Glendalough

Oh my goodness. Glendalough absolutely took my breath away. And not just because it was beautiful, but because it was seriously one of the hardest hikes I’ve been on in a steaming hot minute and occasionally made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. 🙂

Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic, but that is my big disclaimer for adventurers seeking to conquer Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland. Be able and willing to hike up or down staircases and/or switchbacks depending on which side of Upper Lake you start at. 

If you can and do accomplish this, I promise you will see some of the most (if not the most) beautiful scenery of your life. (And that I’m not being dramatic about.)

I hope the gallery below gives you a little taste for some of what Glendalough has to offer. 

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I also went on this trip through my college, but this time they organized transportation for everyone in buses so unfortunately I’m not much help when it comes to getting to Glendalough without the help of magical buses that just show up at your school and take you there. What I can tell you, though, is that traveling on a bus without stopping only takes just over an hour from Dublin. 

I highly recommend taking this trip in a bus or car because it is such a wonderful way to see the countryside.

I saw Ireland in a way I hadn’t been able to before on that bus ride and when I tell you I squealed in my seat and pointed out every single sheep to my roommate, even when she was trying to sleep, I wholeheartedly mean it. 

The countryside is gorgeously green and if I were a hobbit all I’d have to do is find a suitable hobbit hole and I’d be set. 

Magical buses picking you up and taking you home aside, I can definitely tell you Glendalough is a straightforward place to explore. 

The group first took the trail to Upper Lake, which was not long at all and flat enough to even deem it a walk. Upper Lake is absolutely breathtaking.

After spending an adequate amount of time pondering the grandeur of the natural world around us, my roommate and I split off with a group that explored Poulanass waterfall – yet another spectacular view that doesn’t take long too get to, though, I will say the path was fairly uphill. 

Alright now, here’s where things get tricky – based on what I gathered from some members (with more authority than I) in our group –  there was some kind of trail construction going on that forced us to take a different path than we were expecting. 

Looking back, this might be why we ended up taking a nearly three-hour hike with absolutely no forewarning from our group leaders, but maybe they were just tricking us into exercising 🙂 or simply forgot to mention it. 🙂 I’ll never know. 🙂

Regardless, though, we were all a little shook by how long and difficult the trail was. At one point, the group I was with thought we had taken the wrong trail because no one said anything about us leaving this paradise sweaty and out of breath. 

Because of this, though, I honestly couldn’t tell you if the hike was really that hard or if the shock of not realizing what I had gotten myself into made it seem that hard.

Jokes aside, I highly recommend taking this trip. Glendalough is thus far the most beautiful place I’ve been while in Ireland (and Bray was absolutely breathtaking). Just know, if you do hike the whole loop (which you also don’t have to do by any means,) you will need to come prepared. 

One thing I admire about the trail was how diverse it is. The scenery changed more times than I could count by the time the loop was completed. We walked through forests, past waterfalls, literally over the top of a mountain on wooden planks (the wind during that particular portion of the hike was unlike any other I’ve ever experienced, and I thought someone was going to get blown off the side of the mountain). We hiked on stones, next to running water, down switchbacks, and (thankfully, eventually) on a smooth, flat dirt path right by the lake. 

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We were able to look out over the lake from the top of a mountain where we could distinctly see how so many bodies of water ran into one enormous lake. If you’re feeling like the center of the universe and need to be brought down a couple notches, lemme tell ya, this is a great way to feel microscopically small. 

In addition to spectacular views, cascading waterfalls, a magnificent lake, streams to hike over, two deer and one family of sheep (that we saw), Glendalough is also home to ruins, an enormous tower and a somber looking graveyard. 

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The tower and graveyard are close to the start of the trail should you want to check them out. 

Click here to see a map of all the possible trails you can hike at Glendalough as well as the level of difficulty and descriptions of each. 

And here’s a hilarious picture one of our group leaders sent me when I asked him what trails we hiked (because I know it had to have been a couple with how long we were walking.)

Lastly, below is a map to show you how far Glendalough is from Dublin. 

This blog was more of a story time and if you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed hearing about this very awe-inspiring and tiring trip.