what walk in wicklow next

fguihen

been up Lugnaquilla a coupple times, gone around the spinc at glendalough, around crone woods.

im looking for a walk that brings me back to the same starting point, but is moderately challenging, and doable in 4-5 hours. what do you folks recommend? oh, must be within an hours driving distance of dublin. thanks for the help.

Hugh_C

have you tried any of the longer Spinc variations? there's a few which branch off the main path which are more challenging than the standard route.

Lough Dan is pretty good too, from the Pier Gates below Sally Gap, you can walk a circuit down to the lake on one side and back up the other.

I'll try linking to a google map

Hugh

brayblue24

Can't think of the title right now but David Herman's book of Wicklow walks sounds right up you street. If you can get hold of "Wicklow Way Walks" (Eastwest publishers) it's all walks that start and finish at the same point. Think that one might be out of print at this stage though.Failing that every issue of Walking World Ireland has a Leinster walk (usually Wicklow).

Alun

David Herman's two books are called Hill Walker's Wicklow and Hill Stroller's Wicklow, with the Walker's one being the more difficult of the two.

brayblue24

Alun wrote: »

David Herman's two books are called Hill Walker's Wicklow and Hill Stroller's Wicklow, with the Walker's one being the more difficult of the two.

Hill Walker's Wicklow. That's the man. Was just too lazy to go into the other room and check! Ironic really. A group of us use this for our walks.

dogmatix

I've used some of David Hermans books in the past and he strikes me as a fairly militant "rights to roam" man and i've had some issues with ending up trapsing over private property as a result of his books. I just don't trust him to put me straight on which is and is not private property - i'm a rights to roam supporter but I walk to get away from the hassles of life.

Mind you maybe it was just my navigational skills showing me up...

But back on point - Trooperstown hill is an option. It's on the road from Annamoe to Laragh and it's lovely up there. You can start and finish from the car park down from the main road. If you combine it with a ramble through the vale of clara you could make up a longer 6 hour trek. The only problem is those motorbike scrambler neanderthals love it too and half the time they are up there as well.

Or maybe a walk from Glendalough, along the green road to laragh, up paddock hill to join the wicklow way and follow the way back to the car park starting point - takes about 4-5 hours.

brayblue24

dogmatix wrote: »

Or maybe a walk from Glendalough, along the green road to laragh, up paddock hill to join the wicklow way and follow the way back to the car park starting point - takes about 4-5 hours.

+1

Spiritoftheseventies

Hey read about the giant stepping stones on the Avonmore River as a means of crossing it. Anyone ever do it. Hard to do?

jag con

Hi You could walk up Blackhill and down the other side then up Mullacleavan and back would take about 4 hours ar so.

Blackhill is near Lacken village near Blessington

Con

Cookie_Monster

Park in Bray, over the headland to Greystones along coastal path and Dart back to Bray

Spiritoftheseventies

This an article on alternative walk in Wicklow that appeared last Saturday.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/0808/1224252199402.html

mckildare

A good one I did not too long ago is down around Turlough Hill. Either of the car parks along the Wicklow Gap will do. Headed up around the reservoir over to Camaderry, down to the lower car park, across and up to the saddle between Brockagh and Tonelagee, up Tonelagee and back to the starting point.

Now we did it with a charity so it took longer than normal, about 5.5hours, but I reckon that route should be done in 3.5 tops so to extend it out to 5 theres a few options;

1. From the car park, go to the peak of Brockagh from the south-east, head over to Mall Hill and then on to Tonelagee

2. Instead of going to Camaderry from the reservoir,hit Fair Mountain first, go over to Conavalla, then Lugduff, then back to Camaderry or down into Glendalough and back up the road

3. Reverse direction: Tonelagee to Scarr then loop all the way back around taking in Brockagh and any peak points on the way

I'll be doing the last 2 options myself next so ill let you know how they are Nothing better than an OS map and a highlighter to give you a route

Tells

bayviewclose wrote: »

Hey read about the giant stepping stones on the Avonmore River as a means of crossing it. Anyone ever do it. Hard to do?

Not at all.. Just make sure it hasn't been raining for too long before you do it.. The river can sometimes cover them!

bannerbhoy

bayviewclose wrote: »

This an article on alternative walk in Wicklow that appeared last Saturday.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/0808/1224252199402.html

Done that 1 a couple of weeks ago nice walk.

brayblue24

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Park in Bray, over the headland to Greystones along coastal path and Dart back to Bray

Great walk that one-and suitable for kidstoo but if I may make one suggestion:

Do it in reverse. Take the Dart to Greystones and walk back to Bray. Darts are few and far between between the two and if you Dart on the way out you're under no pressure to make a train departure in Greystones to get back.

Like everywhere else free parking is getting scarce in Bray but if you park near the amusements it's still free there. I was there at 10.30 and there is still plenty of space.

