Things to do and to see in County Wicklow
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| County Wicklow |
Although it's very close to Dublin, County Wicklow has remained relatively unspoilt by domestic and urban development. As you can see on the photos on this page, you can expect to see lots of green areas, hills and open water (rivers, sea, lakes). In my opinion, this county summarises the best of what you can see in the rest of Ireland. It's probably the reason why it’s called the Garden of Ireland. There are several places to visit in Co. Wicklow, so if you plan to stay a few days there, here's what you could see. |
| 1. Enjoy the landscape from the roadside in County Wicklow... [   ] To the right, you can see a photo taken from the roadside in Co. Wicklow. It is quite funny to see how much it looks like one of the Microsoft’s famous screensavers... The similarity stops here though. While my landscape is 100% Irish, the photograph used by Microsoft was taken in California  . |
| 2. Take a break in Wicklow Town... [ ] Most of the towns in Co. Wicklow are relatively small. I have actually only visited 2 towns in this county: Wicklow (pictured) and Arklow. Both can be visited in less than an hour and in my opinion are limited in terms of local architecture. Of course, you will always appreciate being welcomed by the locals and having a pint or two! |
| 3. Visit Glendalough Visitor Centre... [   ] Glendalough site was set in a glaciated valley with two lakes. It displays monastic remains founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. There you'll see a round tower, stone churches and several decorated crosses. Note that similar round towers can be seen in Counties Monaghan and Offaly. |
| 4. Enjoy a stroll in Glendalough National Park... [ ] After visiting the National Heritage Site, it's time for you to go walking around the Upper (pictured) and Lower lakes. You will need at least two full days for that to fully explore the area (there are quite a lot of paths, depending on your degree of fitness). |
| 5. Enjoy a stroll in Glendalough National Park - Path #1... [ ]Firstly, you can climb on the mountains located on the left-hand side of the Upper Lake. The climb has a number of "stairs" to assist walkers to climb the hill. The climb is quite steep, however the view from the top is quite rewarding. Take a look for yourself. |
| 6. Enjoy a stroll in Glendalough National Park - Path #2... [ ] Secondly, you can take the path located on the right hand side of the Upper Lake (on foot or by bike). The walk is actually easier (it's quite flat) and less crowded... In my opinion, the path leads to one of the prettiest spot in Ireland. |
| 7. Look for the Big Bad Wolf... [ ] Here could be the Irish version of the "Three Little Pigs"... except with sheep! Here, three little sheep have decided to stand front of my camera. The reality is in fact less glamorous... Those poor sheep sheltered themselves beside the waterfalls because stray dogs were hunting them on the hills. |
 Photo 7. Three Little Sheep |
| 8. Be photographed in front of the Powerscourt waterfalls... [ ] Another spot not to be missed in Co. Wicklow: the Powerscourt waterfalls. It is the highest in Ireland as the water goes down 120 m against the rock. |
| 9. Admire Powerscourt Waterfalls... [ ]
The scale of the waterfall can make you feel quite small... Note that the entrance fee to visit the waterfall is approx €5 per person. |
| 10. Walk nearby the "Great Sugar Loaf"... [ ] The "Great Sugar Loaf" mountains climb can be relatively easy to organise. Although they are only 501 metres high, their isolation from other hills and volcanic appearance makes them appear much taller than they are. They dominate much of the Dublin and Wicklow landscape and have a very characteristic conic shape that makes them look like volcanoes, however this is not the case. |
 Photo 10. Great Sugar Loaf. |
| 11. Admire Powerscourt House from the outside... [ ]At only 19 km from Dublin, go and visit the Powerscourt estate especially on a sunny day. Firstly, you can admire the external walls of the House, which were built in the 18th century. I'm not convinced it is worth visiting the inside of the house (which was heavily restored after a fire in 1974). However, feel free to spend hours in the Italian garden dating from 1843, with its pool, its fountain, its flowers and its majestic marble statues. |
| 12. Bow front of the Powerscourt Japanese Gardens... [ ]Powerscourt Estate also has a Japanese garden. This always makes me think of my trip to Japan. These gardens are always great for photography because of the colours of the trees and the beauty of the little bridges. Powerscourt Japanese garden can be compared with the one located in Co. Kildare. |
13. Get off in Bray... A. a nice train station with Victorian features and several interesting mosaics, supposed to illustrate the life of the station throughout history. |
 Photo 13_c. Promenade in Bray. |
| 14. Climb Bray Head... [ ] For the more courageous, it is possible to climb Bray Head, which is the unmissable hill you can see at the end of the promenade. It is a good climb but perfectly doable in around 30 minutes if you have some degree of fitness. From the top of Bray Head, you'll be able to enjoy a spectacular view on the town of Bray, the South Coast of Co. Dublin and the famous Wicklow Mountains (including the Great Sugar Loaf Mountains in a distance). |
 Photo 14_b. Wicklow Mountains seen from Bray Head. |
| 15. Walk the cliffs… between Bray and Greystones... [ ] Bray Head can be the start of a great cliff-side walk towards the town of Greystones, 7 km south of Bray. Approximately half of the journey is relatively accessible to buggies and prams, which is great news for parents of young children. The path follows and overhangs the railtrack linking Wicklow and Dublin. |
| 16. Discover Greystones... [ ] Obviously, you don't need to take the “Cliff-Walk” to go to Greystones. The town is easily accessible with the DART from Dublin. Funnily, I first thought it would be a small fishing village, like Roundstone in the Connemara but it is actually a good sized town of 17,000 inhabitants. I visited it on a Sunday and streets/market place were quite busy. The town has different interesting features, in particular a long sandy beach, which makes you think of the different geology along the coast (Bray and Wicklow Town, located respectively North and South of Greystones have both pebble beach). |
| 17. Be blinded by a rainbow on Powerscourt golf course... [ ] There were no fireworks a to conclude this page on Co. Wicklow but instead here’s a nice rainbow. This photo was taken in Powerscourt Estate, close to the golf club (one of the favourite sports in Ireland). |
 Photo 17. Rainbow in Powerscourt Golf Club. |
County Wicklow in pictures |
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 Photo 2. The Town of Wicklow. |
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 Photo 3. The site of Glendalough. |
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 Photo 4. The upper lake of Glendalough. |
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 Photo 5. Path #1 in Glendalough. |
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 Photo 6. Path #2 in Glendalough. |
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 Photo 8. I front of Powerscourt Waterfalls. |
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 Photo 9. Cascade de Powerscourt. |
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 Photo 11. Powerscourt House. |
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 Photo 12. Japanese Gardens of Powerscourt. |
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 Photo 13_a. Mosaics in Bray Train Station. |
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 Photo 13_b. Former Town Hall in Bray, now a McDonald. |
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 Photo 14_a. Bray seen from Bray Head. |
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 Photo 15. Between Bray and Greystones. |
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 Photo 16_a. Greystones market place. |
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 Photo 16_b. Greystones's sandy beach. |
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Legend:
Nice; Worth a visit; Well worth visiting
Please note that this grading system is only based on my interests and personal experience as a French expat in Ireland. Feel free to visit the same locations and share your experience .
Free or Not Applicable Entrance fee ≤€5 ; €5<Entrance fee≤€10 ; €10<Entrance fee≤€15 and so on...
These price ranges are indicative only to help you plan your holiday budget and are subject to change. Discounts generally apply for families, groups, children, students and seniors citizens.
While the admission to this site is free, a parking fee may apply.
Heritage Site managed by the Office of Public Works. Most OPW sites are free of charge on the first Wednesday of every month during 2011. A Good tip: the Heritage Card entitles you unlimited admission for one year to all OPW sites (around €21).