Wicklow Mountains in Wicklow County, Ireland

DunLaoghaire Harbour

When I think of Ireland, I think of green grassy hills, beautiful valleys and fields of Heather growing wild. Well, when we headed to the countryside near Dublin, that is exactly what we saw and it was absolutely stunning. We went on the Wild Wicklow Tour that took us to the coastal area of DunLaoghaire Harbour and past the richer parts of the area called Dalkey and Killiney.

Avoca

The harbour was beautiful and happens to be near the James Joyce tower. On June 16 when we were on our tour, it happened to be Bloomsday where people dressed up to honor the author James Joyce.
After the city tour, we stopped for morning coffee at Avoca Handweavers, a little tourist spot that sells all kinds of overpriced goodies. However, they do have a beautiful garden AND the BEST scone I have ever had. I only bought one and man do I regret it.
After Avoca, we headed up to the mountains to enjoy the countryside. When we first started the day, there was a mist in the air, but as the day went on, the beauty of the countryside was revealed.

Misty mountains

We traveled all the way up to the top of the mountain, stopping at various sites to get pictures and enjoy the Wicklow National Park. We even saw the Guinness Lake, the bridge where a scene from P.S. I Love You was filmed and the bogs where Braveheart was filmed. Everything was just so picturesque. After our tour, we stopped in a little town called Laraugh for lunch.

P.S. I Love You bridge

Guinness Lake

After lunch, we went to Glendalough, an “enchanting 6th Century Monastic Settlement.” The area is now a hot spot for tourists, but it is still absolutely beautiful. There are old ruins, gravestones, a lower lake and an upper lake. To get to the upper lake, we walked 1.6 kilometers through the valley. It was beautiful.

Glendalough

Glendalough

Upper Lake

Our tour guide was hilarious and very nice.

After Glendalough, we headed back to town. The entire tour was well worth the 25 euros it cost. I wish we could have had more time in Glendalough, but that is just one more reason to go back to Ireland.