted by four yappy wee dogs, who kept following me down the road, despite my best efforts to get them to stay put!

The next 3km was entertaining in terms of weather - I had hail, snow and sunshine all in the space of half an hour. Just like home - four seasons in one day!

Bizarrely, when I left the next section of track and reached the next road, a familiar car drove by. Dave and I had somehow timed our meeting perfectly, and I sat in the car to warm up a bit and eat my lunch. I was at the half way point now, and knew I had more road walking to come after lunch.

The road walking was never on busy roads though, and funnily enough I enjoyed much of the tarmac sections because it was softer on the feet than the forest tracks.

I reached a wee ford where I left the road and continued to an area of open countryside around Ballycumber Hill. This was one of my favourite bits - I was walking on grass, what a delight!

 

This was a peaceful and enjoyable section.

Soon I could see Tinahely below me, although the guidebook warned that once you saw Tinahely there was still a fair bit to go until you got there. It reminded me of everyone who said on the West Highland Way "when you see Kinlochleven it's still about 3 hours away"! Thankfully it wasn't that bad on this occasion, although the real drama of the day was still to come...

I descended through Coolafunshoge forest, and just had a wee bit of walking to go to reach the main road to Tinahely. It was described by the guidebook as a farm lane, although it was really a grassy track between fields.

There were around 6 gates between me and the road. As I closed the second one behind me, I clocked three black bulls in a field to my left, clocking me. This was an open field with no gates, and as I reached the second opening, I saw that the bulls had moved closer. They weren't in a hurry - but I certainly started picking up the pace!

I kept looking back, sure I'd see them behind me at any stage. However, it was what was ahead that caused me the most problems...

A whole herd of cows stood on the path between me and the next gate. Not just cows, but calves too.

Of course the sensible thing to do would have been to shout at them to move, but I panicked. I couldn't get them to move, and I couldn't find a way round them. I considered walking through a field on my left but didn't want to trap myself in a field - and beyond that was a field full of sheep and lambs.

The cows were obviously panicked too, moo-ing away at me as I tried to plead with them. I couldn't believe I was practically begging them to move, as if there was some negotiation to be had.

I stood, clueless. But I'd have to move sooner or later - because the bulls had decided to come and see what was going on. I started to move - with cows ahead of me, beside me, and now behind me.

The cows ahead of me started to panic and pick up the pace, so the cows behind me did likewise. I was trapped in the middle, moving as fast as I could! Finally I saw the gate ahead of me -

and I leapt over it in one go! I landed hard on my left side, mostly on my hip and arm. The cows stood behind the gate, the moo-ing aggressive and terrifying.

I realise that the cows were protecting their calves, and were probably more scared of me than I was of them (hard to believe!) but in the moment, I was genuinely so scared, thinking I was going to be trampled.

Thankfully I was almost at the end of the stage, and there were no more cows! Dave met me at the end and I was very upset. I know it might seem daft, but in that moment rational thought went out the window - and after all, I am a big cushy, a feardy, and Dave says I'm scared of my own shadow - so some defensive cows really terrified me!

I wasn't sore at the time, adrenaline pumping. The next day, and until Sunday, I was in agony! My side was very tender.

Apart from the incident with the cows I had enjoyed this stage more than the day before. Don't get me wrong; whilst there is a fair amount of road and forestry walking, it is through a very pleasant part of Ireland and the walking is straightforward. The Wicklow Way is a very well way-marked trail, so you can walk and lose yourself in your own thoughts.

On Friday we explored the rest of the trail south of Tinahely, and particularly enjoyed the charming village of Clonegal, where the walk ends. I have many more photos from the week than I have posted here, so perhaps I will post them too when I can.

I shook off my lethargy in Ireland, and I hope I left it behind. A change of scene was required, as was a sense of achievement. I've been beating myself up and knocking myself down (up and down!) for a while now (too long) and it is amazing how walking rejuvenates me and makes me feel so much better.

It helped that the hospitality was great, the welcome was warm, and the pints and the food were good too!


A great week, a mostly stress-free week (curse those cows!), and a change of scene. County Wicklow was similar to parts of Scotland (the Borders in particular) but different too.

I look forward to the next adventure....