Going to Glendalough for the first time this weekend

Texas Jack

My recent binge on the Vikings TV has ignited my curiosity and am heading up for the day for the first time ever this Saturday

What can I expect and is there anything in particular I need to check out?

Cheers!

cdeb

Head early - parking can be a nightmare on weekends in particular.

The first car park is free; the second car park is closer, but has a charge - I think.

Check out the weather before going!! Not supposed to be great this weekend.

If you want to get a feel for the area (as opposed to the monastic city), I'd recommend the Spinc walk up and around the lake -



Takes about two hours or so, but it's very scenic, gets you away from crowds and definitely gets your quota of exercise in! Bring water and take usual hiking precautions.

I've never been in and around the round tower itself actually, but the info centre (signposted) will have details on how to take a tour.

There's barbeques by the lake I think if you want to sort your own lunch/dinner.

Zenify

Texas Jack wrote: »

My recent binge on the Vikings TV has ignited my curiosity and am heading up for the day for the first time ever this Saturday

What can I expect and is there anything in particular I need to check out?

Cheers!

I havent watched the Vikings but a lot of my friends work on the set. They spend a lot of their time on Lough Tae which is also known as the Guinness lake. You can see it best from the road at the top looking down into the valley, if you see a little village beside the sand on the lake that is the set (bring binoculars).

Glendalough itself is cool, if you park in the visitor centre beside the hotel the parking is free, if you drive up to the upper lake you have to pay. There's a monistic site beside the hotel with round tower etc and a good bit of history to it. Really nice walks that are all posted around the area too.

cdeb

Worth noting if you have a car, you can take in Lough Tay (Tae is a different liquid ) en route to Glendalough by heading for Roundwood and turning off for the Sally Gap a couple of miles before the town. The lake is on your left; there's parking on the road and it's well worth stopping off at -



At the Gap itself, take a left, and that brings you down to Laragh. Turn right and the first Glendalough car park is a couple of minutes down the road.

dogmatix

cdeb wrote: »

Head early - parking can be a nightmare on weekends in particular.

The first car park is free; the second car park is closer, but has a charge - I think.

Check out the weather before going!! Not supposed to be great this weekend.

If you want to get a feel for the area (as opposed to the monastic city), I'd recommend the Spinc walk up and around the lake -



Takes about two hours or so, but it's very scenic, gets you away from crowds and definitely gets your quota of exercise in! Bring water and take usual hiking precautions.

I've never been in and around the round tower itself actually, but the info centre (signposted) will have details on how to take a tour.

There's barbeques by the lake I think if you want to sort your own lunch/dinner.

As above - the main visitor car park (the free one) can fill up by 11am on a busy bank holiday weekend. The spink walk is the most spectacular as can be seen in the photo above. There are other walks around Derrybawn and elsewhere. The visitor centre beside the car park sells a leaflet for 50 cents showing in some detail all the recommended walks around glendalough.

As stated by cdeb, the weather is not great for this weekend but good friday is supposed to be okay.

BoJack Horseman

Though there is a charge, the car park further up is better.

And it is a confusing one to get to for newbies....
You pass that pub/hotel, across a very narrow bridge & are confronted by loads of people entering the monastic site.... but you just keep going up the road.

BoJack Horseman

Also, I wonder does the studio in Ashford do tours or allow visitors?

Website doesn't mention anything..... but it could be a moneymaker for them.
If they don't you'd think it was an opportunity lost.

And, just so as not to disappoint the OP, The 'Kattegat' as depicted in the show is set against a lot of CGI....
The perilously steep fjords depicted are not to be found here.