Let’s do some cycling in the Wicklow mountains!
Do you like cycling on your holiday? Love a ride over the mountains or through the forest? Makes you yell “I feel good” (James Brown pun intended)? If you agree, then I’ve got an invitation for you – join us while we go cycling in the Wicklow mountains! C’mon – we’re gonna have a blast!
Empty batterys? We know that feeling!
Last week we decided to escape from Dublin for the weekend. For those of you who are not familiar, it’s a big ol’ city that offers basically anything you can think of, but lacks one thing – peace and quiet. You’ve got people of all shapes, sizes, colours and nationalities trying to make it, but once their energy starts going low, they’ve got nowhere to go (rhyme not intended).
One of the ways of relaxing your body and mind is to go cycling – and so we did! But we wanted more than just paddling up and downhill. We wanted to hear birds, throw rocks in a river, enjoy the beauty of the countryside, sheep and chase leprechauns (ok that last one was a bit off). We had an image of a traditional countryside Ireland in our mind and wanted to see what it’s like in real life. We wanted to get to know it, to let it work it’s magic on us and to experience it…hopefully in good weather. Boy oh boy were we in for a ride. Target: Wicklow mountains. Activity: cycling.
Start your engines!
The trip began for us when the bus made a final stop just outside of Enniskerry. We walked about three kilometres to the hostel, took photos of the locals (sheep and horses) and enjoyed observing the green fields beneath Sugarloaf. We stayed at the Knockree Youth Hostel where we had lunch, asked for a good cycling route, rented some good mountain bikes from Eco Adventure Ireland (thanks guys!) and took off on our cycling adventure through the Wicklow mountains.
Our trip was made of checkpoints like the Powerscourt waterfall, the river along the Wicklow way and a German military cemetery in Glencree. We drove onward from the hostel on a downhill way, that was quite tight, filled with twists and turns, with trees on both sides. It brought us to a little camping site where two tents were pitched, which meant our little adrenaline-filled ride was over and we had to cycle back to find another way down.
Green fields around Wicklow mountains.
It was actually a path along the small and peaceful river going through Wicklow way, which was a real treat for the eyes. You don’t get to see such amazing green colour of the plants every day. Believe me, I’m from Slovenia which is called the green part of Europe, but I think our national tourist board needs to redefine their promotion ideas. If not, they should visit Ireland.
This green route wasn’t that long, but I know we enjoyed every inch of it. It ended with the crossing of a bridge, where we had to pick up our bikes and carry them over. The path led us through a mesmerizing forest, where the sun’s rays were shining through the branches, creating a feeling of being in a fairy tale. To top it off, the “shrine” was next to the river which sparkled in the sun’s summer rays. We imagined Ireland being mystical, but a scene like that exceeded our every expectation.
First objective completed!
The trail led us through the forest on a rocky uphill path of shade and coolness and that’s also the place where we stopped so our bikes could take a break. As we waited for them to cool off we noticed something, something we’ve been looking forward to since leaving Dublin – peace and quiet. You could only hear birds singing and flying along the branches. We didn’t get to see all of them, but we could estimate by their communication that there were 5-7 different birds present. Someone needs to tell them about iTunes. We think they may have a spot in the music business!
So before we wrap it up we’d like to do one more thing – encourage you to go on an adventure of your own, dear reader! Don’t just sit there while the day passes by, but instead go book a room in the Knockree International Hostel. After that, brush the dust from your off-road cycling machine and go explore the Wicklow mountains. You don’t need to be a pro to do it. Just get on that bike, put a smile on your face and you’re all set to ride!
We would also like to hear it from you – do you have any prefered routes where one can see and experience the beautiful nature of cycling in the Wicklow mountains? Please tell us so we too can give it a go!
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