Road Tripping | Ireland Day 4

Doolin – Glendalough

We travelled across the country today in readiness for the wedding – the sole reason behind our road trip – in the Wicklow Mountains. Once again, several stops were needed. As we left Doolin, our first stop was the Cliffs of Moher. The landscapes and views were really beautiful, although there was a lot of walking involved. At this point, I wasn’t that tired, but we didn’t stay too long – or walk to every viewing platform. We went from the central point to the north point and O’Brien’s tower, where there were better views.

Birr Castle & Gardens were our next point of interest and while we weren’t able to go inside the castle (which is still the residence of the family), the grounds were extensive. There was due to be a fair at the weekend, so there were vans and people setting up for that, but we still managed to explore the beautiful gardens. This was another place we could have spent hours, as there were so many paths and routes to take – with the longest being about five miles. There was even a science centre at the grounds, home to the Great Telescope from the 1840s.

After calling at Carlow to visit a friend for tea and cake/biscuits, we journeyed on to Glendalough – where we spent the night. Our hotel was practically on the lake, which was magical. We even had time to explore the area, walking through a graveyard and monastic site before reaching Lower Lake and then walking the extra kilometre-and-a-half to Upper Lake. With not many other people walking or taking in the views, it was so serene and if I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d have walked on and we certainly could have spent more time around the lake – even bringing the car if necessary. It would have definitely been the perfect backdrop for my wedding OOTD shoot.

Today we walked 10.5km.

Where we stayed

The Glendalough Hotel –

With only a handful of accommodations in the area, we were probably in the best. The location was excellent, with everything on our doorstep. We had reasonable views from our room, which was a good size. However, from our room, you could hear all the noise from the corridor and the room opposite. We ate dinner in the bistro, which was typical pub fare but still reasonable.

Love, Lucy xx

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