For breakfast, most places would offer a traditional Irish breakfast (full or small), which usually included 1-2 fried eggs, 1-2 bacon slices, 1-2 pork breakfast sausages, half of a fried tomato, potatoes, black pudding (usually) and white pudding. This was a great way to start the day and get all the energy needed to start the hike.

 

Other possible breakfast options included other egg dishes like eggs benedict, omelettes or porridge.

All B&B accommodations had a self-serve portion for breakfast which included fruit, like apples, bananas, and other varying fruit, yogurt, fruit juices and jams. Someone would then come to take your order for your hot breakfast.

 

 

 

For lunch, there are packed lunches from the B&Bs that typically include a salad sandwich (meat, cheese and salad with dressing), a fruit and a chocolate bar. Additional items such as water and chips/crisps may be included depending on the location.

 

Each town had a pub or restaurant where dinner could be purchased. Typical meals included lamb, steak, a variety of burgers, Irish stew or fish and chips. Some places had vegetarian options, but there were not many and are typically more difficult to come by.

 

 

 

We stayed in cosy bed and breakfast lodging that was full of Irish character - just what one wants on a trip in Ireland! It was fun looking forward to each night's stay as no two places were the same: there was a mixture of carpeted rooms, provided toiletries, TVs, fridges, and dining options. 

 

 

Our favourite place was in Aughrim, where we had a beautiful view of the mountains and sheep from the window.

 

 

 

 

 

We woke up around 7:30am and prepared ourselves for the luggage transfer and breakfast. We had been asked by Christopher to bring our luggage down for 8:30am every morning. This morning we ate an Irish breakfast, which was a perfect start to the day.



To reach the start of the trail, we followed the route notes, which were easy to follow. Once joined, the trail was well marked and easy to follow in combination with the Route Book and GPS. We encountered some gates, which sometimes included climbing over a ladder or moving in a tight space while moving the gate. These were easy to work with. 

 

This day was a rainy and windy day, meaning the trails got to be quite muddy, especially in the grassy areas. Some areas of the trail were flooded. Waterproof boots are a must. We didn’t encounter many other walkers along the trail.



 

When arriving for breakfast, there is a self-serve section with various yogurt flavours, fruit, and juices. Shortly after our arrival, Margaret came to take our order for the hot breakfast. We once again ordered the Irish Breakfast.

Before leaving, Margaret and Michael kindly filled our water bladders with water. It's moments of hospitality like this that made the trip. 

 

The Route Book suggested two options for the day, but due to the weather, we chose to follow the marked path. We found this path to be well marked and easy to follow with the Route Notes and GPX track.  

 

We ate dinner at the pub in the lodge. 

 

 

As usual, we ate breakfast at the accommodation before heading out. We also ordered our packed lunch at the same time.

 

We were lucky and had beautiful weather on this day. Because of this, we chose to follow the Spinc Walk trail. As mentioned in the Route Notes, a large portion of this trail is done on the studded planks of wood. This trail was easy to follow and offered absolutely beautiful scenery. We would recommend it.

 

From there, the walk to Glendalough was straightforward. I would recommend taking a moment to view the glacial valley from the beach and take in the beauty. We then continued walking down the trail and made our way to our accommodation in Laragh, making sure to stop by the Monastic Site before leaving.
 

 

 

Our walk on Djouce Mountain was very windy and occasionally rainy. We and other travellers we met in the transfer in the morning were being pushed off the studded planks of wood on the mountain. Many of us opted to walk in the grass when the wind got too strong because the planks were sometimes 1-2 feet off the ground and falling off them was not a desired outcome.

 

Luckily, our way down was less eventful and much easier than the ascent. We walked in beautiful moorlands and the rest of the walk went smoothly in terms of navigation.

 

At dinner, we learned a lot about how active the film industry is in the area of Enniskerry, which was very interesting. 
 

We started our day with an approximate 3 km walk back to the starting point of the day on the trail from Coolakay House. As we walked by Glencree River, we noticed small paths allowing closer access to the river.

 

There were some steep ascents between Knocktree Hill and Curtlestown Woods. We stopped on some rocks in the Glencullen Mountain to eat our packed lunch. We then made our way to the top. Unfortunately, the sky was getting grey, and it was a bit difficult to see the views described in the Route Notes.
 

 

Once on the Dublin Mountain, we reached a junction. At this point, we could continue following the trail or make a detour to visit the Tibradden Cairn nearby. However, as we had walked nearly 23 km at this point, we decided not to visit the cairn and continued our course on the Wicklow Way. Many trail runners passed us on the rocky terrain and left us feeling amazed at their skill.

This section offered beautiful views and was the last bit of the rolling hillsides we would see before walking into Marlay Park and Dublin.


 

As we reached the end of the Wicklow Way, we felt overjoyed with what we had accomplished. 

That night, at our accommodation, we were pleasantly surprised when there was a local bar in the basement of the establishment. We had been hoping to go to a local bar to watch the Rugby World Cup match happening that evening, and that had made our plans much simpler. The bar was packed, and we were lucky to get a table. We ordered some food and we enjoyed a well-deserved beer while watching rugby as we waited.

We were happy to share our last evening with the locals cheering on Ireland and celebrating their victory against South Africa.

 

 

This morning, we ate the included breakfast at the accommodation and made our way to our next accommodation. 

 

 

This is definitely a trip we would recommend to our friends who enjoy active travel. The scenery is soothing and beautiful, and each day is filled with aspects that are challenging and push you out of your comfort zone, especially for anyone who has not done this type of trip often, like myself.

It is very rewarding to look back and see how far you’ve come from.

For anyone interested in travelling to Ireland, the Wicklow Way is a trail you won’t want to miss!

 

 

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Experience the Wicklow Way on a self-guided walking holiday.

 

>> 5 Day Wicklow Way