County Wicklow

Often referred to as the Garden of Ireland County Wicklow (Irish: Contae Chill Mhantáin) is a beautiful mountainous region of Ireland's East Coast and Midlands. County Wicklow offers visitors breathtaking views of towering mountains, crystal-clear rivers & tranquil forestry, all within easy reach of the capital. Towns Wicklow Town Bray Arklow Greystones Blessington Baltinglass Rathdrum Villages As a largely rural county, much of the charm of County Wicklow is to be found in the small villages & hamlets which dot the mountainous countryside. The vast majority of these villages have old churches, shops & pubs. Roundwood Laragh Glendalough Enniskerry Aughrim Avoca Understand County Wicklow is a very mountainous with the highest peak Lugnaquilla rising to 3018 ft (925m). The mountains dominate the North and centre of the county, while along the coast is relatively flat while South Wicklow gives way to rolling hills where there is a lot more farmland. Much of the mountaineous area is covered with a layer of peat and this in turn has heather and conifer evergreen forests growing on it, with gorse in the more dryer areas. This makes for an scenic vegetation and gives it the rugged appearence. Other destinations Glendalough -This is one of the main tourist attractions of Wicklow. Powerscourt House & Gardens just outside Enniskerry village Powerscourt Waterfall -Ireland's highest waterfall. Meeting of the Waters Talk As in the rest of Ireland English is the language spoken by the majority. A visitor may notice the wide variety of accents on display in Wicklow. People from the hills tend to sound different from those on the coast. Residents of Bray & Greystones have distinctively Dublin-tinged accents. Likewise, the voices of southern and western 'Wicklowites' carry the influence of neighbouring counties. One part of the unique Wicklow 'dialect' you may hear in Wicklow town, Arklow town or inland, is the use of the word 'quern' to replace 'very'. As in 'I'm quern tired'. Get in The Wicklow mountains, being mountains (and in Ireland), are not particularly well-served by public transport, which is surprising given their proximity to the capital and their popularity among visitors. The main centres within the mountains are Roundwood, Laragh, Glendalough and Rathdrum in the east; Hollywood, Blessington and Tullowin the west. By Air Wicklow doesn't have a public airport, but due to its' proximity to the capital it can be easily reached from Dublin Airport, the largest airport in the country - see the 'Get in' section of the Dublin article for additional information on flying to Dublin airport. The most straightforward way to get to your destination in County Wicklow from Dublin Airport is to travel by the dark green 'Dublin Bus' airport shuttle service to Busarás (Dublin city's central bus station near Custom House Quay) & to take a connecting bus or train from there. Similarly for passengers to either Bray or Greystones a direct 'Aircoach' bus line exists. Further information on the Aircoach service can be found by following this link. By boat If you are travelling by car and you arrive at the sea port of Rosslare, Wicklow town is about a 1½ hour drive away. For ferry travellers who leave the car behind you can take public buses to Wicklow. Buses run on the Rosslare to Dublin route and serve Arklow, Wicklow & Bray. More information is available on the Bus Éireann website. Those arriving at Dublin Port or Dún Laoghaire harbour from the UK can either get the train direct from Dublin(Connolly Station) to Wicklow, or can travel by bus. This decision depends on your onward journey. By rail A coastal rail line serves Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole, Wicklow, Rathdrum and Arklow. However, services to anywhere but the first two are infrequent and overpriced and visitors from elsewhere in the EU may be disappointed at the lack of connecting public transport services to anywhere within the mountains. A monthly return ticket from Dublin’s Connolly station to Wicklow town costs €8.90 and takes around 45 minutes. Timetables are available from the website of Irish Rail. By bus Kilmacanogue, Newtown Mount-Kennedy, Ashford, Wicklow and Arklow are served by the Bus Éireann commuter network, with hourly services north to Dublin and Bray, and south to Wexford, Waterford and Rosslare Harbour. On the western side of the mountains, Blessington is served by the #180 service from Dublin to Athy, again hourly. See Glendalough Turlough Hill The Gaps Loch Dan Avonmore House Glenmalure Wicklow Gaol Bray Head The Big Sugarloaf Devil's Glen Beaches - Do Hill Walking A list of some of the more interesting and higher peaks to hike are: Lugnaquilla (3,018 ft) Mullaghcleevaun (2,608 ft) Tonelagee (2,681 ft -estimated from metre figure) Djouce (2,379 ft) Table Mountain (701m) And for those looking for a 2 or 3 day walk. Walk the Wicklow Way. This extends from foothills of the Wicklow mountain in south County Dublin right through the main mountainous parts of Wicklow on down to the very south of the county. Eat Some excellent spots to eat: Roundwood Inn, Roundwood: venison and Irish stew. Mark Michel, Kilpeddar: organic cafe using produce from the land around it. The Strawberry Tree, Aughrim: delicious & expensive. The Happy Pear, Greystones: delicious smoothies & healthy, hippy, organic cafe fare. The Candle, Newcastle: traditional Wicklow food. Ashford Oriental, Ashford: Chinese & Thai. 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