Is Wicklow Worth Visiting? 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Wicklow

County Wicklow, which is on the east coast of Ireland and is sometimes called “the Garden of Ireland,” is one of the most beautiful places in the country. It has rolling mountains, clean beaches, and many historic sites. It’s also home to some things that can only be found in Wicklow, like the country’s tallest waterfall and the place where Saint Patrick is said to have landed. Read on to find out the top ten reasons to visit Dublin’s neighbor, which is a very interesting place.

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The largest national park in Ireland

The Wicklow Mountains are so big that they don’t even fit within the county’s borders. Instead, their granite peaks extend into the nearby counties of Dublin, Carlow, and Wexford. The beautiful Wicklow Mountains National Park covers 220 square kilometers and is the largest of Ireland’s six national parks. It is where the historic Glendalough monastic site is located (see below). In 2015, the book 1001 Walks You Must Do Before You Die included the Wicklow Way, a self-guided walking trail that goes through some of the mountains.

Is Wicklow Worth Visiting? 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Wicklow - Travel Pixy — Lough Bray’s twin corrie lakes | Photo: Joe King/Wikimedia Commons

The largest Irish national park

The Wicklow Mountains are so big that they don’t even fit inside the county’s borders. Instead, their granite peaks reach into the nearby counties of Dublin, Carlow, and Wexford. The beautiful Wicklow Mountains National Park is the largest of Ireland’s six national parks. It is 220 square kilometers big. It is where the old monastic site of Glendalough is found (see below). The Wicklow Way is a self-guided walking trail that goes through some of the mountains. It was included in the book 1001 Walks You Must Do Before You Die, which came out in 2015.

The oldest weaving mill in Ireland

The Avoca Handweavers brand is one of the oldest manufacturing companies in the world. Their mill on the banks of the Acova River, from which they get their name, is Ireland’s oldest, having been built in 1723. In Avoca village, you can take a free tour of the still-working mill and eat at one of the award-winning cafés in the store. The BBC show Ballykissangel was filmed in the village where it was set.

A Group of Ireland’s Best Trees

The peaceful Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens are a branch of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. They are on the grounds of a former estate and have acidic soil and mild temperatures, which make them a haven for rare plant species. Some of these species are so rare that they are the only ones in the Northern Hemisphere. It has taken in species that are very close to extinction, like monkey puzzle trees, whose numbers in Chile have dropped so low that they are now a national monument. There are also a number of Irish champion trees in the arboretum. These trees are among the tallest, oldest, or biggest in the country.

Some of the most rare birds in Ireland

The active reservoir in west County Wicklow is often called the Blessington Lakes, but its official name is Pollaphuca, which means “the pca’s hole” (puca is the Irish word for a ghost or a spirit). It is called “them” because it is in the valleys of two different rivers, the Liffey and the King. It is one of the two main places where Dublin gets its water, and it is also a beautiful place where birds are protected. The greylag geese that live there are known all over the world.

The Place Where Ireland’s Patron Saint Arrived

Brittas Bay is one of Ireland’s best beaches. It has four kilometers of golden sand along the Irish Sea and is loved by both people who live there and sunbathers who come from Dublin. It has gotten the Blue Flag from the European Union (EU) for five years in a row, which is given to the best beaches in Europe. It is also known for being the place where Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is said to have landed for the first time. It seems that he landed at Three Mile Water, Brittas Bay, in more than one historical account.

The highest waterfall in Ireland

The 47-acre gardens on the Powerscourt country estate, which was built in the 1800s, are a very popular place to visit in Wicklow. The house is a remodel of a castle that was built in the 13th century. It has been updated a lot over the years and has a great view of Sugar Loaf Mountain. Powerscourt Waterfall, which is 121 meters high and in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, is also close by. It is Ireland’s tallest waterfall.

The best golf course in the world

Ireland is one of the countries in the world with the most golf courses per person, and Wicklow has a lot of world-class clubs, like the historic Woodbrook Golf Club and the beautiful Powerscourt and Glen of the Downs courses. The European Club at Brittas Bay has 20 holes and is one of only two clubs in Leinster to be ranked in the prestigious Top 100 Golf Clubs of the World.

The Cliff Walk from Bray to Greystones

A six-kilometer trail goes around the Bray Head peninsula and connects the popular coastal towns of Bray and Greystones. This is one of the most popular places to walk on the east coast because you can look out over the Irish Sea and see north Wicklow and south Dublin like nowhere else. The Harbour Bar in Bray was once chosen by Lonely Planet as the best pub in the world.

The Indian Sculpture Park on Victor’s Way

The Victor’s Way Indian Sculpture Park is advertised as “a contemplative garden for lapsed pantheists.” It is a place where children are not allowed, cell phones are almost never allowed, and visitors are encouraged to “forest bathe,” or spend a lot of time in nature. It is aimed at a very specific group of people: adults who live alone and need time to themselves and are 28 years old or older. It is full of sculptures that were hand-cut in South India.

Topic: Is Wicklow Worth Visiting? 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Wicklow

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