Dublin Shore Excursion Rail Tour: Wicklow, Avoca and Glendalough

Upon arrival at Arklow, we proceed to Avoca, sometimes known as Ballykissangel because of the successful BBC television series of the same name. This pretty little village is home of Avoca Handweavers (the oldest hand weaving mill in Ireland… since 1723) where you can watch the weavers at work. We recommend that you explore the village starting at the Avoca Handweavers, where there are excellent restaurant and shopping facilities. There is plenty of time to explore the village and we recommend that you have lunch here, as there will not be enough time to do so at our second stop – Glendalough. Your host will give instructions on the time of departure from Ballykissangel and we ask that you return back to the coach by the time directed by your host.

Leaving Avoca/Ballykissangel we proceed north and pass the Meeting of the Waters – immortalised in poem and song by 18th century poet, Thomas Moore. We may stop here for a photo stop, as time permits. Leaving the Meeting of the Waters we continue north to Rathdrum and there are splendid views of the Wicklow Mountains to the left. We pass through the narrow village streets, with its many pubs and shops and passing the church as we leave the village. From here we take the road to Laragh and Glendalough and pass the smallest community in Ireland – Clara. It has one school, one church and two houses! But does it have a pub??? Your host will point out the exact location. We then arrive in the village of Laragh and from here we proceed to our second attraction – Glendalough. Glendalough is a National Park and is famous as the valley of two lakes, from which the place takes its name. Our tour takes us past the lower lake and there will be time for a visit to the upper lake –your host will advise you of the exact details. The other attraction that we visit in Glendalough is the ancient monastery and there has been a settlement here since the 7th century when the monastery was founded by St. Kevin. There will be sufficient time to explore the ruins and again, your host will advise you of the exact time to return to the bus. Please ensure that you are at the bus at the time given by your host. Glendalough has been a place of pilgrimage since the 7th century and the present ruins date back to the 12th century. There is also a round tower at Glendalough, which dates from the 12th century. With the exception of two round towers in Scotland (built by Irish monks) and one on the Isle of Man, the round tower is an Irish phenomenon and there are approximately 65 of these in Ireland – Glendalough being the finest example. We leave Glendalough for our journey back towards Dublin, and while on the way we pass through the village of Annamoe, famous as the adopted home of two-time academy award winner, Daniel Day Lewis. We also pass the village of Roundwood, which at about 200 metres above sea level, is the highest town in Ireland. From here we continue north as far as the Sugarloaf Mountain (the only alpine shaped mountain in the area) and make our descent towards the N11 – the main road to Dublin. We expect to have you back in Dublin by about 17:00.