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Get on a bus in central Dublin, and in an hour or so you can be deep into County Wicklow, high in the mountains among gorse, heather, bracken and bent grass, breathing in clear air with no one in sight. It's great walking and cycling country - particularly challenging for mountain bikers - with the Wicklow Way an obvious focus for hiking, and plenty of golden sandy beaches for gentle strolls. On a short trip to Ireland, you could do a lot worse than simply combine Dublin with a few days in the wilds of Wicklow. It's also a place to get to grips with two of the dominant themes of Irish history, sometimes strangely superimposed: the monastic tradition in the shape of one of its most important and charismatic sites, Glendalough; and that of the Anglo-Irish, at the great seats of Russborough and Powerscourt. Wherever you go, apart from a few obvious centres like Wicklow town and Arklow, you're struck by the sparseness of population. It's the same story as elsewhere in Ireland, and Wicklow is far from being the worst sufferer: in 1841 the population of Wicklow was 126,431, the Famine reduced it to 100,000, then steady seepage of the population brought it to a low of 58,473 by 1961. Since then it has recovered to around 100,000, partly through the development of commuter towns, as first the railway, then the suburban DART service have penetrated further into the county. Heading out from Dublin you could follow the coast, but a far more attractive option is to head for the hills, stopping off at Powerscourt House and Enniskerry en route. If you have transport, you could continue on into the valley and join the Wicklow Way at the An Oige hostel at Knockree, or continue a couple of miles further into the valley for a stopover at similarly isolated Glencree hostel. Alternatively Glendalough and Laragh are both accessible by public transport from Dublin by St Kevin's bus service (tel 01/281 8119 ), and make excellent bases from which to explore the mountains. If you only have a day to explore the area, it's worth considering a tour - the Wild Wicklow Tour leaves Dublin daily (tel 01/280 1899; GBP22/?27.93).
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