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Destination:

Ireland


County Wicklow

South of Dublin, the landscape changes dramatically. Just an hour or so outside the city are the rugged Wicklow Mountains, with their wild, desolate peaks covered in heather, sloping down to lush glens and sparkling glacial lakes. Enthusiastic hikers can explore the area via the Wicklow Way, the Republic’s oldest designated long-distance walk. (The entire route can be walked in five or six days, or you can choose portions of the trail for day hikes.) If you’re traveling by car, the slightly longer but more scenic way to Glendalough from Dublin (R115) will take you through Sally Gap and past the rambling Glenmacnass Waterfall.

topSights


Glendalough
31 miles south of Dublin (approx 1 hour)

This glacial valley (the “Glen of Two Lakes”) makes a spectacular setting for some of the best-preserved and most-visited monastic settlements in Ireland. St Kevin was attracted to this site by its solitude, and chose to build a monastery here in the 6th century. A thriving monastic village, renowned for its learning, developed and thrived despite multiple Viking raids until 1838, when it was destroyed by the English during the Reformation. Many of the buildings were restored in the 1870s. Guided tours of the settlement are available from the visitor center year-round with advance booking.

Most of the buildings and the visitor center are at the Lower Lake, but it’s worth taking a short trail to the larger and more dramatic Upper Lake as well.


Powerscourt Estate
20 mins south of Dublin

Enniskerry, County Wicklow
Tel: + 353 1 204 6000
Gardens open daily 9:30am-5:30pm (closed at dusk in winter). Closed Dec 25-26. Ballrooms and Garden Room open Sun 9:30am-1:30pm all year, Mon 9:30am-1:30pm May-Sep. Tara’s Palace open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm, Sun/Holidays noon-5pm.

Located on the site of a 12th-century castle owned by the Le Power family (from whom it gets its name), this Palladian mansion was built by the viscount of Powerscourt in the 1730s. The interior of the house was destroyed by fire in 1974, and only partially restored, but the estate’s true claim to fame is its magnificent formal gardens. Featuring elaborate terraces, fountains, grottos, gates and statuary, the gardens cover 47 acres, set against the impressive backdrop of Great Sugar Loaf Mountain. Along with lovely Italian, Japanese and walled gardens, the estate is also home to Ireland’s highest waterfall, at 398 feet high. Events for 2012 include kids’ workshops, guided walks and festivals.

Children might also enjoy Tara’s Palace, Museum of Childhood, a collection of historic doll’s houses and toys which has recently opened in Powerscourt House. The highlight of the collection is Tara’s 22-room Palace, a meticulously constructed miniature of three great 18th-century mansions: Castletown House, Leinster House and Carton House.

topAccommodations


Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt

Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry 
Tel: +353 1 274 8888

Located on the grounds of the grand Powerscourt Estate, this hotel’s Palladian splendor feels right at home. Things are done on a grand scale here (the rooms, decorated in elegant Georgian style, average 700 square feet)—but the scent of the wood-burning fireplace in the hotel’s massive lobby reminds you you’re in the country. Downstairs, the Gordon Ramsey restaurant serves up distinctive dishes made with local ingredients, like quail ravioli and Connemara hill lamb. If you need a break from all the luxe, head to the cozy McGills Irish Bar for asparagus soup, traditional Shepherd’s pie, or just a warming pint.