Joy of Trail

brownian

Not in response to anything, but just to share my enjoyment....

went out for a run on Sunday morning - thought I'd go for a longer spin than usual (20K) and stay off the roads. Also thought a look at the new Dublin Mountains Way was in order.

Parked (with hundreds of others) at Ticknock, met up with Kevin and took it handy up the road (sheet ice in places) to the 3 Rock masts, then up to Fairy Castle. Thin (5mm?) layer of snow on everything, up an inch or two in places. Very frozen. Very beautiful - clean crisp day, nice light, christmas-card trees and tracks.

Lovely easy jog down to the wicklow way junction, heading for Tibradden. Then down the Wockas (at least that's what MTB people call them - a bit of the Wicklow Way, heading towards the Pine Forest road) and right onto the massive new track to Tibradden. Still really pleasant running - good traction, only a few gobdaws who hog the middle of the narrow track and don't care that for a runner momentum is precious. Left Kev at the top of Tibradden, dropped down the lovely newly engineered boulder track to the car park at the bottom of the hill. It's long and steeply down here, and was thinking wary thoughts about the return.

Out across the road and into the the back of Cruagh (more or less), still on the DMW markers. A mile and a half of steady solid uphill, to my turnaround point just after the "access route" to Cruagh mountain branches off the DMW. One for another day. Turn around, cruise back down to the road and back into Tibradden. "Bad things happen now" I thought as I swung up towards the new (and steep) boulder path...but in fact it was handy. The head did the pathfinding, the legs did the pacing and all went in harmony. Back on Tibradded in now time, quick jog back to the Wockas and still surfing that wave of unexpected ease all the way back to Fairy Castle. A last look at the frozen hills then slip slide slither down the road and back for dinner.

So what? Well, nothing really. But I thought I'd share the enjoyment to be had from this relatively straightforward trail run - no cars, beautiful environment, a bit of up and down challenge but not a savage mountain run. It's not a run for speed training but if you want 20K of pleasant training that's a change from the tarmac I can only recommend it.

thanks for reading

guapos

sounds like a great run. How well is it marked? could i just turn up and run without knowing the area?

Micilin Muc

I was in this area running for the first time yesterday and enjoyed it a lot.

I'd advise you to bring a map, you could even print out one of the maps from the Recreation Sites section on the Dublin Mountains Partnership website.

http://www.dublinmountains.ie/recreation_sites/tiknock/

brownian

guapos wrote: »

sounds like a great run. How well is it marked? could i just turn up and run without knowing the area?

Personally I think you'd have to try hard to get lost, unless you ran in the dark. The signposting is pretty good, once you're on top of Fairy Castle (you get there by parking and going up until you can go up no more!). The maps etc on the web are worth a look, though, just to give you things to look out for.

brownian

Following on from the runaway success of my last post, here's another trail running fun-run. It's more of a forest run and so very suitable for wet and windy days when the Ticknock-Tibradden jog would be cold and exposed.

For this 10-miler (give or take), you park in the Long Hill car park on Djouce Mountain. Here's a google map link.

Leave the car park by the obvious downhill forestry trail - you're following a Coillte loop walk to start with (little arrows on sticks). Down the big wide trail, swinging left to a junction with a smaller path that goes level ahead, while the big trail goes downhill. Keep left (following the Coillte sign) and run the delightful flat (sometimes a bit muddy) path that cuts along the side of the hill. If you think it's nice now, it's lovely in spring with new leaves and colours.

The path is mainly in forest, with a short open section (great views of Powerscourt waterfall to your right) and finally debouches onto a bigger wider track (the one you left earlier). Call this point "X". Keep left and you reach Paddock Lakes, two dried up artificial ponds on your right. Go around the ponds, crossing the stream at the far end of the ponds via some stepping stones. Whether you go clockwise or anti-clock around the ponds is up to you. Either way, you end up at the lower end of the lakes, just uphill from "point X". Stay on FAR side of the stream from "X" (don't recross on the main trail) and run downhill briefly to a junction. Keep right at the junction - if the trail descends, with a steep rough slope to your right, you're going the right way. Swing across the hillside and enter the forest as you cross a damp patch and a stream (cool cave in the streambed on left).

