Day 1 of the Wicklow Way; Wicklow Mountains, Ireland

 So, for my 50th birthday, I decided I wanted to go to Ireland. While in Ireland, I wanted to backpack some of their way marked trails. One of those being the Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest long distance hiking trail. We planned to only do 4 days (41.3miles) on the trail from Glenmalure to Dublin vs the full 8 days to complete the entire 127km (78.9miles) trail from Dublin to Clonegal; we wanted to see other parts of Ireland during our 2 weeks in the country. The other part of this backpacking trek was that we were staying in hostels and B&Bs along the way. My husband was not up for carrying a tent and all the necessary camping gear across the Atlantic. I agreed, if that meant he would backpack with me. So, off we went.

We started the day with a continental breakfast at the Abbey Court Hostel in Dublin. From there, we wandered the grounds of Trinity College, grabbed a photo of an Oscar Wilde Statue, and headed south along the coast on a train bound for Rathdrum. In our research, we found that taking the train to Rathdrum would then allow us to catch a shuttle to the Wicklow Way near Glenmalure. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach the shuttle on the website, but found we could get a taxi service to the trail for cheaper. So, train tickets booked, and we were set.

The train left Dublin around 10:45am. Encircled with confusion, we showed our digital train tickets to the security person at the turnstile, and were allowed through. We tried to figure out the train as we stood on the platform, and was graciously helped by an employee. He told us to sit on the side closest to where we were entering. Unfortunately, the only seats available caused us to ride backwards to our destination. Still, we were able to see the ocean front and beautiful scenery as we made our way to Rathdrum, Ireland.

Upon arriving in Rathdrum, I attempted to use the Freenow app (Uber for Ireland) to get us a taxi, as we had planned before we left on this trip. What we learned was tough to swallow...they "do NOT provide service in this area." Hmmm...what now?

We followed the other people who had left the train at the same station, and found ourselves in the heart of Rathdrum wondering what next. As I was about to give up and start walking the 4-5km to Glenmalure (what else does a long distance backpacker do but resort to hitchhiking or walking?), my husband comes up with a number for a local taxi. He calls the number, and the person says she will be there in about 5 min to pick us up!? We are in the hills of Ireland in a small town, who would have thought they would have a taxi service?

The taxi arrives, we jump in, and she heads for Glenmalure. As she drives, she tells us how she is headed on holiday the next day and technically wasn't supposed to be working today. We thank her profusely for agreeing to take us. Being that we are both still tired and a little anxious to start hiking our 9 miles at 13:00, the ride is somewhat quiet.

She drops us off at the Glenmalure Lodge in Drumgoft, where the Wicklow Way crosses and continues up hill. We tip her for saving us, and decide to grab a quick lunch at the lodge. I wasn't crazy hungry, so I just had vegetable soup, while my husband had a full meal. We finished our food, and headed uphill on paved road before turning onto a dirt track leading further uphill. There are lots of people out day hiking the trail. I guess it has become popular to day hike sections of the way marked trails in Ireland. My husband and I trudge past these people carrying everything we brought with us for the trip. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a little badass.

The trail goes up through logging areas and forests. We are able to see where we started and then out over the country side. About a mile in, we pass a waterfall off in the distance before ducking into a forested section of the route. The day hikers have disappeared for now. The sun is out, but there is a chill in the air. So, we go between wearing our raincoats and not. Eventually, it starts to rain, and we cover our packs and tighten up our raincoats as it comes sideways. Ok. THIS is Ireland!

The rain didn't last long. As it passed over and the sun came out, we were treated to one of Ireland's best and brightest rainbows. I don't think I have ever seen one so bright. We could see the ends; one in the valley below and one in the trees ahead. I begged for fairies, gnomes, and leprechauns; none of which I saw. As we continued our descent along the gravel road, we decided it was an Irish blessing on our trip. My husband said that means we won't have anymore rain the rest of the time...stay tuned for that result.

Continuing down the hill into Glendalough, we found ourselves in a park/nature preserve area, where we were on wide trails. One of the sections took us past a beautiful waterfall, while the next section found us nearing one of the lakes. The Lakes gave us a hint that we were almost done for the day, which was good because my husband's feet were bothering him, and he was getting grumpy. 

My husband has been having plantar fasciitis issues for the past 1.5 years and recently developed a pain in his left knee. As this first day of backpacking was drawing to a close, he was feeling all of it. The feet causing the greatest grief for him. We trudged through the throngs of tourists visiting the lakes, the nature preserve, waterfalls, and monastic site to get to our hostel for the night. 

We got checked in to the hostel. The front desk person showed us to our 8 bed mixed dorm room with ensuite (bathroom in the room), and we said hi to the 1 other person in the room before settling in a little. My husband took some ibuprofen for his aches, and we rallied to walk down to the Glendalough Hotel for dinner. Google said the Casey Bar & Bistro was closed, but another restaurant on the hotel campus was open for dinner. As we made our way around the hotel, we found that the Bar & Bistro was indeed open, and how could we pass up a place named Casey's; even if it was spelled wrong. So, we grabbed dinner, and decided to visit the monastic site for sunset as the rain had stopped and the weather seemed perfect for it. Google said it was 100% chance of rain the next day, so it made sense to see the monastic site while it was not raining. 

The monastic site is the termination point for the St Kevin's Way, which is a 30km pilgrimage route from Hollywood, Ireland to the monastic site in Glendalough. According to Wikipedia; "The trail follows in the footsteps of Caoimhin Naofa who crossed the Wicklow Mountains and founded the monastery at Glendalough in the 6th century." So, the monastic site has St Kevin's Church, Glendalough Cathedral, Round Tower, a gateway, a priest house, and St Kevin's Cross. It is all surrounded by gravestones, and in my opinion is beautiful as the sun was setting. 

Done with our touring of the monastic site, we headed back to the hostel for a night of sleeping in a room with strangers...always an adventure.

To see the lead up to the backpacking portion of this trip as well as the touring portions between backpack adventures, please visit https://www.jaspkasetakeontheworld.blogspot.com. On my Travels with Jasp & Kase blog, I cover my non-foot traveled adventures (i.e., road trips, train trips, etc.)

vs the current blog covers all my backpacking/long distance hiking adventures.