Walkabout with Wrapsies

Now that beach days are well and truly gone we're happily back to weekend walks and admittedly I absolutely love this time of year when the colours are changing to a magnificent and awe-inspiring display of gold's and red's.

Living in County Wicklow, appropriately named the Garden of Ireland, means that we are fortunate to be surrounded by truly stunning countryside, with an abundance of woodland or hill walks literally on our doorstep. That being said Wicklow is very easily accessible for a weekend stay or even a day trip from all of our neighbouring counties.

On Saturday last we met up with a group of friends to celebrate our eldest daughter and her close pal's all turning a big seven years of age! Our meeting point was at the Devil's Glen in Ashford Co Wicklow and we couldn't have asked for a finer autumnal afternoon.

We met at the inner car park which is approached by quite a long, sometimes bumpy, driveway, but by doing so we were able to park right alongside the all important picnic area and therefore avoid having to carry anything other than a camera in hand.

Pragmatically, and in the interests of avoiding tears, tiredom and possible tantrums from the younger ones we opted for a leisurely one hour stroll through the woods followed by a hearty fry up at the picnic area.

Devil's Glen, located directly West of Ashford Village, offers a myriad of walks suitable for all levels, as well as pretty much all areas being accessible with all terrain buggies. It's a great day out for all the family with stunning scenery and beautiful woodlands, as well as an impressive waterfall and river along the way. There's even a walk in appreciation of the poet Seamus Heaney, with quotations and quirky woodland sculpture dotted throughout the walks. Full circular walking routes can take up to 2 to 3 hours or you can easily choose to curtail your exploration to suit the little people!

Bringing a picnic is highly recommended and a great way to reward your intrepid explorers. Although Ashford Village and local hostelries such as the timeless Hunters Hotel in Rathnew or the Bel Air Hotel in Ashford, (who both serve a good old fashioned afternoon tea) as well as the Avoca restaurant in Ashford and several local pubs serving Bar Food, are all no more than a 10 minute drive from the Glen.

For directions and to find out more about the local area you can click through to the links below or by all means contact this Blog for assistance.

Happy Rambling!

Yvonne

ps: Handy Tips:

• Wellies recommended, particularly for the River Walk!
• There are no toilet facilities at the Glen - nearest would be in Ashford Village so go prepared!

http://bit.ly/7W1zOa (Coillte Woodland Walks)

http://www.thornvale.com/ (Thinking of making a weekend of it? Thornvale (owned and run by my own Mammy & Daddy!) offers excellent, high quality B&B accommodation, conveniently located just a 15 minute drive from the Glen and within easy reach of all Wicklow attractions)

http://hunters.ie/

http://belairhotelequestrian.com/

http://avoca.ie/ (Mount Usher Restaurant & Shops)

Best Beaches - Silver Strand, Wicklow, Ireland

I'd like to tell you a little about my favourite beach in Wicklow, Ireland. It's not a widely known beach and therefore I'm more or less giving away a precious secret, but it's the sort of place that should be shared with friends.

This lovely beach is known locally as Silver Strand and is accessed through Silver Strand campsite & mobile home holiday park. There is a fee for cars or pedestrians and as of June 2010 it's €8 for cars at the weekend/Bank Holidays and €6 weekdays. To the best of my recollection its €2 for pedestrian's but roadside parking is both limited and dodgy! Not cheap I hear you say, but it does mean that generally it's not too crowded and personally I think it's worth it. Weekends are certainly busiest whilst weekdays generally tend to be small groups of Mum's and Kids.

The beach itself, although small, is nestled in a sheltered cove making it an ideal place for small children and of course making it far easier for parents to keep a watchful eye. It would be difficult to loose sight of your child on this beach - one of the reasons I love it so much as it means that I really do get to relax too. But do be vigilant, because at low tide it's possible to walk north or south directly onto two other little coves so naturally children are inquisitive and will want to do this, and of course you may not want to have to swim back at high tide!

The picture above was taken on June 20th 2010 using my phone and you'll see that the access is down along a grassy path which has some wide steps at the end, with a few small narrower steps at the bottom. It's certainly manageable for small children and I've even brought the buggy down a few times. You may or may not need a little help at the bottom.

The water quality and overall cleanliness are very good and its also permitted to BBQ. Toilets are located at the top in the Car Park field - so yes this can be a bit of a drag with smaller children.

How to get there - Silver Strand is located on the coast road approximately 3 miles south of Wicklow Town via the R750. It's the first campsite that you'll reach on the left. Pay at the main house or usually someone will come straight out to the car to collect your entrance fee. A little further south along the R750 is Wolohan's - also giving access to another lovely beach, albeit smaller with quite a steep flight of steps (definitely not for buggies or small children!).

Say hello if you do see the Wrapsies gang there!

Yvonne

ps. I'd love to hear from anyone who might like to share their own favourite beach with us. Just send the details along with a picture if possible and I'd be delighted to include it on the blog.

http://www.wrapsies.ie