All the navigation's over now. Run down the track through the forest for several KM, in long easy zig-zags on generallly good clean surfaces. Eventually emerge at the bottom of the valley after a particularly nice deciduous woodland. Keeping the river on your right, run through a gateway (no gate) in a high fence, across some roughish ground and over a small stream in a ditch. Across the stream, join a larger path, keeping right (downhill) parallel to the river. Emerge at a bridge over the river, in sight of Powerscourt Waterfall. Run to the waterfall.

Then turn around and run home again. The section along the flat path from "X" back towards the car is particularly nice.

What's nice about this run ? It's quiet and peaceful. There's the odd MTB but nobody else. It gets you into Powerscourt for free - coffee available at weekends. Its down and up, but the angles are very gentle and it feels like flat. It's great for windy or wet days. It's entirely suitable for street runners (both the shoes and the people).

Krusty_Clown

The sign-posting is good in that area, but not quite as good at the Tallaght end of the Dublin Mountain Way, and the signs can be hard to find around the scalp).

Speaking of which, I'm planning on running the distance (Square in Tallaght to Shankill) either this Sunday or next, so if anyone fancies a trot let me know. Will try to have strategic drinks placed along the route. Running shoes and trail shoes recommended (there are long stretches of road).

Timmaay

Just incase you don't know about IMRA, they run hill races all over Ireland, with a large proportion being based in the Wicklow/South Dublin area. Drop over to IMRA.ie if your interested in doing any races.

Micilin Muc

Brownian, any chance you could mark out that route on Google Maps or Endomondo or something? I'm useless at following directions but can follow a map quite well!

brownian

Timmaay wrote: »

Just incase you don't know about IMRA, they run hill races all over Ireland, with a large proportion being based in the Wicklow/South Dublin area. Drop over to IMRA.ie if your interested in doing any races.

I know them well, and have even done their run up Carrauntuohill a couple of years back (hot hot day). The "joy of trail" runs are a sort of middle ground - in general less steep/rough than (my perception of) IMRA runs, but a bit more textured than the streets.

brownian

Micilin Muc wrote: »

Brownian, any chance you could mark out that route on Google Maps or Endomondo or something? I'm useless at following directions but can follow a map quite well!

Try this http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=53.147311,-6.2041&spn=0.029754,0.055275&t=h&z=15&msid=214997788063296834550.0004999747304e9bfa7cb

Some of the zigzags in the woods are notional,so the distance is wrong, but you can't get lost on the zigzags.

Slogger Jogger

brownian wrote: »

I know them well, and have even done their run up Carrauntuohill a couple of years back (hot hot day). The "joy of trail" runs are a sort of middle ground - in general less steep/rough than (my perception of) IMRA runs, but a bit more textured than the streets.

Majority of the IMRA races are in the trail variety. Its only when you get into Championship races really that it gets rough. Great training run report. The trails and the hills are where its at

geld

Two excellent posts there Brownian. I am familar with both runs and get a strong sense of enjoyment you get from them.

If I had my way this is the type of running I would do every day. You can't beat it.

One of the reasons I am a big fan of IMRA races.;)

brownian

A last trail suggestion from me - other people's happy runs off the road would of course be most welcome!

This third suggestion again follows a Coillte loop walk (there are several on http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie), as did the Djouce-Powerscourt run for the first couple of kilometres. I stumbled over this one as it's very close to my folks' farm; from a Dublin perspective it's not so handy as 3 Rock or Djouce; for me it's a good option as it's handy for a nice cup of tea and a shower.

The run is an undulating 6K or 10K loop (green or blue arrows), or indeed a 16K double-loop (some overlap) if you do both. The terrain is great - all forestry track, mainly dry compacted mud/gravel coillte standard issue material, with the odd bit of puddles. In winter you'd likely have damp feet by the end, but dry ankles. Traction is good overall so trail shoes not needed, IMHO.

