We have gone for several hill walks. Most enjoyable days out. We are fortunate to have been befriended by Michael and Mary Gallagher who were kind enough to lead us on a walk previously in hills just south of the town of Bray. Since were able to manage the first stroll, we graduated to real hill walking. This trip was a bit more adventurous in that the overall distance covered was greater and the terrain was more difficult. We tried to get to the top of Djouce Mountain but the winds were a bit strong at 50+MPH; as we were being blown off the trail, we decided to go elsewhere.

The view of Lough Tay (right) was quite spectacular! So, we opted for a less windy adventure and took a trip to Eniskerry. This was a most pleasant experience as we went by the Powerscourt Waterfall (behind Mary Gallagher below right) and stopped in Glensoulan Valley (below left) for lunch.

We learned that the source for the Liffey (the river that bisects Dublin) was not far from our location. It is difficult to describe the beauty of Ireland. We tend to be impressed with so much greenery but the views that we had from Maulin’s hillside of Bray and the surrounding landscape were quite spectacular.

Ireland is quite spectacular and if you enjoy a bit of a walk this is a paradise. The Wicklow Mountains are just a few miles south of Dublin and there are numerous walks to be taken. Of course, once up on the hills, you are provided with fantastic views of Dublin, the Wicklows, and the Irish Sea. At left is the view over the seaside resort of Bray, with the Irish Sea beyond.

We highly recommend The Complete Wicklow Way Walks by J.B. Malone. The introduction to the book states, “The Wicklow Way follows a NE-SW course, from Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, to Clonegal, County Carlow (13 km), rising from 80m above sea level to 630m , before ending about 60m. It keeps mainly to the east flanks of the mountains and it does not cross summits unless a path already does so. South of Aghavannagh the Way passes west of the ranges for most of the rest of the route to Clonegal”. We also suggest the Discovery Series maps available in any outdoors store. Get the all weather maps (laminated). The weather is changeable so be prepared for virtually any conditions.

We have also found David Herman’s Hill Strollers Wicklow (39 Easy Walks in the Dublin Wicklow Mountains) to be invaluable - especially that information about which bus to take to reach the start of many of the walks.

The walks reverenced in Mr. Herman’s book are quite easy for the noivice. He does a very good job of devining the degree of difficulty associated with each walk. We found this to be and excellent volume and took many of the walks that could be accessed by bus or DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit).

Above right are Michael Gallagher, Jim, Mick Brosnan and two others lads who joined us on our excursion to Luggala.

In September, 2002 we returned once again to Ireland and this time actually made it to the top of Djouce, which didn’t seem so tough on a day where the wind wasn’t blowing 50 MPH. At left is Jim and Mick at the top.

Below is the beautiful panorama we saw from the top of Djouce. The heather was in bloom which gave the lovely lavender hue to the hills in the foreground.
 

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