County Wicklow

Discover County Wicklow

County Wicklow (Irish: Contae Chill Mhantáin) is a mountainous region of Ireland's East Coast and Midlands, historically part of the province of Leinster. It's just south of Dublin so it combines ease of access with outstanding scenery. It's often called "the Garden of Ireland" — and does have several fine gardens — but it's more like the recreation park of Dublin. County Wicklow is dominated by its chain of mountains and by its proximity to Dublin. The mountains are granite, uplifted 400 million years ago, and polished by glaciation into rounded tops. These have poor soil and drainage and are coated in heath and bog. Lugnaquilla rises to 925 m but most summits are around 600 m, more like hills. There are extensive conifer plantations which are gradually being replaced with mixed native trees. Much of the uplands are within Wicklow Mountains National Park, which preserves them from an encrustation of weekend cottages. The hills and valleys are scenic and are very popular with day-trippers from the city, as are the top sights of Glendalough and Powerscourt.