The Wicklow Way
Knockree is one of the better places to pick up the Wicklow Way, Ireland's first officially designated long-distance walk. Following a series of sheep tracks, forest firebreaks and bog roads - above 1600ft for most of the way - the walk leads from Marlay Park in the Dublin suburbs up into the Dublin mountains, skirts the end of Glencree, cuts across the bleak, boggy hillside below Djouce Mountain, and pushes on to Glendalough and Aghavannagh; it finally ends up 82 miles later at Clonegall on the Wexford border. It's not particularly well organized - one of its chief attractions for many hikers - but the whole route can be walked comfortably in five to six days. Marlay Park is accessible via the #16A bus from O'Connell Street, Dublin city centre, for those who want to walk the whole route. If you're short of time, the best part to walk is probably the three-day section between Enniskerry and Glendalough; the path reaches its highest point at White Hill (2073ft), from which you can get a view of the mountains of North Wales on a fine day. Take the #44 bus from Hawkins Street, Dublin to Enniskerry, and pick up St Kevin's bus service at Glendalough for the return journey. Low as they are, the Wicklow Mountains are notoriously treacherous, and even if you're planning on spending no more than a day walking , it's well worth investing in The Wicklow Way Map Guide , by Barry Dalby, which includes very detailed local maps and is available in Glendalough or from the publisher ( www.http://hompage.tinet.ie/eastwest; GBP4.50/?5.71). The OS maps (Nos. 50, 56, 61 and 62) are also very useful, though some sections of the Wicklow Way have changed recently so first-rate map-reading skills are essential if using these. Advice on routes and conditions is available from the Wicklow Mountains National Park information point in Glendalough . All the customary warnings about mountain walking apply and if don't have any great experience of map reading, you'd do best to follow the yellow way-marking arrows. Trail walking is fairly new in Ireland; consequently, the paths are far less crowded than their counterparts in, say, Britain. Be aware that bad weather can close in rapidly, making the going dangerous and frightening if you're far from a road or house. There are three An Oige hostels along the way - Knockree , Glendalough and Glenmalure , plus plenty of other places to stay around Glendalough, so accommodation shouldn't be a problem, although it may be wise to book ahead in high season. For these hostels and the one at Ballinclea - not actually on the Wicklow Way but in the locale - advanced booking is through the main An Oige office in Dublin (tel 01/830 4555, fax 830 5808; anoige@iol.ie ).
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