OK, so I goofed on some minor details in my first Wicklow Way post. I may have unintentionally omitted a day and a half of hiking. I was distracted by all the sheep!!

Two days BEFORE I arrived at Lough Dan, I whipped out the rain gear for the first time while high up above Drumgoff. It was thrilling to be up in the foothills of the mountains getting slapped by rain and wind. I was settling into a rhythm of happily hiking in silence till lunch, then jamming on some tunes when my energy dipped in the afternoon. I was obsessed with the latest Beolach album, with “Schooner Lane” especially putting pep in my step, rain be damned.

I descended into the glacial valley of Drumgoff which had an amazing stone-lined pub at the Glenmalure Lodge. Soup, bread and pasta fueled me up. I had become religious about having a pint of Bulmers Cider with my dinner; apples are good for you and alcohol is a muscle relaxant, right?

I slept soundly at Coolalingo B&B before my first big push to Glendalough. The guidebook described it as a day in two parts: up, and then down.

“Up, and then down” is not a foreign concept to my New-Hampshire-hiking self. I felt very in my element in the shadow of Lugnaquilla, the highest point in Wicklow.

I crested Mullacor and made a poor choice. The Way hugged a cliffside descending to the monastic city of Glendalough, but remained tucked in the trees. There was another way down the opposite side of the lake that seemed like it had more views… but if I took that trail, I would skip some of the Way. Still stinging from my quitter track record, I stuck to the official trail. Later, I learned that I missed spectacular hiking due to my stubbornness. Danget!

The good news: Glendalough was still stunning.

Not a cool part of the adventure, but worth mentioning: the daily walk into town. According to the interwebs, the Way is 82 miles long. The guidebook says it’s 82 miles, too. But the b&bs I stayed in were never right on the trail. It was often a 2-3 mile walk down into town, and it’s another 2-3 miles back in the morning… unless you give your host puppy dog eyes (which often did the trick!)

These paved treks into town were demoralizing after a long day of hiking. I usually went deep into my pain cave and started thinking about snacks and such. So when I heard “Theresa? Theresa?” during my final steps into Laragh, I legitimately thought I was hallucinating. Nope, it was Renate and Paul, my Dutch pals from Day 1! We ate dinner together at the local pub, where I laughed heartily at this giant Black Phillip.

The next day my puppy dog eyes didn’t work, so I retraced my steps to Glendalough.

THEN I hiked to Lough Dan. OK! Glad we cleared that up.

where: the wicklow way
when: late may with very little rain!
how: b&bs and luggage transfer through the natural adventure

the wicklow way: drumgoff to glendalough

the wicklow way: a windy walk to dublin

the wicklow way: clonegall to lough dan