The surroundings are lovely - one of Wicklow's (Ireland's ?) largest deciduous forests, primarily oak. In spring you get carpets of bluebells between the trees, in summer there's bracken but lots of vetch, trefoil, the odd dog rose and other wild flowers, in autumn it's a blizzard of multicoloured oak leaves, and this time of year it's a sere, slightly bleak place full of cold fresh air, naked tree trunks and last year's bracken... but you know spring's just around the corner. In snow it's particularly pretty - a real Narnia sort of place. You should see deer at least once. The riverside sections on the Avonmore are particularly nice... they're flat and it's good to run by the water.

Anyway....

Park either at the church in Clara Vale or else at either of two forestry entrances on the road that goes uphill AWAY from the main Laragh-Rathdrum road, from the church. You're on the right road if you don't cross the bridge after leaving the church. Keep right at the junction. I generally run from the upper of the two forestry entrances (believe it or not there's a Google Street View of this...http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Clara+near+Wicklow,+Ireland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=67.840216,78.75&ie=UTF8&hq=Clara&hnear=Wicklow,+County+Wicklow,+Ireland&ll=52.968957,-6.247873&spn=0.050554,0.109606&t=h&z=14. There's room for a couple of cars.

You should see the signs for the loop walks as you leave the road. Both walks (runs, for us!) run along one side of the Clara valley, drop down to the Avonmore river and then rise back up again to car park level. The longer run also takes in some of a subsidiary side valley (towards the Croneybyrne Demesne) and takes you parallel to the "Stump Road" between Rathdrum and Garryduff for a while. The routes are well signposted so I won't bore you wiht "left here, right there..".

These aren't really runs with big views, but they're offroad without being very steep (though you can get a decent long climb in), suitable for "normal" runners (footwear) and in a lovely environment. If you're in the area, well worth a spin. If you're not, it's a long drive for a shortish run, and the temptations of Glendalough's green road, boardwalks and trails (albeit more crowded most days) are nearby. I've never done much running there, so if anyone has, and would share recommendations, that'd be great.

Thanks for reading

RoyMcC

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Running shoes and trail shoes recommended (there are long stretches of road).

Stupid question KC - do you carry the alternate pair in a back pack or something

brownian thanks for the great run descriptions - makes me wish I was back in Ireland.

Krusty_Clown

RoyMcC wrote: »

Stupid question KC - do you carry the alternate pair in a back pack or something

brownian thanks for the great run descriptions - makes me wish I was back in Ireland.

I wouldn't normally carry another pair, but did recently when I was doing a 'recce of the Tallaght side of the DMW, because 7 or 8 miles was on the road, while the remaining 7 or 8 miles of the loop was on trails (or as was the case on Sunday, ice and snow). When I get around to trying to run the distance I'll definitely bring two pairs (and some yaktrax if there's snow and ice). I don't mind stopping to swap shoes, as I'm doing it for the adventure more than any other reason and it's a pretty long way (approximately 42kms) so the rest will be welcomed! I've a small backpack which I robbed off the kids, which will just accomodate another pair of shoes and a small amount of food/phone/map.

Slogger Jogger

Clara Vale is great. I've ran it many times, from the Rathdrum side.

There are trails around Trooperstown hill, around Brockagh (from the Brockagh Centre). Both of these are events on the imra calendar.

The Wicklow way trail race was extended to 25k last year and goes along trail from Ballinastoe to Johnny Foxes.

Various sections of the Wicklow way are worth a run. Glendalough to glenmalure for instance. From Glenmalure there are plenty of trail options on either side of the Glen.. Ballybraid / Lugduff, or the other side taking in the likes of Clohernagh.

