Glendalough, Ireland

As we were driving, my sister saw a signpost for a coffee shop and we followed it. the road took us to Glandalough. This place is an early Christian monastic site founded by St Kevin in the 6th century. A very interesting place to visit.

There are lots of scenic areas within easy reach of Dublin so you could base yourself there and take a different direction each day as suggested above to places like Bray, Howth, Malahide, Greystones etc, all accessible by bus or DART (local train which hugs the coastline).
Inland, Glendalough is an area of great natural beauty in Co. Wicklow, not too far from Dublin. You could visit it on an organised day trip from Dublin or you could travel on the public bus (www.glendaloughbus.com)and stay overnight. There is one hotel (www.glendaloughhotel.com)and several B&Bs and hostels in the area between Glendalough and Laragh(the nearest village).
More info at:
www.glendalough.ie
www.wicklow.com/glendalough/
www.glendaloughmines.com
www.glendaloughconnect.ie
www.wicklownationalpark.ie
I live in Dublin and know Co.Wicklow quite well so feel free to get back to me if you need any clarification or further info.
All the best,
Anne Marie

Glendalough meanins Glen of Two Lakes and is a valley located in County Wicklow, Ireland, The valley was formed during the last ice age by a glacier. Today it is best known for its amazing greenery and the renowned Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century.

This place is great for all kinds of outdoor activities, nature lovers and history buffs. The monastic site is nice, the old mines and town are even better, but that is not all this place has to offer.
There are many walking trails of varying difficulty around Glendalough. Within the valley itself there are nine walking trails maintained by Wicklow Mountains National Park (all from information office, maps available). Glendalough is also famous for its Rock climbing opportunities, if you enjoy this sport try the cliffs on the north-western side of the valley. It is fairly safe as there are a lot of climbers coming from all over Ireland.

This location is also a wonderfull family spot, with a lot of free space for the kids to run around, to play soccer or other outdoor games. Or simply to have a family picnic. Best way to spend quality time with your children! It is an amazing place with fresh water, green trees and beautiful views. If you are in Ireland this is a must - to - do spot!

It's a bit difficult to look for a place to park your car during weekend as it's crowded with tourists as well as locals. There is a very nice grass field where u can lay there enjoying the sun and watch the children play. After your visit to the Glendalough Tower, turn right into an area where you can get some nice postcards. We got ourselves each an ice-cream cone from the ice-cream truck. We didnt go for the horsecart ride though.

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Glendalough is an interesting place for a dayexcursion from Dublin with an old roundtower, the remains of an old monastery and church.
On my 1st photograph : St.Kevin's Kitchen is the name of this small stone-church founded by St.Kevin during the 6th century.It was of course never used as a kitchen, but with the small bell-tower on top of that little church, that was similar to a oven-chimney, people used to call it St.Kevin's kitchen.
Glendalough is also a place to see some celtic crosses, and the ruins of an old monastery at a scenic lake.
On my last photo : The round tower of Glendalough is one of the few round towers left over in Ireland and science still has problems to find out about the purpose of these towers.
In the hight of about 5 meters above the ground there is a door that could be blocked in case of enemies approaching.

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Glendalough translates to 'valley of the 2 lakes'. It was established by St. Kevin in the 6th century and developed into quite an important religious site. Most of the buildings date between the 8th and 12th centuries. The Round tower is one of the best in the country (its cap was restored in the 1870's).

Nice hiking paths around the site, and you can even hike from Dublin on the Wicklow Way.

We arrived on Good Friday and the place was crowded with people. Being only about 40 miles from Dublin it is apparently a very popular day trip. There was a band playing and concessionaires selling various snacks around the edges.

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At the visitor's centre you can get a map containing several walks with different grades of distance and difficulty in the valley.
I did the orange one which is a good hike of 2 hours with stunning panorama's of the valley!

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Beautiful valley just an hour south of Dublin.
St.Kevin founded a monastery here in the 6th century.
Later on it became famous as a centre of learning.
There are also some great hikes around this area!