A photo of our Dublin hotel.
Breakfast buffet
We woke up to some sunshine (which is always a win in Ireland), 47° and a bit windy this morning. Our schedule is pretty tight: breakfast doesn’t kick off until 7:30, and we’ve got to be at the bus stop by 7:45 (just a quick 5-minute walk, or so they say) with our bags in tow. Oh, and there’s no chance for a packed lunch today, and it’s going to be a long one, so all of this kept us tossing and turning last night.
The Wicklow Way kicks off at Marlay Park, right on the southern edge of Dublin. We planned to hop on the number 16 bus this morning, but of course, things didn’t go quite as planned. The stop where we ended up was taking us the wrong way. We dashed to the other side of the street, but guess what? No #16 bus in sight. After wandering around for what felt like forever, we started to worry about making it to the park on time for our bags to be picked up. So, I popped into a coffee shop and asked if they could call a taxi for us. Super nice of them—they even came outside to help us with the car info. Finally, our driver, Ahmed, showed up and zoomed us out of the city and through the southern suburbs of Dublin. It took about 40 minutes, and let me tell you, we got an earful about awful America and how amazing Algeria is. But hey, we were just glad to hop out of that taxi, get our bags delivered, and kick off a better day!
The Sherpa (luggage hauler) was a few minutes late but finally arrived, loaded up our bags, and carried them to our Inn for the night. They will collect the bags and transport them from Inn to Inn for the remainder of the walk. They were old, like I’m not, and a little bit grumpy, but I managed to get directions to the nearest toilet from her before they pulled away.
Today's walk is ~13.5 miles
ascent 2,280' / descent 2,330' (this is considered moderate???)
The adrenaline is flowing and excitement immeasurable as we take our first steps on this walk. This will likely be the longest day of the Wicklow Way. As you can see from the elevation map above, we have two steep climbs today.
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| Kody’s having a stretch while we wait on the Sherpa. |
The official start
No, I didn’t walk in my down coat but it felt really good as we waited on the Sherpa.
Marlay Park is approximately 121 hectares (300 acres) of suburban public park located in Rathfarnham in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. Lying about nine kilometres (5.5 miles) from Dublin city centre and at the foothills of Dublin Mountains, the parkland fed by the little Dargle River consists of mature woodland, extensive informal lawns, acres of recreational land laid out for playing pitches and passive recreation, ponds, and walkways.
We begin at the official start, although there’s no shortage of other paths through the park, and picked up a Wicklow Way trail marker right away. From there it was plain sailing through the rest of a lovely park, eventually emerging beside the noisy M50 motorway. We are close enough to Dublin to hear the roar of motorway traffic and the thunder of incoming planes - but these sounds are soon drowned out by birdsong, waterfalls, and the rustle of the wind through native woodland. The climb through Kilmashogue Forest begins immediately and Dublin sprawls grey and silent behind us, wrapping around the Bay of Dublin. We are blessed with a clear, and very cool day, perfect hiking weather.
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Rockrose
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Great horse tail |
We take one last look to Dublin before descending into the Glencullen Valley and the inviting panorama of the Wicklow Hills, often nicknamed the ‘Garden of Ireland’. The trail rolls over the foothills of the Wicklow Hills passing scattered farmhouses, forestry land, and open slopes splashed with color by gorse, heather, and wildflowers.
A few sheep pics for you
Boranaralty bridge built in December 1905. The original bridge was destroyed in a flood in August of 1905.
Simply stunning
Kody and I totally snagged our own lunch from the breakfast buffet this morning. She grabbed some slices of sourdough and a piece of smoky cheese, while I went for a mini croissant with ham and a banana. We found this old stone wall to chill (literally) on and enjoy our lunch, taking a little break from all the rocky trails before tackling the final climb.
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| Periwinkle |
Enniskerry is only 11km from the edge of Dublin but may as well be a world away, separated by the Dublin Mountains. Nearby Powerscourt Estate deserves a visit; an impressive collection of gardens and ornamental lakes with iconic Great Sugarloaf Mountain forming a towering backdrop. However, a proper exploration would take an entire day, and more energy and time than we currently have.
The Enniskerry Inn, once called the Leicester Arms, has been in the lovely village of Enniskerry since the early 1800s. Over the past 200 years, it’s welcomed tons of guests right on Church Hill. The Lawlor family took it over in 2016.
We had dinner in the restaurant at the inn.
Kody had a cheese (no meat) burger and fries
I had the roast beef special (half portion) with, what else, potatoes, three ways.
Today's Stats:
Miles - 16 miles
Steps - 39,030
Ascent - 2,792’ (whew!)
And we’re still smiling, although a little worse for the wear.
To wrap things up, I want to keep going with the verse from yesterday and the whole Pilgrim/Sojourner idea—the idea that we’re just passing through this life on our way to heaven. We’re only here for a little while, and we should feel as at home in this world as we would if we were traveling in Mongolia. It might be an interesting place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to settle down there.
If you missed the verse or need a refresher, here it is again:
1 Peter 2:11 (ESV): "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."
When I think of “pilgrim,” I picture those charming folks who came over on the Mayflower back in 1620. We often think of them in their big hats during Thanksgiving while we dig into our turkey dinner. But honestly, we don’t really relate to them much.
Years ago, my mom and I used to take walks after I dropped the kids off at school. When we talked about being sojourners, something clicked for me. She mentioned 1 Corinthians 15:19: “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” I thought, “Can I really say that?” For me, living the Christian life was the best. I had a great husband and kids, a loving family in God, and a connection with my Creator. His Word was my guide, and I enjoyed all the blessings He gave. Where else could you find a lifestyle that brings as much joy as Christianity? At least, that’s what I thought.
It wasn't long before I learned a rather painful lesson that came through the death of my sister. Here it is: It’s perfectly fine to enjoy God and the blessings He gives us in this life. But if we cling too tightly to the things of this world (including my sister) and don’t keep our eyes on God and our ultimate goal of being with Him in heaven, we’re missing the point of true Christianity. If we’re just living for the good stuff that comes from being a Christian now, we wouldn’t last a second under real persecution. We wouldn’t handle suffering well or resist the many temptations to give in to our desires. The only way to endure suffering and strive for holiness in this messed-up world is to live as pilgrims/sojourners, headed for heaven.
I think that’s what Peter wanted his readers and us to understand in 1 Peter 2:11—that the Christian life is a pilgrim life. We’re just passing through on this earth.