And last, but not least, in Avondale House grounds.

brownian

I'm starting to veer into mountain running territory here, and I imagine there's an IMRA race up this trail, since it goes to the top of a mountain but is eminently runnable by normal mortals without marshals, guidance or signposting. It's a very accessible mountain, with fantastic views and generally good footing, and so well worth a look if you fancy a 10k run which is on the beaten track but off the road.

Scarr is a hill in north Wicklow, roughly between Laragh and Roundwood. From the top you look down on Glenmacnass Waterfall and the Wicklow Gap on one side, and towards Roundwood and across to the Sugarloaf on the other. You can see most of the rest of the hills too, including Turlough Hill's reservoir, Lugnaquillia's sprawl in the distance and Tonelagee's steep-sided hump. Scarr's one of the "pointier" of Wicklow's hills - driving over the Sally gap from Dublin it's easy to spot due to its stretched-triangle profile, rather than the usual Wicklow pudding bowl shape.

Anyway, enough advertising. It's a nice hill, a good view and easy to run up. Here's how:

Park on the road that leaves the Laragh-Dublin road immediately north of Laragh (signposted for a church). Continue uphill around squiggly bends to reach a forestry entrance more ore less on the crest of the hill. The forestry is recently felled; you'll know you're at the right place if (a) there's another entrance more or less across the road and (b) you've just passed a cottage on your left. If you find yourself driving between long stone walls you've gone too far. [map here ]

Run into the ex-forest to a T junction and keep right, angling gently uphill. Here's the only tricky bit....a couple of hundred metres (at most) later, there's a path angling up the hillside to your left, through prickly gorse. It's pretty clear, so don't take anything that seems sketchy. The path debouches onto a broader track (more a cleared space, really) with a trench/track thing going more or less directly uphill from it. Jog (real slow) up this; it very soon flattens out and evolves into a nice wee path up the hill. Come to a fence which which you cross at a stile.

You've now reached the Wicklow way. (Yes, you could access this point by parking on the Glenmacnass road and running up the Wicklow Way, but it's harder. Makes an interesting detour on the way down, though). Cross the Wicklow to take clear grassy track through the bracken, heading towards the corner of a forest far off on the right. This track is a delight - gently angled, smooth grass, in a wide open airy tract of country. Soon after you join it you can detour to view the Bullaun Stones (no idea what they do, or why so named), a group of boulders in a rough ring. But you're running a run here, so probably you won't bother...

Continue up the grassy track to reach a gate at the corner of forest - some interesting "skeleton trees" here, as if hit by acid rain. Join a big track coming up from your left, and go through the gate. The track continues up Scarr. It's a bit muddy/rutty in spots, but pretty gentle and altogether pleasant. Gain height easily, with just the odd steep spot, following the track all the way until you're almost at the top. Follow your nose to the summit - even in fog it can't be missed.

Return the same way - if you're energetic, you can detour down the wicklow way, do a nice loop down to Glendalough and then jog along the road to the car.

Here's a map of the (pretty simple) route. Google Maps actually shows the little paths and all.

This is a lovely run for a bright, clear day. It takes me about an hour or so, but can be extended in several directions by the adventurous, or simply along the Wicklow Way, which is very pleasant to the north of this run (also nice to the south, but drops steeply towards Laragh, so coming back is hard work!) Scarr is usually windy, and it is a mountain (of sorts) so the usual "bring a waterproof" or even "bring a map and compass" apply. Alternatively, iphone users could bring Viewranger, which is ideal for this sort of thing.

donothoponpop

Scarr is indeed an imra race brownian, and a great one at that. Its got several false summits as you run up, which break many a heart. The view from the top has to rank as one of the finest in Wicklow. And its got a great fast downhill run, with soft ground to break your fall. You're dead right about the wind too!

ThisRegard

donothoponpop wrote: »

Its got several false summits as you run up, which break many a heart.

It was my first IMRA race and those false summits were a killer alright, you're always thinking 'next one is it' but the lack of runners coming towards you tells you it's not.

ocnoc

ThisRegard wrote: »

those false summits were a killer alright, you're always thinking 'next one is it' but the lack of runners coming towards you tells you it's not.

