Getting to our Airbnb in Wicklow County took a bit of back-and-forth driving. Apparently in Ireland “drive past the Alpaca farm sign” means “turn right at the Alpaca farm sign”. No worries though, between Google Maps and our host’s colourful instructions we managed to find the right place.
We are definitely in the country. There are sheep everywhere!
We are staying at the Paulank Farm, which is an equestrian centre (no sheep), so we have horses in the fields next to us, and riders are continually moving from the barn to the nearby training fields.
SweetPea has a new best friend (sorry K-Bear), Mimi. A yellow lab that SweetPea won’t stop chasing (Mimi appears to love it). Mimi likes to come into our cottage, grab one of SweetPea’s toys and then run outside. The chase is on! Even Lump gets in on the action, at least until he gets tired.
Glendalough Valley (see also photo at top of this post) is located a short drive from our Airbnb. There is a longish lake nestled at the bottom of two large hills. A trail runs alongside of the lake (“lough”) and the cave where Saint Kevin lived can be seen on the far slope. Saint Kevin later upgraded his accommodation when he founded a nearby Christian monastic settlement in the 6th century.
At one end of the valley are the ruins of a mining operation. Lead, zinc and silver were mined here from 1790 until 1957. At the peak of production the mine employed 2000 people. Little evidence left of so many people in this area.
Also located in the Glendalough Valley is the Monastic City, which was started as a monastic settlement by Saint Kevin (6th century) and later included: St, Mary’s church, a priest’s house, and a round tower.
The round tower was a refuge for monks when attacked. Vikings were very active in Ireland – their legacy is still evident to this day in the number of people in Ireland with red hair.
Experimenting with panorama photos: Bray, a small beach town in County Wicklow. Beach is very rocky (round, baseball-sized rocks), so we just walked the dogs along the promenade, no sand between our toes today!
September 2 – 12, 2023