Eighteen Great Danes on tour – Wicklow trail running weekend

Eighteen Great Danes on tour – Wicklow trail running weekend

by Charlotte Litta Jensen

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Eighteen Great Danes on tour – Wicklow trail running weekend

A team of running friends (club HGATM grp 4) from the city of Næstved, Denmark went away for the weekend, which we had long looked forward to.

Day 1:  Bray Head & Cliff Walk (12km)

Finally Friday October 14th came up. We travelled in our running gear and went straight from Dublin airport to Bray for our warm up tour. The day was clear and we went all the way up to Bray Head for the fantastic view of the Irish Sea and the bay. Back on track along the Cliff Walk to Greystones. A quick visit to the pub before heading to our hotel in Wicklow Town.

Day 2:  The Wicklow Way (30 km)

With no mountains in our backyard, expectations were high with a little bit of concern about the Irish (unpredictable) weather. Surprisingly enough we started out under the rain from Crone Woods along the Wicklow Way! Although well geared up, the rain stopped before we reached the viewpoint of the Powerscourt Waterfall.   The sceneries running/walking up to Djouce are fantastic.   with stunning views over the valley and the Sugar Loaf.  The sky was clear and the sun was out!  The view from the top of Djouce was breathtaking.

Back on track on the boardwalk along the  Wicklow Way and the Wicklow Mountains National Park to another stunning viewpoint at Lough Tay. Still the sun was out and the spirits high.

Shortly after the Roundwood, the rain came back. Lucky enough we reached the shelter at Paddock Hill when the showers were heavy:  Time for a break and a snack.

Knowing we were close to our destination, we took it easy all the way to Laragh.   Two of our group kept on to Glendalough, and met the rest of us at the pub in Laragh.

Day 3:  Glendalough – Valley of the two lakes (8km)

The Spinc and Glendalough National Park was on the agenda for the day. Again we tested all the rain gear – for the first 30 minutes or so. The waterfalls were amazing and the climb to the top was breathtaking in more than one way. The hills from yesterday were in the legs. We had a lovely run overlooking the glaciar valley and lakes from the top of the boardwalk. The hills were full of the deers we could hear them brut and whistle. We were so close and it was amazing. We had sun, we had wind and we were still smiling.

The last part was easy through Miners Road and along the lake side and the forrest. We took it easy and wanted to make the most of this hidden gem, knowing that it would soon be over. Even at the forrest track the sun came out and so did the deer, very close to the trail despite all the walkers. Back in the pub, we were warm and enjoyable looking out at the heavy rain!

Day 4:  Back to Denmark

Time to say goodbye to Wicklow after a lovely weekend blessed with amazing sceneries , fellowship, beautiful autumn colours and approx 50 km on the legs…

Wicklow – you rock!

 

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