5 Day Guided Walking Holiday in Wicklow

County Wicklow is located just south of Dublin, which despite its proximity to the capital contains many kilometres of wonderfully unspoilt mountain trails of which The Wicklow Way is the best known – it was the first way marked trail in Ireland having been formally established in 1980.

The Wicklow Way combines easy accessibility with a wide variety of scenic experiences, some of them in truly remote upland areas. They include mountains, upland lakes, steep-sided glacial valleys, fast flowing mountain streams, forests and farmland. The Wicklow Way route is now the most westerly section of the E8 footpath which extends across much of Europe.

Day 1
We collect you in Dublin Airport or other location in Dublin City and transfer to your accommodation at Lough Dan House, which will be your base and home for the duration of tour.  After settling into your rooms and a nice lunch, we explore the Inchavore Valley and the ruins of a famine village where many families once lived, enjoy the spectacular ancient Valley with several white sandy beaches along a meandering river and stunning Lake shore,

Day 2
Route 1 Wicklow Way, Glencree, Pier Gates to Loughdan
Distance: 16 kilometres.  Terrain: mainly forest tracks and mountain paths some boardwalk, good underfoot and exposed in places.  Grade: moderate.  Ascent: White Hill 630 metres, if you include Djouce Mountain 725 metres. Splendid views of Loughs, Mountains and Valleys punctuates a day made strenuous by gradient, terrain and exposed moor land. A challenging and most rewarding day’s walking.

Day 3
Route 2 Lough Dan House, Scar, and Wicklow way to Glendalough
Distance: 17 kilometres. Terrain: good walking paths, open mountain and forest tracks, and covers some sections of the Wicklow way from Paddock hill to Glendalough. Grade moderate – the route includes Kanturk and Scar Mountain, total ascent 641 metres. A most enjoyable and rewarding walk, some strenuous parts but by no means difficult for the average fit person, superb views of mountains, glens and valleys.

Day 4
Route 3: Circuit of Glendalough
Distance can be varied from 9 to 17 kilometres, total ascent 450 metres. Terrain: mountain paths, boardwalk over soft ground, stone pitching and gravel tracks. Grade: moderate. One of the most popular walks in Ireland a complete circuit of the Monastic City and the two lakes, and some of the most magnificent views you will ever see.

Many easy low level walks and activities are available here for less active members of the group.

A Brief History

Glendalough, or the Glen of two Lakes, is one of the most important sites of monastic ruins in Ireland. It is also known as the city of the seven Churches. Fourteen centuries have passed since the death of its founder, St. Kevin, when the valley was part of Ireland’s Golden Age.

The two lakes, which gave the valley its name, came into existence thousands of years ago, after the Ice Age, when great deposits of earth and stone were strewn across the valley in the area where the Round Tower now exists. The mountain streams eventually formed a large lake. The Poullanass river spread alluvial deposits across the centre of the lake and created a divide to form the Upper and Lower Lakes. The Glenalo river flows in from the West into the Upper lake which is the larger and deepest of the two lakes.

Before the arrival of St. Kevin this valley (glen) would have been desolate and remote. It must have been ideal for St Kevin as a retreat and area to be ‘away from it all’. Kevin died in 617 A.D. at the age of 120 years and his name and life’s work is forever entwine with the ruins and the Glendalough Valley.

Day 5
Tour ends.
Our transport will leave you to Dublin City or Airport.

All walks listed in the itinerary can be tailored specially to suit your needs individual needs.

“We took a group of 13 Canadians to Lough Dan House in May of this year for a guided hiking tour of the Wicklow Hills.  It far exceeded our expectations. Accommodation was very comfortable and clean. The food was excellent – breakfast, packed lunch and dinner each day. Dinner was 3 courses and restaurant quality. Sean put together some very interesting and beautiful hikes and helped organize our “free days”. Sean and Theresa are excellent hosts, and we would not hesitate to go back there.”