Wicklow Way 7-day hike details
October 15, 2024
I hiked the Wicklow Way over 7 days in early October. I thought it was a great hike and the itinerary worked well, so hope these details may be useful to others!
Itinerary
- Day 1. Marlay Park to Knockree. Knockree Hostel. 21km, 6h, 2200ft (elevation)
- Day 2. Knockree to Roundwood. Lus Mor B&B. 16km, 4.5h, 2200ft
- Day 3. Roundwood to Glendalough. Sliabh Amharc B&B. 16km, 4.5h, 1500ft
- Day 4. Glendalough to Glenmalure. Coolalingo B&B. 16km, 5h, 1600ft
- Day 5. Glenmalure to Tinahely. Madelines Accommodation. 35km, 9.5h, 3600ft
- Day 6. Tinahely to Shillelagh. Central House. 21km, 5h, 1100ft
- Day 7. Shillelagh to Clonegal. Airbnb in Carlow. 19km, 4.5h, 1400ft
Tips
- No taxis (or much of anything) in Clonegal. It’s a 5.5km walk to Bunclody which has much more infrastructure. I walked 1.5km until I successfully hitchhiked on the 20th car that passed.
- I tried texting two taxi drivers on WhatsApp - 1 said they were not driving anymore, and the other said they were not around that day. Uber could not find a driver. FreeNow says it is unavailable.
- Raspberry bushes were extremely common along the trail, and I ate some everyday.
- I overlaid this Google map of trail in the Google Maps app, which made it very easy to navigate.
- Check the Wexford bus schedule for buses from Bunclody. I’d recommend my route where I got to see a few extra towns: I took the afternoon bus to Carlow, then walked the Barrow Way (see below) to Athy where I caught the train back to Dublin.
- Avoid rain by starting early or late depending on the forecast.
- Marlay Park does not open until 9am. I arrived at 6am (to avoid the afternoon storm), and I had to walk around the east edge of the park.
- I liked the North-to-South route, since the final days were easier (mostly on smooth roads), and my knees were sore from the earlier days.
- Lots of friendly people - passing drivers offered rides in the rain, a B&B host offered rides to the trailhead, and even a homeowner along the trail invited hikers in for lunch and coffee
- Lus Mor B&B - full Irish breakfast is great, but the lunchbox is bulky and not worth it
- Can order a leap card with a visitor pass in advance and get it mailed to you for free (mine arrived in 2-3 weeks)
- I’d highly recommend the schedule and every B&B I mentioned above.
- Though, in Glendalough, I’d recommend a cheaper option for a solo traveler. The room I had was too nice for just me lol.
- There are package tours, but was easy enough to book everything myself.
- Packing essentials: Waterproof coat, backpack rain cover, water bladder, trekking pole
Bonus Round #1: Carlow to Athy
Apparently, there’s not much else I want to do other than walk, so rather than taking the train to Dublin directly from Carlow, I found another trail, the Barrow Way which has a segment between Carlow and Athy, and I caught the Dublin train from Athy. I liked the change in scenery from the Wicklow mountains to these towns and the riverside trail. 20km, 5 hours, <100ft elevation gain.
Bonus Round #2: Greystones to Bray
When looking for things to do around Dublin, I saw the seaside town of Bray recommended. I also heard about the Bray Head Cliff Walk trail which connects it to the next seaside town, Greystones. There was an old man running the trail who said it was “open, but you need to be clever!” By which he meant, there is one point you need to briefly step between 2 cuts in the fence, and another part you need to crawl on your stomach beneath a compromised barrier.
Cost: ~$1000
- $700 - 8 nights of airbnb from Dublin to Carlow
- $200 - food for those 9 days
- $50 - taxi to Marlay Park + Bus to Carlow + Train back to Dublin
- $13 - Airalo esim with 5GB data - I only used about 1GB.
