Day 2 Wicklow Way: Glendalough to Oldbridge/Wicklow Way Lodge

 After a tough night of sleep in the hostel, we got up, gathered our belongings, had a breakfast of cereal, fruit, and toast that was not worth the 9 euros we paid, and headed out into the rain. Google was right about it being 100% chance of rain. That was ok, it was supposed to be a short day. 

The Rathdrum taxi driver from yesterday recommended we veer off the trail about 2km into Larragh for food as there was no food available at the Lodge or near the area. In my Wicklow Way book, it also suggested stopping at the Glendalough Cafe in Larragh for a bite. So, we wandered off the damp and muddy trail to the Cafe, where we grabbed a small lunch before returning to the trail. It was a cute little stop, and the people were very friendly. We sat outside with our packs as they had covered seating to protect us from the rain, plus we did not want to bring our wet stuff into the tiny store/cafe. 

The side trek to Larragh was interesting as we passed by homes, farms, schools, and churches. We passed some fun and friendly construction works with whom we exchanged rain humor. On the way back up to the trail, we retraced the route down, except to take a different trail we found on Gaia to meet up further along the trail. It was a fun adventure that saved us maybe a kilometer or 2, but put us on super wet and muddy trail until we met up with the Wicklow Way again. 

Once on the trail again, we traveled through woods, past farm fields, and saw our first lambs. It is lambing season in Ireland. So, we saw lots of baby sheep. It was ADORABLE!! The rain did not let up and even came in sideways occasionally, but it did not dampen our mood...much. We passed tree farms, slogged through mud, crossed wet grass fields, and finally found ourselves on a paved road, which we followed to our final destination...The Wicklow Way Lodge, a B&B situated right along the trail. 

Coming off the wet trails, onto the paved road, we passed by a home with blooming flowers and a gnome and fairy garden. I was ecstatic about finding such a fun thing, and took tons of photos, while my husband did a video scan of the garden. Maybe he caught fairies on film? If it wouldn't have been raining, I would have included one or more of my travel gnomes in this beautiful new home. With the rain, I didn't want to take off my pack and find them as everything got wet. Also, I was having trouble figuring out what 2 I would leave behind, as I could not leave just one by his/her self. Anyway, it put a pep in my step as we continued the final 2 miles of the day in the continued rain.

We arrived to the B&B about 13:00, and the owner had us strip off all our wet gear and muddy shoes on the deck. She showed us where to hang up our wet stuff, checked us in, offered to call a taxi to take us in for food, and then showed us to our room. We showered, relaxed, napped, and then ate the sandwiches we bought in Larragh, having decided we didn't want to take the lady up on the taxi ride into town for food. With food in our bellies, we returned to our room and proceeded to fall asleep.