Or that lack of John Shiels, armed with double camera's.

anymore

Anyone interested in this thread might read the thread on Coillte Woods as well.:(:eek::(

brownian

@Mods - if you feel this is starting to sound like a "Description of Runs I've Done" and so should be a "log", do let me know. My intention is to provide enough information to make it easy for other runners to decide if a particular run would be attractive for them. It'd be great if that tempted more people off the roads and onto the trails. But of course to write this, I have to run the trails first, so there's an element of autobiography involved .

This run is a valley-based one which is suitable for a windy or wet day, but which is (of course) most enjoyable on a cool bright day. It's long (25km) and not overly well signposted, but can be done without getting too lost! It's also a run you can get a (St Kevin's) bus to, which makes a change.

Glendalough is (as no doubt everyone knows) a deep glacial valley in the Wicklow hills, with two lakes (Upper and Lower, a tenth-century Monastic City (basically a round tower and series of churches in varying states of disrepair) and a high tourism profile. This last means there are various signposted walks and boardwalks, as well as copious parking, toilets and so on. There's even an interpretive centre, where this run starts and ends. A useful feature of the valley is the "green road" which is basically a coillte-standard track along teh full length of the south side of the valley, from Derrybawn House just outside Laragh (the nearest village) to the Upper lake. Glendalough is of course a well known beauty spot, the scenery is fantastic, there's some lovely oak forest as well as plenty of the usual monoculture Coillte chipboard-with-roots, a very fine waterfall, an information centre (good maps) and burger van in season. All in all a fine running venue.

The run: Start at the interpretive centre car park. Cross the river (just S of the car park) and run up the green road (up the valley, that is, or West). At a junction for "upper lake via boardwalk", take the boardwalk option. This gives a pleasant bouncy wooden boardwalk over some otherwise horrendous swamp, followed by some smooth tarmac over gentle up and down gradients, to emerge at the Upper lake car park. Keep tight to the N (right) side of the valley and pick up the Miners Trail, running above the N edge of the (long and rectangular) Upper lake. Follow this flat and beautiful trail all the way to its end at the Miner's Village (ruins). Don't go up the zig zag and rough track or through the boulders; instead turn around at the information sign just before the main Village ruins, and run back to the car park (E end of upper lake). Yes, that was out and back the same way. Yes, there's a clear alternative, to follow the zig-zags up the valley and take the boardwalk back via the Spink. But that's another day and this way is really nice in both directions.

Back at the E (lower) end of the upper lake, take the lakeshore trail S till you meet the river. Jog left to the bridge (signposted for the Waterfall), and cross the bridge. Unless you're feeling hardy, avoid the steps up beside the waterfall (pretty but steep) and use the zig zag forestry trail to the right. It emerges at the top of the waterfall; keep right and run up the hill to the next bridge over the waterfall stream. Take a right here, run past the bottom of the "cliffs"-signposted steps up the Spink, and swing up in to the valley that eventually tops out at the Ravens Rock and the col between Glenmalure and Glendalough.

A long but not very steep climb, keeping right at all junctions but not leaving the main Coillte track (especially not for any small trail with a walking arrow!) will bring you up and around this subsidiary valley until you pass beneath the wet and nasty looking black cliff of Raven's Rock. On a clear day there are nice views across to Derrybawn mountain. Shortly afterwards, take the next trail to the right. This is narrow and a bit overgrown-looking, and certainly not the usual Coillte standard. You'd never get a jeep up this, never mind the usual Coillte megatrux. It goes wetly and boggily uphill; in wet conditions there's a veritable stream. Emerge back on a proper Coillte track and keep right,following Wicklow Way signs all the way up to the col between Glendalough and Glenmalure.

