Explore Ireland’s Stunning Wicklow Mountains: Moors, Waterfalls, and Medieval Monasteries

1. Introduction to County Wicklow

Ireland is at its greenest in County Wicklow, a bucolic corner where you’ll find sublime mountain scenery and artfully landscaped country estates. During a midsummer heat wave across Europe, the Irish coast offered cool gray skies, soft rain, and bursts of sunlight illuminating the heathered hills. As I drove south from Dublin with my teenage sons, we were en route to explore Wicklow Mountains National Park, less than an hour from the city and a beloved playground for Dubliners since its establishment in 1991. Known as the Garden of Ireland, County Wicklow is rich in locally grown food and boasts mountains, moorland, and fertile valleys perfect for hiking, although many international visitors typically stick to the roads.

2. The Splendor of Powerscourt Estate

Wicklow is historically significant, as it was home to many Anglo-Irish families before the country’s independence in 1921. Several grand houses and gardens from this era are now open to the public. We stayed near Enniskerry at the Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, a modern establishment beside the 18th-century Powerscourt House. The expansive grounds feature a Japanese garden, an array of trees from around the globe, and a heavily blooming rose garden that perfumed the air during our visit.

Powerscourt Estate flows from the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains down to a deep river. The hotel’s design nods toward traditional Irish architecture, built into a hillside with common areas offering views across the valley to the mountains. Our suite opened to the hotel gardens, where I could hear woodland birds singing and water trickling from a fountain.

3. Hiking the Wicklow Way

Early the next day, the promise of breakfast coaxed 13-year-old Felix out of bed for a day of hiking. We planned to walk a section of the Wicklow Way, a 79-mile trail beginning in suburban Dublin and winding southwest through the mountains. An intriguing route caught my eye, leading to the hills of Kanturk and Scarr, culminating at the seventh-century monastic settlement of Glendalough.

After our driver dropped us off by a wooded lane, we entered the national park and followed a path tracing an escarpment above a dark lake. The Wicklow Mountains, dramatic yet manageable, provide the illusion of vastness without strenuous effort. Lush moorland, peaks, and fertile valleys surrounded us, while sheep grazed undisturbed.

4. Local Gastronomy and Culture

The following day, we headed to the Firehouse Bakery and the adjacent Delgany Grocer in Delgany to gather provisions for a picnic of local cheeses, fresh Wexford strawberries, and delicious doughnuts. Later, we explored another storied estate, Killruddery, still belonging to the Earl and Countess of Meath. Unlike Powerscourt’s imperial gardens, Killruddery features Irish flora and organically grown heritage fruits and vegetables, offering diverse perspectives on the purposes of these grand estates.

As we walked through Killruddery’s herb garden, we gazed toward the mountains, where larks soared and sang, enriching our experience in this beautiful Irish landscape.