A short 1hr drive south of Dublin, you will find the Wicklow Mountains in County Wicklow. We included a stop in the area on our way south. There are many amazing places to visit, and in this blog, we share a few places worth visiting, even if you only have a few hours. We start with amazing natural beauty and the walks that take into the depths of this region. Glendalough is home to a monastic settlement with a history dating back to the 6th century. We even found the best coffee we had in our time in Ireland at the Turquoise Restaurant and Cafe near Roundwood.
View From the Viewing Platform
Quick links
Our Experience visiting the Wicklow Mountains
Visit Glendalough Monastic Settlement and Tourist Centre
Take in the view At the Wicklow Mountains Viewing Platform
Need to know
Currency: € Euros
A week-long trip in Ireland for a couple will cost around: €1,921
Correct at the time of publishing and meant as an approximate guide, Budget your trip is a great resource to help in your budgeting research
Weather:
Temperatures range from 8 ° (January) to 18 ° (July) on average.
The rainiest months are December, November and October.
The best time to visit weather-wise May, June, July, and August, to visit the Wicklow Mountains.
Our Experience visiting the Wicklow Mountains
After watching a Rick Steves episode showcasing the region, visiting Glendalough as part of our visit to Ireland became a must.
Our first intended stop was going to be Ballinastoe Woods. I had found a quick way to get to the famous insta shot spot, we followed the GPS believing we would end up at the desired car park, but alas, we did not end up where we wanted to be. Walking blindly in the wrong place, we ended up leaving defeated. Our experience was totally our fault. The short walk we did do was building up to be lovely and was part of the 130km Wicklow Way walk. We ended up at the Crones Recreation Park entrance.
Crones Recreational Park
The best thing about ending up in the wrong place as we discovered the Turquoise Cafe, and I finally got a great coffee.
Heading to the main event of our visit, the Wicklow Mountains, the Glendalough Monastic Settlement. We did not visit the Tourist centre, but the grounds around the tourist site were a fantastic start. After taking in some of the paths along the river, we headed to the Monastic settlement.
What a tremendous first historic start to our road trip. We spent about 45mins to an hour exploring the building and honouring those laid to rest on the grounds. If we had decided to visit the tourist centre, we would have gotten much more out of our visit, but we still enjoyed our stop.
Our last stop in the Wicklow Mountains was the Wicklow Viewing Platform. This vantage point was a great place to absorb the majesty of the landscape.
Turquoise Cafe and Restaurant
Turquoise Cafe
Djouce Outdoors, Ballinastoe Crossroads, Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, A98 W5C3
Monday – Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM
Not just a cafe but a destination on its own. The Art on the walls was amazing and for sale. If you are around on a Sunday, remember to check out the farmers market and grab your weekly fresh produce. The atmosphere was welcoming, friendly and eclectic, and the food was really good quality. If you are in the area, do yourself a favour and drop into this cafe.
Visit Glendalough Monastic Settlement and Tourist Centre
Headstones and Round Tower Glendalough
Glendalough, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Glendalough (or Gleann Da Loch, meaning ‘The Glen of the Two Lakes’) is situated in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
Dating back to the 6th century when St Kevin founded the Settlement, over the years, it grew and the buildings we can visit today date back to the 10th-12th Centuries. The monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses. On the site, you can also find a Celtic high cross, St. Mary’s Church and St. Kevin’s Church.
The visitor centre showcases the golden age of Scholars and Saints. Follow the footsteps of St. Kevin, founder of Glendalough. Take in the permanent exhibition using multi-lingual audio guides or guided tours.
The visitor centre is open daily throughout the year and is a must before entering the Monastic Site.
Allow around 2-3 hours to visit the settlement and surrounding areas.
Monastic Site is open 24 hours a day.
Tourist centre Mid-March – Mid-October Daily 09:30 – 18:00 Last admission 17:15
Mid-October – Mid-March Daily 09.30 – 17:00 Last admission 16:15
Cars cost €4 to park.
Monastic site is free to enter.
Entry to the Tourist centre Adult: €5.00
Take in the view At the Wicklow Mountains Viewing Platform
at the Viewing Platform
Brockagh, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
10 mins away from the Monastic Settlement is the Wicklow Mountains Viewing Platform. We pulled into the first car park and followed the short path up to the Platform to a wonderful sweeping view of the surrounding Wicklow National Park.
Open 24 hours a day
Free to visit
Allow 10 mins to enjoy the view from the platform, longer if you want to go for a walk. Phil did find some squishy peat bog near the platform, so this was another unexpected tick off our list of be nice if we saw it things.
Phil finding Peat
We had a lovely time in the Wicklow Mountains, and we may have only had a few hours, but it was so worth it, and we are so glad we included our short stop in this area.
Get More From Us
Here is the Video of our time visiting the Wicklow Mountains.
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