Wicklow Way

The Wicklow Way
(Slí Cualann Nua)
The J. B. Malone memorial at Barr Rock on the Wicklow Way overlooking Lough Tay.
Length131 kilometres (81 miles)[1]
LocationEastern Ireland
DesignationNational Waymarked Trail[2]
TrailheadsMarlay Park, County Dublin
Clonegal, County Carlow
UseHiking
Elevation gain/loss3,320 m (10,892 ft)[2]
Highest pointWhite Hill (630 m (2,067 ft))[3]
Lowest pointClonegal (60 m (197 ft))[4]
DifficultyStrenuous[2]
SeasonAny
SightsWicklow Mountains
Glendalough
SurfaceForestry tracks, roads, boreens and mountain paths[2]
Websitewww.irishtrails.ie
Map overview

The Wicklow Way (Irish: Slí Cualann Nua, meaning 'New Cuala Way')[5] is a 131-kilometre (81-mile) long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the Irish Sports Council and is waymarked by posts with a yellow "walking man" symbol and a directional arrow. Typically completed in 5–7 days, it is one of the busiest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails, with up to 24,000 people a year walking the most popular sections. The Way is also used regularly by a number of mountain running competitions.

The trail follows forest tracks, mountain paths, boreens and quiet country roads. Mountains, upland lakes and steep-sided glacial valleys make up the terrain of the initial northern sections of the Way before giving way to gentler rolling foothills in the latter southern sections. Much of the route follows the contact point between the igneous granite of the western side of Wicklow and the metamorphic schists and slates of the eastern side. The principal habitat of the upland sections is a mixture of broadleaf and coniferous woodland, heath and blanket bog while in the lowland sections the hedgerows marking the boundaries between fields support a variety of wildlife. The Way also passes the Monastic City at Glendalough, founded in the 6th century by Saint Kevin.

The Wicklow Way was originally proposed by J. B. Malone in a series of newspaper articles in 1966. In 1977, Malone was appointed to the Long Distance Walking Routes Committee of Cospoir, the National Sports Council and set about making the concept a reality. Malone's original proposal for a circular route around Wicklow was dropped in favour of the linear route that exists today because the Government wanted the Wicklow Way to form part of a network of walking routes around the country. The first section opened in 1980[6] and the trail was fully completed in 1982. While the Ulster Way was the first waymarked trail for walkers in all of Ireland, the Wicklow Way became the first of many National Waymarked Trails to be developed in the Republic of Ireland: there are now over forty such trails, covering a distance of over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles). The Way forms part of European walking route E8 which stretches from the Atlantic coast of County Cork to Istanbul in Turkey. A memorial to J. B. Malone, who died in 1989, was erected on the Wicklow Way, near Lough Tay, in honour of his contribution.

The provision of and access to the routes through the countryside used by the Wicklow Way is dependent on agreement with local authorities and landowners. Accordingly the route has been criticised for excessive use of routes through forestry plantations and roads. Proposals to address these issues were put forward in a review of the National Waymarked Trails published in 2010.

  1. ^ "Glendalough, things to do – Hiking/Walking". Glendalough Official Website. IE: glendalough.ie. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Wicklow Way". IrishTrails. IE: Irish Sports Council. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  3. ^ Fewer 1998, p. 5.
  4. ^ Malone 1993, p. 13.
  5. ^ Megarry & Bardwell 2008, p. 61.
  6. ^ The Wicklow Way Templeogue Telegraph, p. 17. March 1981. Quote: "The opening of the first stage of the WICKLOW WAY last summer...."