Wicklow Way

Eoin Tippins

Hi All, thinking about doing the Wicklow Way and wondering if people have any advice?

Should you take the full 7 days or do it in less?

Once you get further south is it worth doing or is it a lot of flat land road walking? Would it be better to do a 3-4 day trip and just stay in Wicklow?

Any advise on the best places to stay?

Appreciate all the advise.

Cookie_Monster

can be done in 5 days at about 25-30 km per day but you'd want to be pretty confident you can cover the distance, 7 days would make it much easier

South of Glenmalure is pretty uninspiring, flatter and a lot more road walking.

Where to stay depends on how many days you are doing and distance covered so you'd need to decide that.

Slogger Jogger

An additional stage of Glenmalure to Tinahely has more good than bad. Its very roady after that. And Tinahely has pubs, B&Bs so isn't a bad logical end point. This section is a lot less travelled so you feel you have the Wicklow way to yourself.

Judge

It can be done in five days but six days is usually optimum:
Dublin - Knockree
Knockree - Oldbridge (or Roundwood)
Oldbridge - Glendalough (takes a half day so you can rest or explore Glendalough)
Glendalough - Iron Bridge
Iron Bridge - Tinahely
Tinahely - Clonegal

Although a lot of people eschew the parts south of Glenmalure, I find the Iron Bridge - Tinahely section very enjoyable. It's not very physically demanding but the views are excellent especially around Shielstown Hill and Ballycumber Hill.

The Tinahely - Clonegal section is too much of a slog on the roads, however, and really only worth doing if you want to say you've done the whole thing. The initial section on the boreen around Muskeagh Hill is very charming though. If starting from Iron Bridge you might consider continuing past Tinahely and on as far as the Dying Cow pub and arranging collection home from there.

Personally, I find one of the worst sections to be the Glendalough to Iron Bridge leg: too many conifer plantations for my taste. You could spice it up a bit by taking the Red Trail in Glendalough over The Spinc and rejoining the Wicklow Way at the saddle between Mullacor and Lugduff mountains for the descent into Glenmalure. Sadly I can't think of a better alternative route from Glenmalure into Iron Bridge.

The Oldbridge - Glendalough stretch isn't too great either with too much road walking at the start. For an alternative, at the crossroads in Oldbridge turn right (the Wicklow Way goes left) to Lough Dan and follow the Access Route up onto Kanturk mountain and then walk across to the summit of Scarr mountain, descending from the north to rejoin the Wicklow Way on Paddock Hill.

The EastWest Mapping Wicklow Way Map Guide is worth a purchase.

See also: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1170223

PadraigL

Done the Wicklow Way last year in August, camping. Completed it in 6 days.

1st night camp - Dargle river above Crone car park. Nice flat spot beside the river. This is about 16miles.

2nd night camp - Paddock hill above Laragh. You cannot camp in Glendalough. Called into Glendalough hotel for brekkie next morning.

3rd night - Stayed in Drumgoff hotel which is just half way. Lovely break and shower. They have lovely sandwiches which they made for us for the next day.

4th night camp - In Moyne. Passed Moyne and the Way goes down a track between roads. Camped at gates on the track. Met a farmer down the end of the lane in the morning and he told us he allows people to camp on his land further down. He just had a group of 20 from Belgium the week before.

5th night camp - Past Kilqiggin at Mungacullin in a farmers field. Asked before we did of course. In actual fact the woman of the house brought us out tea and biscuits and the kids brought us fresh eggs.

The walk after here is fairly flat. Clonegal was terrible. I know its a small village. But were told from a local before we started that we could get a cert from one of the pubs when we arrived.
We arrived at 5pm the last day and there was only a shop open. Pubs were closed including the restaurant and the chipper. We were looking forward to a nice pint and a toasty sandwich.
We averaged 2/3miles an hour with the kit weighing about 23kg. I think its well worth doing the full length. Each section has it's positives. Found it more peaceful on the latter half.
Also you must call into a pub called the Dying Cow. You won't get food here only drink and tea. Located on our 5th day.

We are doing it again this year from Clonegal to Marley using B/B's all the way in 5 days. That's about 16miles a day.

Hope that helps. Can give more info if you need.

Slogger Jogger

Pablo T who contributes on the Sports / Athletics forum from time to time ran the Wicklow way this year from the board in the Marley Park to Clonegal in a record time. 13hr 39 mins for the 82 mile course. He's a trail and ultra runner who has represented Ireland this year in the world ultra trail championships in Connemara and last weekend came 3rd in the Lakeland Trail 100 mile in the UK.

Eoin Tippins

Hi All,

Thanks for all of this. Think i'm going to go for a 5 day trip and end up in Tinahely.

Found all of this very usefull.

vincentohanlon

Don't do it man. Finish it.. You'll regret it otherwise and you won't be able to tell people you did the wicklow way start to finish. I cycled it a few weeks back (south to north) and I really liked the southern section. The view from the hills are of really nice Irish farmland. Granted you will be on roads for a lot of it but its, IMHO, its worth it to say you did all of it.