The Wicklow Way was the first in a series of long-distance walking trails to be developed in Ireland. It was officially opened in 1980. The trail begins in Marlay Park on the outer suburbs of Dublin, and then travels south-west across County Wicklow until finally reaching Clonegal in County Carlow, 127km later.
The Glenmalure Lodge is located at the half-way point on the Wicklow Way and provides the ideal opportunity for walkers to take a break from the trail and perhaps climb Lugnaquilla, one of Ireland’s highest mountains. As there is no signposted route up this mountain, it can only be recommended to skilled hill-walkers that can efficiently map-read and navigate with a compass.
The Glenmalure Lodge is well accustomed to meeting the needs of the Wicklow Way Walker. We provide a relaxed environment for an evening meal and there are usually plenty of like-minded mountaineers to share a drink with and exchange stories. A packed lunch can be made up for the next day. We can recommend Wicklow Way Baggage for all of your luggage transfer needs – http://www.wicklowwaybaggage.com
At 925m, Luganquilla is the highest mountain in Ireland outside of County Kerry. It is because of this, coupled with it’s proximity to Dublin, that it draws many walkers to climb it every weekend. There are many popular access routes that provide a range of difficulty levels which start from the Glenmalure side of the Lugnaquilla.
The car park at the Glenmalure Lodge provides relative security for those leaving their vehicles there when they are hill-walking in the vicinity. Although we do not mind people doing this, we greatly appreciate those that help contribute to local economy afterwards, even if it is to just buy a cup of coffee in the Glenmalure Lodge. We also kindly ask those in groups to carpool where possible.
Safety First! It is no coincidence that the Glenmalure Lodge acts as a Mountain Rescue base for the area. With a military artillery range to the north-west of Lugnaquilla and several precipitous cliffs in the area, it is essential to be able to pinpoint your exact location. However, plenty of inexperienced walkers decide to climb Lugnaquilla without having the proper map-reading skills. The visibility on top of Glenmalure’s higher mountains frequently drops to just a few hundred metres which throws many of these walkers into making panic decisions.
The advice given at the Glenmalure Lodge is not to climb Lugnaquilla unless there is at least one confident map-reader in the group. If you need some assistance in organising to climb Lugnaquilla, the Glenmalure Lodge can help source a walking guide with some advance notice.
