County Wicklow lies immediately south of County Dublin along the southeast coast of Ireland. Its topography is unusually diverse for Ireland; containing mountains, lakes, waterfalls, many waterways and moors. All the natural scenic treasures of this largely rural area have earned the county the moniker "The Garden of Ireland." Within easy reach of Dublin, this area is a popular weekend escape for the city's residents. The DART train system extends to the city of Bray on the north-eastern edge of the county.

Though the county gets just as much rain as any other part of the island, the landscape in early spring is far more brown than one would expect. The fluorescent green that characterizes the interior of Ireland, as well as every picture postcard, is noticeably lacking in County Wicklow, at this time of year at least. But to compensate, there is a lovely range of muted colors covering the hillsides; dormant heathers, brown grasses and the naked branches of oak and ash along with evergreen spruce and pine trees make this a place of austere yet awesome beauty. I found the man-made scenery of County Wicklow charming as well. I especially liked the stone cottages with their doors and wooden trim painted a brilliant crimson color. Also, if our experience is anything to go by, you can count on 3-5 rainbows per day while visiting this area.

County Wicklow boasts an impressive number of natural attractions, most notably the Wicklow Mountains, which provide excellent trails for walking or hiking enthusiasts. There is also much history to be explored in the county, particularly the early monastic site of Glendalough. The grounds of the Powerscourt Estate also encompass formal gardens and a magnificent waterfall. There is more than enough to see and do in County Wicklow to keep a visitor busy for several days.

One of the things that struck me right off the bat about County Wicklow was the exceptional quality of the air. It was cool during our late March visit, and the air was saturated with water. The nearly constant rain was accompanied by extremely powerful winds blowing eastward from the Atlantic while we were there. This combined to make the air very, very clean. But there was some other intangible quality to the air there. I called it "hungry air" because the flames of my appetite seemed fanned with every breath I took. Somehow the air made us wild with desire for bowls of Irish stew and brown bread slathered with fresh Irish butter. I can't explain it. The air's just hungry-making there, I guess.


Getting around

If you want to see County Wicklow on your own, you'll do best to rent a car. The public bus system does cover the county pretty well, even the more remote parts of it. But the buses run slowly along the incredibly narrow roads, and the lack of a car will severely limit your options in planning your days.

You'll want a good road map for all those back winding roads. We found that the system of road signs in Ireland took some getting used to. Too often we were unable to read signs as we zipped by because they were oriented parallel to the road. When we doubled back to read them, they steered us in the right direction. But there were also times when a sign pointed us down a long country road that then split in two directions with no further suggestions from any sign. The Discovery Series road map that we picked up for northern County Wicklow was excellent.


Attractions

Were the Wicklow Mountains found in most any other country, they'd probably be called hills. With only modest elevations, these mountains nonetheless provide gorgeous vistas and myriad opportunities for day hikes, especially along the Wicklow Way, Ireland's first designated long distance hiking trail. Though not very high, the hills are surprisingly steep. I don't know why I expected them to be more gentle. I'd say they are less abrupt than the California coastal range, but also less rolling than the Appalachian range.

If the weather puts a crimp in your day hiking plans, consider a drive up through the mountains on either the Military Road or R759. The Military Road was built by the British in the early 19th century to give them better access to the last group of Gaelic Irish bandits hiding in the mountains. Happily, for us latter day tourists the views from up there are amazing. From either of these roads, you can look down on blue-grey Lough Dan or Lough Tay as you feel the wind whip your hair and clothes around your body.


Near the village of Enniskerry in the northeast corner of the county, one can visit the famous Powerscourt Estate. The Italianate gardens attached to the estate are very impressive. In their formality they resemble the grounds of Versailles to a certain extent, but they are laid out on a more human scale than Versailles, and there are less formal areas of the grounds as well.