That's the high point - it's downhill all the way now. Turn around and run down the Wicklow Way, passing the wet tunnel that you just climbed up. Follow the WW all the way down this side valley and around the base of Derrybawn mountain. This is fantastic running - gently downhill, good surface, great views from a high balcony over the valleys. Down down down, through a couple of ingeniously-counterweighted swing gates and down again through a series of tight hairpins, to eventually reach the main valley floor again. You're back on the green road now; take a left and follow it to the car.

That's about 20k; for a few extra miles, stay on the green road, don't take the right-hand turn for the boardwalk, but instead remain on the green road all the way back to the upper lake car park. Take the path just before the carpark itself and you're back on the boardwalk, which you run back to the car.

Option - sit in the river for a few minutes to get that muscle-easing chill, then drip yourself all over the toilets to get dry!

A last note - there's much more in Glendalough. It's all up and down, apart from the excellent green road and boardwalk, but the angles are amenable. There's several marked walks, including a lovely one (mentioned above) that takes stairs up the Spink and then runs along the side of Lugduff before bringing you to the Miner's village. The above description is just to give a flavour. If you want a long trail run that isn't the DMW or the WW, then Glendalough is certainly an option. 25k could easily be stretched if you had the urge.

Sorry for such a long post; it must be Monday.

Slogger Jogger

Keep them coming. The debra ireland wicklow half marathon starts up past the Wicklow gap near Ballinagee bridge (?) and comes down through Glendalough finishing in Brockagh. Very traily, very nice. Worth checking out.

brownian

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Keep them coming. The debra ireland wicklow half marathon starts up past the Wicklow gap near Ballinagee bridge (?) and comes down through Glendalough finishing in Brockagh. Very traily, very nice. Worth checking out.

Anyone got a route map/description ? Debra's website doesn't seem to. I saw people on this last year - they got a fantastic day.

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

Anyone got a route map/description ? Debra's website doesn't seem to. I saw people on this last year - they got a fantastic day.

Have a look at the GPS Race Profiles thread here. Go to the last page for the latest list of routes/profiles. You'll see one for DEBRA Wicklow Mountain Half Marathon (which if I remember correctly was won by none other than our own Slogger Jogger).

Here's my route from the Dublin Mountain Way (without the optional loop around Hellfire/Masseys). Elevation Profile here

brownian

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Have a look at the GPS Race Profiles thread here. Go to the last page for the latest list of routes/profiles. You'll see one for DEBRA Wicklow Mountain Half Marathon (which if I remember correctly was won by none other than our own Slogger Jogger).

Thank you. Route looks good - one to try.

Here's my route from the Dublin Mountain Way (without the optional loop around Hellfire/Masseys). Elevation Profile here

DMW - Congrats - that's a fair spin! Sunday was a lovely day in the hills (sadly did my main Glendalough run on Saturday).

Did you find the innov8 shoes gave you much better running on the trail? I'm using my Brooks and New Balance road shoes on Coillte tracks and wondering am I missing some extra advantage I could give myself.

Antigrav

brownian wrote: »

Did you find the innov8 shoes gave you much better running on the trail? I'm using my Brooks and New Balance road shoes on Coillte tracks and wondering am I missing some extra advantage I could give myself.

Be careful of turning this excellent trail discovery thread into a religious war over the best trail running shoes :rolleyes:

I ran the Debra half in Inov8's purely because it was mainly downhill, and with some mucky sections. Simarlarly for their Glencree half marathon, as a good proportion was pretty rough terrain.

Do not lump all Inov8s into one category as their range provides just about all variations of on and off road shoes.

My personal favourite is the Mudroc 290 which is their original fell racing shoe. It has a minimal thickness sole, and gives great feel of the terrain. Not one for pounding 20k of forest road though

Keep up the good trail descriptions Brownian, you have great information on the area as well

Krusty_Clown

brownian wrote: »

DMW - Congrats - that's a fair spin! Sunday was a lovely day in the hills (sadly did my main Glendalough run on Saturday).

Did you find the innov8 shoes gave you much better running on the trail? I'm using my Brooks and New Balance road shoes on Coillte tracks and wondering am I missing some extra advantage I could give myself.

