Glendalough · Co. Wicklow
Wicklow silence after rain
The crowds leave when the showers come. The lake doubles. This is the Wicklow most visitors never meet.
Distance
The lower lake loop, unhurried
Pace
Go after the showers. Stay for the steam off the stones.
Weather
Wet stone, low cloud lifting
Best light
The hour the buses leave
An expat note from Deborah
Glendalough on a sunny Saturday is not Glendalough. Glendalough is what happens after the rain stops on a Wednesday, when the round tower goes black, and the lake, briefly, is yours.
We have learned to time our drives down from Dublin around weather, not weekends. Forty minutes from the city, and a different country opens.
The tea afterward, in any nearby hotel with a fire, is the second half of the walk.
How we'd actually walk it
The rhythm of the day.
- 01Wait out the heaviest shower in the car. Walk the moment it eases.
- 02Lower lake first, slowly. Upper lake only if the legs want it.
- 03Drive on to Powerscourt for tea, or back to Dublin in time for an early dinner.
The hotel pairing
Powerscourt Hotel
Fire, scones, dry boots by 4pm. Twenty minutes from Glendalough.
Related Pathways
Walks that pair with this one
If you liked this walk.
Walk slowly. Bring a coat. Choose the hotel for the country at its door.