A free brochure given out at the information desk suggests either a forty-minute or one hour self-guided walking tour of the grounds. We chose the longer of the two and found that we covered the route in less time than estimated by the brochure, possibly because we arrived ahead of the crowds. This route took us to see the Pepperpot Tower, built as a folly modeled on a ceramic pepper shaker that once sat on the dining table of the manor. One can climb up inside the tower, but the views from the top are nothing very special. We continued along the path for a view of the "Japanese Garden," which seemed only marginally faithful to the aesthetics of traditional Japanese landscaping. The pet cemetery situated on a sloping grove of the estate was probably the most memorable part of the tour. Here one can see the very sweet and touching inscriptions on the gravestones of the family's pets and animals. Most of the burials seemed to be for dogs but there were also some for horses, ponies, dairy cows and for animals of unspecified species. I think most humans would be gratified to lie under such affectionate inscriptions. If you have a soft spot for animals, be sure to bring your hanky to this quiet little graveyard. During our late March visit to the gardens, not all that much was in bloom other than daffodils and pansies. Still, our visit was quite enjoyable, and the massive old trees were most impressive.

It's best to get there very early if possible. We arrived at 9:45, just 15 minutes after opening and had the gardens nearly to ourselves for the first hour. By the time we left however, the tour buses had begun disgorging the sheep. The Avoca Handknitters (a popular up-and-coming lifestyle store/cafe/gourmet goods purveyor) run the cafe and there are many other little shops in the covered hall by the main admission. There is also a golf course attached to the property. Normal admission is € 8 for adults and € 3.50 for children. They charged us only at the children's rate because we couldn't get into the gardens on the first day we tried. Due to extremely high winds the gardens were closed. We saw many small and medium sized limbs down when we did get in.

Powerscourt Waterfall is the tallest waterfall in the Ireland. Its 130-meter cascade falls not quite vertically over dark rocks. The falls are situated about 7km away from the rest of the estate, in a very impressive and atmospheric valley, surrounded on one end with steep cliffs. A nature trail leads away from the falls along the riverbed. The water is very brown from plant tannins; you can see a yellow tinge to the water as it crashes over the falls, and below the falls the water looks like strongly brewed tea. We saw many craggy old oak trees, spackled with lichens and vibrant green mosses. And we heard many songbirds trying out a few practice warbles in anticipation of courting season. This attraction is well worth a visit of an hour or two. In fact, I'd say that our visit to the falls was the highlight of quite a nice visit to County Wicklow. Admission to the waterfall is separate from admission to the rest of the Powerscourt Estate. Adult admission is € 4 and the falls are open from 9:30am until dusk in winter or until 7pm in summer. Discounts are available for students and children.


The quaint village of Enniskerry was constructed as a residential area for the servants at Powerscourt Estate. Today Enniskerry relies heavily on the tourism attracted by the Estate and other highlights of County Wicklow. The heart of the village arranges itself around a triangular plaza; each homey little building on the plaza oozes rural Irish charm. Once you've ambled about the center for 10 minutes or so and snapped a few pictures, there isn't a whole lot to do in Enniskerry - unless you want to shop in pricey boutiques. But the village is within an hour's drive of Dublin airport, and makes an excellent base from which to explore all the main attractions in County Wicklow.


Just east of Enniskerry lies the seaside resort town of Bray, once a popular escape from Dublin. In some ways it reminded me of Brighton in England, though Bray was far more modest and quaint than that famous locale. It seemed to have lost some polish in recent years and the center was terribly crowded. But there is a lovely esplanade along the beach at Bray. We found it pleasant to walk south here towards Bray Head, a large hill (or a small mountain) that juts out into the sea, cutting Bray off from the next town down the coast. We didn't see many seashells there, but were struck by the picture-perfect fist sized smooth rocks strewn along the beach. These are the sorts of rocks you might see being sold for exorbitant prices at some upscale gardening boutique or landscaping business. If I lived near Bray, I'd make trips to scoop them up for a patio.


Our guidebooks gushed effusively about the beauty of Glendalough, a 6th century Christian monastic site located in the center of the county. We felt the area was picturesque, but not as majestic as we'd been led to expect. The 70-mile an hour winds, sleet and lightning attending our visit may have affected the serenity of the place, I don't know. An acquaintance of ours who grew up in this area told us that every time she's been to the site it rained.

Glendalough is situated in a striking valley carved out during the last ice age. There are two lakes and a cluster of stone ruins to be seen at this early medieval site associated with St. Kevin. The ruins and the lower lake are close to the visitor centre and the first parking lot, which is free to use. If you're feeling lazy, you can pay to drive up to and park at the upper lake. Otherwise, there is no admission fee to wander around the ruins and graveyard, see the slender Round Tower which has become emblematic of County Wicklow, or to walk the trails to the upper lake and beyond.

