Where is Military Road in Wicklow?

fletch

As the title says?

Wishbone Ash

I think it's the road which begins in Rathfarnham and go up the mountains along by the Glencree centre (R116?). I'm not sure where it ends.

fletch

Yeh its called the R115 as far as Laragh but after that it is now classed as a local road. Can anyone point to it on google maps?

Navan Junction

No. It started originally near Killiney, over to Glencree over the Sallygap, down through Glenamacnass past Glendalough and over to Glenmalure and off towards Baltingalss direction

Built after 1798, using the same methodology from the Scottish highlands with garrisons all along it.

Used frequently as an example of the English always being prepared for the last war

murphaph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R115_road

mike65

The last time I ws up there in the early 90s the view east out to sea was just starting to vanish as state forrestry loomed upwards. Whats it like now?

Mike.

Capt'n Midnight

There were Barracks along it at Glencree ( near the German war grave ) , Laragh ( inland from the road south of the village) , Glenmalure, Aughavanagh ( was a hostel)

aphex™

Here is a google map link to it. It is marked as a continuation of stocking lane on google for some reason, and it sorta is, but shouldn't be named stocking lane that far south if you get me.

mike65 wrote:

The last time I ws up there in the early 90s the view east out to sea was just starting to vanish as state forrestry loomed upwards. Whats it like now?

Mike.

Umm its mostly bordered by bog? And hills?

mike65

Unless I was on the wrong road as you go north there is (or was) a view for a section of it where you had a clear view eastwards. Near Lough Bray.

http://www.visitwicklow.ie/images/WalkingPDFs/Wicklow_Tourism_05.jpg

Mike.

GAFF

afaik When coming into Laragh from the Blessington road, you turn right in Laragh. About 1 mile out the road theres a Right Turn for the Military road, its narrow and goes up a hill. I'm told it goes around the South side of the Lakes at Glendalough and through a Valley between 2 Mountains. I'm trying to find out where the road comes back out onto the main road. I could be wrong but am assuming its somewhere along the Blessington-Laragh Road.

Alun

GAFF wrote:

afaik When coming into Laragh from the Blessington road, you turn right in Laragh. About 1 mile out the road theres a Right Turn for the Military road, its narrow and goes up a hill.

If you follow that road, it goes over a hill past the Shay Elliot Memorial and down into Glenmalure to the Drumgoff crossroads, where the Glenmalure Lodge is. If you go straight across the crossroads, there's one of the old barracks just past it, and if you carry on as far as Aghavannagh Bridge over the Ow river there's another one, used to be a Youth hostel at one time. Where it goes to after that I'm not really sure.

As far as going through Glendalough, not as far as I know .. it'd have to take a bit of a detour to do that. Coming from Dublin it goes through Glencree, over the Sally Gap, and straight down into Laragh, where there's another disused barracks (opposite Lynham's on the other side of the bridge). It then takes the route I described above.

Supercell

If anyone of the readers here are planning on driving this, just be aware its bumpy and bloody steep in parts and potholed in many places.
Many parts are a squeeze for two cars to pass. Just take its slow and enjoy the view, you wil meet hill walkers and cyclists at this time of year - please do not drive fast.

In winter its not recommended unless you have supplies in the boot and are prepared to be stuck in mud/slush/ice for a couple of days!

This time of year is a bloody nice drive if taken at careful speed though

Navan Junction

Alun wrote:

As far as going through Glendalough, not as far as I know

Passes through Laragh at the end of the valley

Alun

Navan Junction wrote:

Passes through Laragh at the end of the valley

The person I was replying to said that "I'm told it goes around the South side of the Lakes at Glendalough", and I wouldn't describe the route it takes through Laragh as doing that at all, personally. Laragh is a good 2.5 - 3 kms away from the Lower Lake and about 4km from the shore of the Upper Lake.

Navan Junction

Alun wrote:

The person I was replying to said that "I'm told it goes around the South side of the Lakes at Glendalough", and I wouldn't describe the route it takes through Laragh as doing that at all, personally. Laragh is a good 2.5 - 3 kms away from the Lower Lake and about 4km from the shore of the Upper Lake.

Ah right - missed that.. You are right, I meant that it passes the valley mouth in the earlier post

GAFF

Cheers for the help guys. I was going on info from someone else. Its all starting to make a little more sense now. On this map the only places I could see with a road leading up the back of the lakes are marked blue. Looks more of a dirt track though.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&hl=en&q=laragh,+ireland&layer=&ie=UTF8&om=1&t=k&msa=0&msid=104354304977484271019.00000111e3c54cc7fba91&z=14&ll=53.002802,-6.3307&spn=0.023449,0.05785

Wishbone Ash

GAFF wrote:

On this map the only places I could see with a road leading up the back of the lakes are marked blue. Looks more of a dirt track though

That route looks like a road made by Coillté for forrestry vehicles and hillwalkers. It's certainly not a public road.

Navan Junction

GAFF wrote:

Looks more of a dirt track though.

I think that is a Coilte track - If you park at the upper carpark in Glendalough you walk up past Pollaneas (or however it is spelt) and you can walk along it, and even loop over it to walk to Glenmalure