Wicklow and Glenadough

My last day is Ireland I took a tour with Over the Top Tours.  They are a small tour group, only 14 people so it was more intimate and we went places the big tour buses don't go.

Tom our knowledgeable tour guide had the gift of the gab as many Irish do.  I loved hearing his stories.

The tour took us about twenty miles from Dublin to the Wicklow Mountains.  That's a view of Dublin In the mist.

The scenery was beautiful.

Lovely streams and rocks wee everywhere. 

Everywhere we stopped was beautiful indeed.

Tom showed us where some turf was being cut.  You may know it as peat.  It's that accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that is found in the bog areas of Ireland.

In this photo you can see where it has been piled up to dry. He explained that it is cut with a spade and then has to dry some before it can be stacked up like this to dry further.  The whole hillside had the scalar mark from turf being cut. The Irish govt is no longer letting it be cut on public lands but if you own property you can cut it there.  They tell me a peat fire has a pleasant and unique smell.

There have been several tv and movie productions filmed in the area. I got to see some of them.

I am standing in front of a field that was used for scenes in Braveheart.  This was where Wallace brings his wife after she has been killed.  I need to watch the movie to see if I recognize it.

Here I am on the bridge where Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank meet in the movie P.S.I love you.  I was waiting for Gerard to come and sweep me off my feet alas that didn't happen.  We also saw the village where Ballykissangel was filmed but we didn't stop there.

The countryside was rugged and beautiful.  I imagine that when the heather is in bloom it would be quite the sight to see.

Lots of rocks and streams to see.  Then I saw something I hadn't expected to see. It was down a ravine so we were a little ways away from it.

It was the cast and crew of the A&E series Vikings. There are long boats on the shore, people in costume mulling about and some of the village sets.  I could see people in the water and some on the shore so it looked like either two scenes were being filmed or they were rehearsing. I had my binoculars with me so looking through them I had a great view.  It was pretty cool to see this.

These longboats were a little closer.  I love how they look like dragons.

Who wouldn't love a face like this.

The poor little guy found himself on the other side of the fence from mom.

Then we headed to Glendalough which means two lakes. To get to the lakes you got through St Stephens church and Abbey ruins.

There was a tower and graveyard and several walls that remained from the original structures.

Lots of stone structures that never fail to amaze. Then we took a hike to the lakes which were very beautiful.

They were very serene and I could have spent time there just soaking up the ambiance.

It was a wonderful way to spend my last day in Ireland. I hope those who followed along with me enjoyed my trip to Ireland.  It was full of ups and downs and fantastic connections and wonderful experiences.  I was so delighted to meet my relatives, to see where my grandparents had lived, to meet some internet friends and enjoy some of the sights of Ireland and England. It was a thrill to meet you, Claire, Lisa and Donna.  What a fantastic summer it's been so far.