There is a small fee for access to the orientation film and other displays in the visitor centre. The woman at the information counter mentioned that the film was showing in French when we arrived. Apparently there are alternate viewings for different languages. We were there mostly to walk so we skipped the film, bought the orientation pamphlet for 80 cents and struck out through the mud.

Among the ruins near the free parking area, you will find the remains of five(!) stone churches plus a very modest "cathedral." A lovely old graveyard skirts the western edge of the ruins here. The ruins of two other churches lie within a few minute's walk of the main group of ruins. Most of the buildings here have been partly or completely reconstructed from the original stones.

During our visit, it seemed the area around the visitor centre and the lower lake was the most trafficked. Relatively few people seemed inclined to walk the easy but sometimes muddy trails to the upper lake. This was a shame, because this is a great area to wander about in. After all, you're going to need to get some exercise in to burn off that hearty Irish breakfast you ate this morning. Sturdy shoes are a must. Count on wet and muddy conditions. It took us only about 20 minutes to wander among the main cluster of ruins; we spent another hour and a half walking the trials. I highly recommend a visit of a few hours to this site.


Tiny Roundwood village bills itself as the highest village in all of Ireland. Most visitors to the village are merely passing through on their way to Glendalough. Each Sunday it hosts an afternoon market for local handmade goods, foodstuffs and crafts. It's best to arrive early as all the best goodies are gone by 3:30pm. The market takes place 2-5pm each Sunday March through December. This village also boasts the highest pub in Ireland: Vartry House, perched at a nosebleed-inducing 238 meters above sea level. It's recommended that you imbibe slowly as the thinner air up there can cause the alcohol to be absorbed more quickly by the body. More cautious drinkers may wish to bring their own oxygen tanks. The Coach House Inn here serves acceptable pub fare for reasonable prices.


We had great fun at the famous Johnnie Fox's Pub, a seafood and fish restaurant/pub established in 1798. I'm cheating just a little bit by including this pub in my review of County Wicklow. The pub is actually in County Dublin, but very close to the border of Wicklow. Incidentally, Johnnie Fox's also lays claim to being the highest pub in Ireland. Who's to say? This place has the oddest mixture of authentic local atmosphere and blatant tourist pandering. The stone floors were strewn with sawdust. The candles at each table were planted in bricks of sod. Ceramic chamber pots hung in neat rows from the pitched ceilings and ancient newspaper headlines under glass announced the Easter Uprising. None of the cutlery or plates matched, nor did the furniture. All these elements combined to create an incredible atmosphere, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. And everyone brought their appetites.

In the end, we decided we loved it. We had the best meal of the weekend here. Their menu runs to several pages. We had both excellent service and food, and our waitress cheerfully comped us an appetizer when I had to mention that I was allergic to the dill that turned up unannounced in the salmon pate appetizer I ordered. Portions were absolutely enormous and attractively presented. Still, it was a pricey evening, and we hadn't even made reservations for the Hooley room - where they offer dinner with live music and a dance performance every night. A vegetarian menu is available here on request. Johnnie Fox's, like some other pub/restaurants in the area, has a strict policy of no children after 7:30pm. Reservations are highly recommended at all times and essential on a weekend unless you arrive before 6:30.


Etc.

A somewhat controversial smoking ban is scheduled to go into effect today, March 29th, 2004. For non-smokers (like myself) this will be a godsend. There are rumors and whispers of open rebellion in the hinterlands, but if my experience in other places is anything to go by, the pubs and restaurants of Ireland will soon have far more pleasant ambiances in which to while away an evening whilst spending more of your tourist euros. I look forward to the early reports on this issue from Eire. And I look forward even more to a return visit that won't leave my clothes and hair reeking of someone else's rank exhalations. (Ten points if you can guess how I feel about cigarettes!)


Final Thoughts

This was my first visit to Ireland, and it was a very brief one. There were many things we might have chosen to do with the limited time available to us, but I think County Wicklow lived up to its promise, and we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do here. For travelers like myself who prefer rural areas to the big cities, I think this area is both ideally situated for convenient access from Dublin or Dublin airport, as well as very rewarding. The county would likely reward avid hikers even more so than the casual visitor. Pack your hiking gear. Go. Enjoy!



If you're interested in staying at a rural B&B with friendly owners, I can recommend the Coolakay House B&B, in the village of Enniskerry.



Recommended: Yes