The 'way' has a massive variety of terrain, from deep mud, to riverbeds, fire trails, a huge amount of road, deep forest, etc. so ideally you'd have 5 pairs of shoes to choose from! I could only fit one in my back-pack though so went with the inov8 Mudrocs alongside my road shoes, and they were probably the best shoes for the job (along with the road shoes!). I have a few pairs of inov8s at this stage, as I like 'em and they're relatively cheap.

nerraw1111

This is apt given the title of thread.

'Boulders Trail Runners Q&A session with some of the top male trail runners currently in our sport – Scott Jurek, Anton Krupicka, Geoff Roes, and Dave Mackey.'

http://endurancebuzz.com/2011/01/18/jurek-krupicka-mackey-roes-top-male-trail-runners-share-insight-from-the-sport-they-enjoy/

Slogger Jogger

brownian wrote: »

Anyone got a route map/description ? Debra's website doesn't seem to. I saw people on this last year - they got a fantastic day.

I'll dig out my garmin track for that race and link it here...

Here you go - Includes my race report from last year:-
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=65012996&postcount=150
&
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=65013021&postcount=151

Micilin Muc

Here's a Google Maps version of a run I did around Djouce Woods, very enjoyable!

brownian

At last - a trail run for people who prefer not to have to run up and down mountains. This one is so flat that a football won't roll on most of it, but it's still a special, lovely run with no cars, few/no people and great scenery, within fair striking distance of Dublin.

Roundwood (strictly "Vartry") reservoir is a major water source for Dublin city. It's an artificial lake, constructed in the usual way by damming a valley full of farmland and letting it fill up with water. The net result is an irregular body of water, stretching up drowned valleys on several sides, with one rather straight edge where the dam is. The lake is managed (owned?) by the ESB and the Corpo, but there's no issue with access to it, so long as you're not boating or swimming. The reservoir is just outside Roundwood village, and is clearly visible from the Dublin-Glendalough road just before you get to the village.

The countryside is typical north Wicklow - rolling hills with some bigger ones in the background (Scarr, of which more elsewhere in this thread) is the biggest nearby), and decent views of Djouce and Sugarloaf. There are little woods here and there, lots of sheep, and plenty of green.

In their wisdom, the builders of the reservoir put a rather nice track along most of the shoreline; where the track meets the road there are stiles in the stone walls. Where the track is absent there's a good quality footpath, occasionally muddy; the muddiest bits now have that black "doormat" plastic webbing stuff, and/or some rather dubious wired-together-sticks surfacing that looks like an art and crafts approach but has the traction of a greased ice-rink.

Anyway, where's the run? Coming from Dublin, enter Roundwood from the north. Just past the (sadly recently defunct) shop and the campsite/caravan park on the right, there's a left turn signposted for Newtown. Take this turn, and park wherever seems reasonable close to the bridge across one arm of the lake, just a hundred yards or so from the junction. There are other places where this run crosses the road, and so you could park, this just happens to be where I've parked in the past, and last week. On the Roundwood side of the bridge, a stile crosses the stone wall on the right (looking towards the bridge), leading onto a Coillte-sized track.

Run the gloriously-flat track for a couple of very pleasant kms, tight to the lake edge. There's lots of flooded mangrove-y forest here on your left, plus a very wet ditch to the right, but the track itself is perfect. Following along, after about 400m it opens out somewhat, so that you've great views across the lake and along its length to the dam at the far end, complete with Rapunzel-style granite tower (where they keep the chain for the plughole out which the water runs). You can see most of the run from here, and it's worth looking forward to.

You can't get lost - just run until you hit the road, where you cross another stile over a similar stone wall. Turn left and run across the top of the dam. You're on a public road here, and there's parking if you prefer to start here. On the right (downhill) side are the water treatment plants which use sand filters to clean the water. There's a good signpost with lots of info, if you need a rest. Continue across the dam to the far bank of the lake; just as you get there you see the overflow from the lake, down a weir, on the left hand side. Keep on the road to the junction (this is the only time you leave the lake shore, and it's not for long. Fantastically idyllic green sheep grazing with short manicured grass and old pines on the left here. Take a left at the junction and run along the road until you're back close to the lake.

