2 Day Wicklow hike?

Frankiestylee

I'm looking for suggestions for a 2 day hike in Wicklow. I want to bivouac (sp?) on the first night after a days hiking and the spend the 2nd night in a youth hostel. I'm planning to organise it for the older scouts in my troop, so it shouldn't be a crazy scary tour de force yet it shouldn't b a stroll in the park.

I took part in something similar where we started in Glendalough hostel, then bivvied a bit away from there, then went on towards loch dan, then finally we made it to Knockree... but it was a crazy long hike and we had to get picked up before Djouce. Loch Dan was also pretty dangerous going down and up the steep valley sides.

So before I go digging out my O/S maps and trying to figure out a route and then going to try them out, does anyone have any suggestions? Ideally I'd like somewhere decent for bivving on the first night, preferably somewhere I can do some backwoods cooking...though that's not essential.

matt25

My suggestion would be to start in Glendalough again and head the south. I'm not sure what sort of distance you'd be thinking about covering. Maybe go up the Spink and onto the Wicklow way. I'm sure you'd find plenty of suitable camping places along there. I'm not sure what the regulations are regarding campfires in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Then maybe head on to Glenmalure youth hostel the second night? Depending on time you could climb Lugnaquillia the second day??

This is just a suggestion from the top of my head, distances might be ridiculuos- have a look at the map. But it is definitely really nice around that area.

Frankiestylee

Yeah sounds like an idea alright. I might make it a three nighter maybe. Hmmm. I'll probably use lifts to the start point and from the end point so somewhere accessable would be nice.

I don't think I know Spink, not by name anyway... is it on the Wicklow Way from Glendalough? If so I know it and yeah it'd be nice alright. It really is beautiful country out that way.

It'd be nice to find somewhere with legal campfires, but if not I'm not overly worried, I know how to make a proper fire/leave the place without a trace so somewhere out of the way would be grand I guess. I haven't even decided if I want to do the whole backwoods element, though I probably will as the scouts seem to have forgotten all the best bits of being in scouts

Ah, guess I'll just have an aul look around a sheet 56 and see what wonders strike my eye.

matt25

The Spink is one of the nicest walks in Wicklow. It is slightly off the WW and I don't think it is marked on sheet 56. About 1/2 a km from Glendalough Upper Car Park, you come to a cross in forest paths, instead of following the wicklow way left over the bridge, take the uphill right turn. As far as I can remember it is the white route. At the next bend there is a tiny path through the trees, which has a walking marker - head up that path - there is lots and lots of steps but you definitely won't be disappointed when you get to the top. It eventually links back onto the WW near Mullacor.

Frankiestylee

Ah ok, I've never walked it so. I think whenever I'm up that far I tend to head off on the ww till further on. Might be an idea so, must check it out some sunny morning. Last time I was up around that area they had started cutting a lot of trees, I hope it hasn't ruined all the walks.

albertw

matt25 wrote:

My suggestion would be to start in Glendalough again and head the south. I'm not sure what sort of distance you'd be thinking about covering. Maybe go up the Spink and onto the Wicklow way. I'm sure you'd find plenty of suitable camping places along there. I'm not sure what the regulations are regarding campfires in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Then maybe head on to Glenmalure youth hostel the second night? Depending on time you could climb Lugnaquillia the second day??

If you started early from Glendalough you could make Glenmalure by the evening. Rather than staying in the hostel you can camp there. Before you get to the hostel there are a couple of level grass areas by the river that usually have a few campers at weekends. If you want to do more bushcraft camping then there are bits of forest close by for materials.

http://www.wicklownationalpark.ie/pages/wildcamping.php outlines the National Park camping and fire rules. Check where the boundaries of the park are though! No camping is allowed int he Glendalough valley, but I guess if you vere south off the spink you could argue that you are not in the valley anymore.

Another idea might be to start at Eniskerry and camp somewhere around the dargle crossing before you get to djouce. You used to be able to bivy in the forest there comfortably but coillte have felled it all now. Still there are some level areas outside of the forest to camp on and you can get materials from the felling leftovers. You probably want to find somehere to spend the second night too though as its a long walk from Djouce to glendalough.

hth