Glendalough is one of Ireland’s most important ancient sites and it was the first place we visited in Ireland that actually felt touristy. There were a number of tour buses, a large carpark and a state of the art visitor center. Being only an hour from Dublin, it features heavily on the typical tourist itineraries. And for good reason! Not only is there the ruins of an enchanting ancient monastic site with one fo the best round towers in Ireland, it’s set in the stunning landscapes of the Wicklow Mountains, surrounded by lakes and breathtaking hiking opportunities.
Glendalough is a monastic city founded by St Kevin in the 6th century but destroyed and abandoned in the 13th Century by the Normans. A number of the building, including the cathedral and various churches still stand in amongst the ancient grave stones. The round tower is the most iconic of the buildings, it would have once been used a bell tower but round towers were also used for defence against any attacker, including the vikings.
The girls, especially Hallie were impressed by the round tower. It does look like something out of Rapunzel.
Glendalough sites at the end of a glacial valley with two lakes, There are a number of trails throughout the mountains that start at Glendalough and head up into the towering moutains on either side. We opted to do a short, flat walk around the lower lake to the edge of the upper lake, which us through some magical looking forests and streams.
The day we went was very windy, one minute the skies were blue but then the wind would blow misty rain down the valley. On the edge of the upper lake, it wind felt like it was gale force! But we still managed to take in the views and watch a family ducks swimming in the waves.
Visiting Glendalough was surprisingly free of charge to enter, however there is a small fee for the main carpark and you can pay to go into the information centre to learn more about the site. There was a restaurant at the hotel that was right next to the visiter centre, which was were we had lunch. But there were a number of restaurant options in the nearby town, like the Wicklow Heather.
The Wicklow Mountains are really stunning, I can understand why many people prioritise this area when travelling to Ireland. i would like to come back one day and tackle some of the hikes up through the valley.