You've two options now - you can take the first stile over the wall, which gets you off the road sooner, but you get into some wet country and I don't recommend it this time of year. Nice in summer, though. Or you keep on the tarmac for another hundred yards, and cross the next stile in the left hand wall, at the Sli na Slainte sign. Either way, you come back to the lake shore, now on a footpath of packed mud with the odd bit of gravel, tree root and so on. Nothing too tricky, but you need to look down the odd time. Run this very pleasant path all along the lake shore, looking back over to where you've come from. Back at the road, you're on the far side of the bridge next to which you parked - you can look left and see your car. Don't go there. Go right, and after just 20 yards take the stile on the other side of the road. The ensuing path brings you around a long arm of the lake, over a bridge over the river, back down the other side of the lake arm/river, and along a narrow twisty footpath (might be an MTB trail, has that feel to it) through a very pleasant wood, and out then onto grass at the bottom of a steep grassy ramp which is another element of the waterworks. Don't run up the ramp unless you really want to - instead keep left along its bottom and then turn left to regain the water's edge. There are various options just here, in terms of how far along the ramp you go, how soon you cut down to the water again, etc. I tend to go to the end of the bottom of the ramp, then contour leftwards through a big field with gorse thickets here and there, and then drop diagonally to the waterside, but it's pretty clear when you're there (really!).

Back at the waterside, back on a similar footpath, you run all the way back to the side of the bridge where your car is. The odd bit of mud on this last section, but it's been addressed with the door-mat and/or wired-sticks mentioned above and is pretty pleasant.

Overall this run is between 9.5 and 10km. It's worth running in either direction (or both, if you're feeling energetic or looking for a LSR with zero hills). You might meet a couple of dog walkers, but that's really it. It's not possible to get lost - you basically keep the water on your left from your car, to your car. Where there's a road, there's stiles. Much of it is Sli na Slainte marked, which makes it even harder to get lost.

Micilin Muc

I've only ran this trail once but I'll definitely do it again. A good part of the southern descent was far too steep for my liking, so I'd recommend running it the reverse direction.

Garmin Map of Trail

brownian

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I've only ran this trail once but I'll definitely do it again. A good part of the southern descent was far too steep for my liking, so I'd recommend running it the reverse direction.

Garmin Map of Trail

There are also two nice options in the area which are less aggressive on the legs
- to run the coastal trail from Bray to Greystones and back (avoiding the dog leavings in the opening mile is the hardest part, though looking at the mess made of Greystones harbour is also upsetting)
- to park at Windgates (top of hill between Bray and Graystones) and run the trail from there to Bray Head and back. That's "the back of Bray Head", if you like, and has good sea views, not excessive gradients and great flowers in the springtime.

Krusty_Clown

Micilin Muc wrote: »

I've only ran this trail once but I'll definitely do it again. A good part of the southern descent was far too steep for my liking, so I'd recommend running it the reverse direction.

Garmin Map of Trail

Hey Micilin Muc, is that a right of way/public path, at the Southern Cross roundabout section of your run?

Nem_e

Hi Krusty,

Yeah open access along that way , it borders on the golf course, as you go through the woods thiers an obvious path and when you get to the other side thiers a fenced path (both sides) squeezed in between the golf course and some private farm land.

I used to run this part of the route alot when i was living on the boghall road, I think the last time i did it i nearly killed the dog, she collapsed in the woods and i had to turn around and look for her, took near 40 mins to walk here back the 1km to the house, (i think the extra second climb from the sea front to the cross was one climb to much for her but I was feeling very light and energetic.)

Slogger Jogger

IMRA Wicklow way trail race filling fast. Check out the events on www.imra.ie.