Wicklow Mountains Attractions

The Wicklow Mountains, a range of granite hills, extend for some 40mi/60km from just south of Dublin, continuing southward through Wicklow county. Their eastern slopes run down towards the Irish Sea, while their western slopes border the plain of the River Barrow.

Only two passes, the Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap, offer a route through the hills from east to west. This is a solitary region of hills flecked brown and purple, dark lakes and conical peaks, often enough shrouded in mist. Until the 18th century the inaccessible high valleys in the hills offered a relatively safe retreat for refugees, outlaws and criminals. After the 1798 Rising, British forces built a strategic highway, the Military Road, to permit better control of the area.

Wicklow Mountains National Park is centered around Glendalough and contains 12,700 hectares, including Glenealo Valley and Glendalough Wood Nature Reserves.