Wicklow Mountains National Park

After touring the Rock of Cashel but before making it all the way back to Dublin, we stopped in at  Wicklow Mountains National Park.  This national park encompasses part of a mountain range that extends over most of County Wicklow in eastern Ireland.  The primary purpose of the park is conservation of local biodiversity and landscape and also serves as a popular recreational area.  

The most frequented area of WMNP is Glendalough Valley where the ancient monastic settlement of St. Kevin is located.  Pictured above is part of the settlement, which was founded in the 6th century, though most of the structures that remain are from the 10th to 12th centuries.  It was one of Ireland's greatest ecclesiastical foundations, despite frequent Viking attacks, until it was destroyed by the Normans in 1214 AD.

Wicklow Mountains National Park also has a lot of beautiful walking paths.  We didn't have a lot of time to explore, so we didn't embark on any long hikes, but we were very pleased with the variety of scenery that we saw during our time exploring it.




We even encountered a pretty awesome tree to climb and photograph.  Maybe you can tell from this picture, but the bark of the tree branches was very slippery--I wasn't quite wearing the right kind of shoes for climbing!  (I mean, we're all supposed to be prepared to climb epic trees everyday, right?!)

For those who have more time to spend in WMNP, the website has a map with which to familiarize yourself; camping and wild camping from which to choose; and a variety of walking/hiking trails from which to choose for different levels of experience.

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Location: Wicklow Mountains, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

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