Hello County Wicklow, Ireland

I checked in to my bed and breakfast around 1pm in County Wicklow. They have three mini horses. Their names are Chloe, CoCo and Joey. The host was very sweet and helpful. She showed me straight to my room and told me a few things to do while I’m here.  Before I left, I fed the horses carrots I had bought. They loved them of course!

I went to Powerscourt gardens first. National Geographic voted these gardens number 3 best garden in the world. It was so pretty! Not only is there a stunning castle garden with a fountain, but there’s a tower and even a Japanese garden! The moment you step away from the castle and into the gardens, it seems like you’re alone in the woods. When I approached the pond outside the castle, I realized just how large it was! They called it a lake on the brochure and boy they were right!

I went to the Avoca store when I finished and grabbed some snacks and Butler’s chocolate. I was told that it was the best chocolate and if I could find some to get some!

I headed towards the Ballinastoe Woods when I saw a place called Turquoise. I stopped in and ordered gnocchi and garlic fries. I was expecting a soup when I ordered gnocchi, but it was more like dumpling with broccoli and sauce. It was good, just different than I expected. The fries were nice and crispy. A man came in with him dog and sat near me. The dog came up to me so I pet her. Her name is Ella. The man and I had a nice conversation and then I was back on the road.

I also went to Buckroney Dunes. It was such a beautiful beach.

The road to the Ballinastoe Woods is practically a one lane road. Everyone is very nice about letting people pass though. I first went to the very top and parked. There was an incredible view of the lake from there. Then I was trying to find the spot to hike in and find a boardwalk that is famous for looking like a scene from Lord of the Rings. I parked and started hiking in, but I didn’t know where I was going. I finally found someone concrete on how to find it online and turns out I was on the right path anyhow. It is very intense how the scenery changes from barren to thick woods so quickly. As soon as they change though, you’ve found the boardwalk in the forest. It was very cool.

Then, I headed out to find the Devil’s Glen Waterfall. When I arrived there was an open gate, but it looked automatic so I opted to park outside and hike in. I would hate to be stuck there overnight if the gate had closed on me. I hiked in to the start of the waterfall loop. It was getting pretty late by this time and I still wasn’t at the waterfall. Thank goodness my phone had connected to CarPlay so it has the car location. I mapped a route back to the car and it said there was a way to hike back in a loop, instead of turning around and going back the same way. I decided to continue down the path to find the waterfall and then back track just a little and go back to the car. Wow! I am so glad I did! I thought it was the first little waterfall I came to, but then I went up these rock stairs and found the actual falls. There were so many! It was amazing!! After taking in the beauty and taking some photos I headed back as quick as I could. Thank goodness the sun sets so late. I had light almost the entire way back. I even saw a deer cross the path on the way back! It was so neat.