-K2-

On the Bray walk, you can head up to the top of the hill at Bray Head - near the start of the southbound cliff path take a right-turn up the obvious path to the top. Then continue down onto the Greystones road until Windgates, (left turn) cross the train line (careful!) and then onto the coastal path for the walk home.

dogmatix

ElectronEng wrote: »

On the Bray walk, you can head up to the top of the hill at Bray Head - near the start of the southbound cliff path take a right-turn up the obvious path to the top. Then continue down onto the Greystones road until Windgates, (left turn) cross the train line (careful!) and then onto the coastal path for the walk home.

Or if you are feeling limber, (and avoid windgates and train line) you could scramble down the slope (its not difficult and I have bad knees and a fear of heights) into a field of ferns and follow the obvious trial down to the cliff path. Its at the point where the path turns west with the view of greystones ahead.

Carawaystick

You can do a loop from Glendalough up Camaderry and on to Turlough hill, down the road, cut down to the powerstation carpark, go along by the switchyard and there's a path that takes you down by the mines and on down Glendassan valley and back to Glendalough.

Or from Glenmacnass waterfall car park, you can go up Tonlegee, around the top and down the other side of Lough Ouler

flefla

One I did a while ago involves Mullaghcleevaun then over to Barnacullian , stoney top, Tonelagee then drop back down to beside Glenmachnas waterfall. It's not a marked walk and it's going over turf fields so theres a lot of hoping up and down off turf mounds it'll probably take you about 4 ot 5 hours but make sure the ground isn't too wet or it'll take a lot longer. The place I started from was just a small pull in for access to a where there doing some deforistation it's just at the base of carrigshouk and should be around 52 05'250N 06 21'876W

You can park up there and follow the dirt road a lil bit until you come to a river and then follow along it and up the side of Carrigshouk. From there your heading North North West towards Mullaghcleevaun East Top but it's easy enough to find your bearings as it's the big hill top in front of you. Once you hit the top of that your heading West towards Mullaghcleevaun itself and I found that the peak of it is a good place to sit down and take a breather it'll take about a hour to hit it. From there your heading in a sort of south south east direction around the turf fields towards barnacullian and just keep heading from one peak to the next until you hit Tonelagee. If your standing at the top of Tonelagee so facing down over the Wicklow Gap and the resevoir you want to turn to your left and walk so easterly. You'll come to quite a steep decline but there is a few pathways down it and then once you set your sights on the roadway just make your own path down through the heather.

If you get yourself the OSI Discovery sheet 56 it's the best one for it. My compass directions may be out a bit because it's been a while since I've done that walk so I'm working them from the map but the starting point is there on the millitary road and the top half of the map just at the base of carrigshouk. If your travelling from Dublin best directions is to head towards Glencree and up to the Sally Gap and then towards glendalough. If your coming out through Kilmacanogue then head for Glendalough and then up the military road from Laragh.

Another walk that is ok is to start off in Enniskerry and walk out the road towards curtlestown and glencree and join up with the Wicklow way and head up towards Prince Williams Seat and then drop down into Glencullen and walk back into Enniskerry although this is porbably about 2 and a half hours walking and is more roads than anything else.

hmmm

flefla wrote: »

From there your heading in a sort of south south east direction around the turf fields towards barnacullian and just keep heading from one peak to the next until you hit Tonelagee.

If you don't know that area be careful or you will drown going through Barnacullian Keep well to the left on that route and you can skirt around the worst of it.

buttercup20

Hi,

I am wondering what is the best route to take to Blackhill near Blessington for Hillwalking. Can you get to Blackhill going through Lacken?

Alun

If you just want to walk up Black Hill, by far the easiest way is to drive up to the small car park at the Ballynultagh Gap and there's an obvious track straight up from there. In Lacken, if you're coming from Blessington direction, there's a fork in the road just after the turn off to Zeller's pub, take the left fork up the hill for about 3km, and the car park is on your right at the top of the hill, you can't miss it.

Kat1170

Instead of just going up and back down Lug, go up Lug, across to Table Mt. and down into Stranahealy Wood and from there back to start point.

Or Fentons Pub - Lug - Table - Lobawn - Sugarloaf - Stranahely Wood - F. Pub

Alun

Kat1170 wrote: »

Instead of just going up and back down Lug, go up Lug, across to Table Mt. and down into Stranahealy Wood and from there back to start point.

Or Fentons Pub - Lug - Table - Lobawn - Sugarloaf - Stranahely Wood - F. Pub

Both a good bit further than straight up and down though.

A shorter alternative is to go Fenton's - Lug - Slievemaan - Ballineddan - Fenton's, only about 15km as opposed to 13km straight up and down or 20km for the circuit via Table.

buttercup20

Hi,

I was thinking of going to Blackhill next weekend. Has anyone been up at the carpark since the Snow? I am wondering how the road is to the car park, I will be coming through Lacken.

Thanks

Alun

There won't be any snow at this stage, although the road itself was never in great shape and may have gotten worse in the mean time.