Laragh, Co. Wicklow (2019-09-23)

The weather forecast for our last day in Laragh was for rain, starting around 10 am and continuing all day.  But Marlene had not yet walked any of the Wicklow Way, so had to get that off the list first.

Our B&B host drove us out of Laragh, to a point where the Wicklow Way joined the road, and dropped us off, so that we could walk back from there.  We would either walk to Glendalough, or cut off at the old Military Road, which would take us more directly back to Laragh, if the rain got out of hand.  He dropped us off at 9:25 am and by 10 am it was raining (why was the forecast so accurate today, when yesterday it was rubbish?).  From the road the path climbed quickly up the side of Paddock Hill, following a logging road most of the time.  We had some great views through the mist, and soon came to a shelter for hikers - Brusher Gap Hut.  The hut consisted of a raised platform, surrounded with walls on three sides, and a roof, but with one side open to the elements.  But there was a fire pit, picnic table, cooking pans, and stored water, even a sleeping bag hanging on the wall.

The Green Hills of Wicklow

Brusher Gap Hut

We stopped only long enough for a few photos, and continued our journey, through forest and open fields, across the old Military Road (we decided not to bail out at this point) over the river, back up the next hill, until we were above the Glendalough visitors’ centre.  Great views down into Glendalough (Valley of the Lakes).

Through The Woods

Over The River

Glendalough - Valley of the Lakes

The descent into the valley was quite rapid, and brought us out at the monastic ruins, from where we walked the Green Road back to Laragh.  So we can now say that we have walked at least 10 km of the Wicklow Way....only 120 km to go.

After a short break, and getting into some dry clothes, we caught the local bus into Wicklow town.  The ride was almost an hour in length (all for 3 euros) and we passed through several villages that we had not seen on the way to Laragh.

Once in Wicklow town, we headed to the main attraction, the Wicklow Gaol, which was opened in the 1700s and only closed in 1926.  We spent 2 hours there, following the guided audio tour and reading all the story boards, until the gaol closed at 4:30 pm.  We learned a lot about prison life, prison reform, transportation to the colonies, and Irish uprisings against the English rule.  One visitor referred to the gates of the prison as the “gates of hell”, as once inside, your life was hell.

The Gates of Hell

We then just had time for a quick look around downtown Wicklow, before catching the last bus back to Laragh.

Then it was off to Wicklow Heather for dinner (our 4th visit in 4 days), then back to the B&B to get our bags packed, as we have an early start tomorrow, back to Dublin, and then on to Belfast.