Wonderful Autumn in Glendalough and Wicklow, Ireland

I'm in love with Ireland!! That's the first thing I have in mind when anyone mention about this beautiful country. I have a nickname for this country, it's the "Fifty Shades of Green". My visit to Ireland was in autumn, and some said it was already winter. But I guess I was lucky to be able to experience lovely autumn foliage here. In Ireland, I visited couple of places including Dublin (where I stayed throughout the trip), Galway and Kilkenny but my favorite places were Glendalough and Wicklow, which are both in County Wicklow. I didn't expect much for my Ireland trip because the weather forecast indicated that the days would be all gloomy and wet. But it turned out to be interesting and enjoyable especially to witness the wonderful autumn colours in Glendalough and Wicklow.

I joined the daily trip organized by Paddywagon Tours and the pickup was in Dublin city centre. I would recommend this company to anyone who wish to do day trips from Dublin. Shame that I didn't know about this company until I hop on the shuttle bus, otherwise I would have better whilst in Ireland. 

Approaching Glendalough, I could see the striking colours of autumn. This was a good sign for me despite the grey sky and drizzle. The shuttle bus was parked at Glendalough Hotel parking area. After passing the parking area, I was amazed with the view right in front of me, a hill with a mix of green and autumn foliage. I thought of dropping by the cafe and get some hot coffee or tea, but since I have to return to the bus 2 hours later, I thought it would be fine without the coffee or tea.

So I headed to the Gateway, which is the entrance to the Glendalough medieval cemetery. I have no idea that the trip for this day was going to be an interesting one. I didn't read much about this area from the internet and couldn't remember the itinerary. But I guess it was interesting to not knowing things until you visit the place, explore it and acquire the information on site.

The view after leaving the parking area

There are many monuments at the lower valley of Glendalough. Among them are the St. Kevin's Cross, the Round Tower, St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, St. Kevin's Kitchen and several others. These monuments are located within the cemetery area. The whole valley was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. The cross was built by St. Kevin as to assist the pagans, who worshiped the sun and the moon,  to familiarize themselves to Christianity.  

St. Kevin's Cross

At some points, I felt a bit out of control when I couldn't focus on what I should be doing. The surrounding views were superb and I got distracted every now and then. I love autumn a lot so the autumn colours were just amazing here.

Medieval monastic cemetery of Glendalough

St. Kevin's Kitchen is actually a small church, several steps away from St. Peter and St. Paul cathedral. People have mistakenly think that it is a kitchen due to the round tower that somehow looks like a chimney placed on a stove. In fact, no meals was ever cooked here.

St. Kevin's Kitchen, or Church

Heading away from the church, a short walk to the Upper Glendalough Lake was another mesmerizing moment. I was so excited to look at the beautiful autumn foliages. Pity that the sky was cloudy, otherwise I would have got better pictures.

One of the views along the track to Glendalough Upper Lake

The head of this lake was a lead mine which occurred 160 years ago. The valley itself is located 491 feet above sea level. I took the chance to sit there and view the scenery and of course got my camera busy with its shutter.

Stunning view around the lake

I guess I don't really have much things to say but pictures play thousands of words. It would be a great idea to pack my own food and enjoy the views, but that didn't happen though.

Due to limited time, I had to make way to the parking area. I passed a smal river, or maybe a stream. It was super clean and I did think of dipping my feet for awhile. Then again, time didn't permit me to do so. Since it is already my habit to get something as a token of memory for my visit to Glendalough, I dropped by at a small shop selling tourist stuff. It was just several meters away from the parking area. Got myself a fridge magnet and a postcard

From Glendalough, we passed the Wicklow Gap which was half an hour away uphill. The weather was not getting any better and became darker. The pouring rain made me a bit restless as I knew it would be impossible to take any photographs without any protection to my baby camera. She is not waterproof. But when the bus was approaching the spot for quick photo stop, it was drizzling and thank god for that. 

Wicklow Gap is famous for being the filming location of several movies such as The Braveheart and several others. The views along this area were incredible too, despite the gloomy and grey sky.

There were remnants of a structure which most probably was a church. There is an information board close to the site but I didn't bother to read as I was too busy photographing the surrounding landscape.

A few minutes later, we boarded the bus and headed to Kilkenny . On our way, we passed through a village known as Hollywood, which marks the end of the Wicklow Gap road. This place acquires its name much earlier than the famous American well-known city. Correct me if I am wrong though.

Well, if anyone is kind enough to sponsor my trip to Ireland again, I wouldn't hesitate to return to these places again.