Trip to Dublin, two days on the Wicklow Way

This one is going to be a short one because I actually didn’t get to hike so much in the end. But here are some notes for future self as well as those wishing to hike the Wicklow Way in the future.

1. General Info
2. The Route
3. Preparation & Accommodation
4. Thoughts

General Info #

• The Wicklow Way is a 130 km long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. (Source: Wiki)
• It’s super accessible (a bus ride away from the airport and the city)
• Air Lingus allows you to drop off a 10kg bag for free, enough for a hiking backpack and perfect for bringing hiking poles (because hiking poles aren’t usually allowed on carry-on luggage)
• You can get to the trailhead easily with a bus (pay in cash or Leap card)

The Route #

• Here’s the route on Komoot and Official Website
• Tough Soles Blog on Wicklow Way + youtube videos were great resource!
• The guy at the outdoor shop in Dublin recommended that I do the northern part from Marley Park to Glendalough which is apparently the more beautiful part of the trail.

Preparation & Accommodation #

• You should carry a water filter with you as well as enough water (at least a few liters) and a few days worth of food.
• There are plenty of places to camp on the trail and there are three shelters along the route (Brusher’s Gap, Mucklagh and Mullacor) but no fires are allowed in Wicklow and camping is forbidden in Glendalough according to The Unwritten Rules of Wild Camping
• It can get quite windy at night so choose camp gounds wisely.
• Knockree youth hostel is currently being used for Ukrainian refugees and many youth hostels along the route gets booked out so make sure to reserve them in advance if you want to stay there.
• Weather can change quite quickly.

Thoughts #

Sadly, I had to quit the trail on the second day since I didn’t feel so well. It was fairly easy to hitchhike back into the city and I guess that’s another great thing about this trail, its proximity to Dublin. Maybe another day.