Most of the water on this page lies along one corridor. The R759 over the Sally Gap and the R755 south through Roundwood and Laragh take in Lough Tay, the J.B. Malone Memorial viewpoint above it, Lough Dan under Luggala and Glenmacnass Waterfall at the head of its valley, so several of these can be seen in one afternoon’s driving. The same caveat repeats along the way: Lough Tay, Lough Dan and the Luggala estate are private, with no public right of way to the shore, so the view from the road or from the Wicklow Way is the whole visit.
Rain and water level change what you get. Glenmacnass falls 80 metres in three staggered drops and reads as a wide silver ribbon rather than a plunge, so it repays a trip after heavy rain. Vartry Reservoir at Roundwood goes the other way; in a dry summer the stonework of a submerged bridge reappears on the Lower Trail. Vartry also has the easiest walking here, with three free waymarked loops running from 3 km to 7.2 km.
The rest are spread out. Blessington’s lakes sit on the western side of the mountains over a valley flooded in the 1930s, with a flat Greenway along the southern shore to Russborough House. Annamoe, ten minutes north of Glendalough, has a four-acre trout lake but no pub or shop. Lough Ouler is the hardest of them, unmarked and boggy, its heart shape only showing from Tonelagee above.
Dark water and an imported white strand below the granite cliffs of Luggala, seen from the Sally Gap road because the shore itself is private.
Boomerang-shaped ribbon lake set deep below Luggala and Knocknacloghoge, a protected valley with privately owned land and no public right of way to the water.
Eighty metres of water over three staggered drops at the head of a glaciated valley, free to park at and best after rain.
A crossroads village on the Avonmore with a four-acre trout lake, a 1746 humpback bridge and woods holding great spotted woodpeckers.
Thirty kilometres from Lough Dan to the Meeting of the Waters, with the Avonmore Way tracking it through Clara Vale's semi-natural woodland.
22 of 22 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Roundwood, wicklow
Lough Tay's dark water and white-sand beach resemble a poured pint of Guinness beneath the cliffs of Luggala. Public access is strictly confined to roadside viewing points along the Sally Gap road (R759) and the Wicklow Way above; the lake, shoreline and estate grounds are strictly private property with no public access or swimming.
Wicklow Mountains National Park, wicklow
Laragh, wicklow
Glenmacnass Waterfall slips 80 metres down three staggered drops at the head of a glaciated valley in the Wicklow Mountains. It's more a wide silver ribbon than a thundering plunge, best after rain and best seen from the roadside walking back towards Laragh. Free parking at the top of the R115, but the rocks and the roadside both carry real risks.
Annamoe, wicklow
Annamoe is a crossroads village on the Avonmore, ten minutes north of Glendalough, built around a stone humpback bridge of 1746. Its four-acre trout lake takes fly and bait anglers and has a shallow pond for children, and the surrounding woods are one of Ireland's strongholds for the great spotted woodpecker. There is no pub or shop in the village, so come stocked.
wicklow
The Avonmore runs about 30 km from Lough Dan to the Meeting of the Waters, the confluence Thomas Moore set to music in his Irish Melodies. The Avonmore Way follows it for 12 km through Clara Vale, Wicklow's largest semi-natural woodland, and Avondale's treetop walk overlooks the valley. Watch your car at the trailhead car parks – break-ins have been reported.
Blessington, wicklow
Blessington sits at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains beside a man-made lake that flooded a working valley in the 1930s and still hides a village beneath it. From the town a flat, paved Greenway runs along the southern shore to Russborough House, one of Ireland's finest Palladian mansions.
Enniskerry, wicklow
Rising on the slopes of Djouce Mountain, the Dargle River winds through ancient woodlands and glacial valleys before plunging over Ireland’s highest waterfall. Visitors can enjoy quiet riverside walks, spot native birdlife, or tackle Grade 4–5 rapids in this protected catchment.
J. B. Malone Memorial Viewpoint, wicklow
The J.B. Malone Memorial is a granite plaque on the Wicklow Way, reached by a short forest path and a boardwalk of old railway sleepers laid to protect the blanket bog. It honours J.B. Malone, the Evening Herald walking columnist who proposed the Wicklow Way in 1966 and lived to see it open in 1980. The viewpoint looks straight down on Lough Tay, the dark 'Guinness Lake' with its imported white strand below the Luggala estate.
Lough Bray, wicklow
Set on the eastern face of Kippure, the dark waters of Upper and Lower Lough Bray reflect the surrounding granite crags and open moorland. A short drive from Dublin, the lakes are best explored via a network of unmarked trails that reward hikers with sweeping mountain panoramas and a glimpse of the historic Lough Bray House.
Wicklow Mountains National Park, wicklow
Lough Ouler is a glacial corrie lake beneath Tonelagee, and its famous heart shape only reveals itself from the summit above. The approach is unmarked, boggy and needs real navigation, but on a clear day the reward is the heart-shaped water and a wide view across the Wicklow valleys.
Wicklow Mountains, wicklow
Luggala's cliffs fall straight into Lough Tay, the black lake with a crescent of white sand that everyone calls the Guinness Lake. The view from the R759 is the whole of it for visitors: the 5,000-acre estate below is private, with no public right of way onto the mountain, the lodge or the lakeshore.
Southeast Ireland, wicklow
Rising on Lugnaquilla, the River Slaney runs 117 km through Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford to the Irish Sea. It's a reputed spring salmon river, now fished catch-and-release, past a trail of Norman castles, Cistercian ruins and 1798 rebellion landmarks.
Wicklow Mountains National Park, wicklow
Tonelagee rises to 817 m, the third-highest summit in the Wicklow Mountains, with a topographic prominence of 202 m that makes it a Marilyn. The climb's real reward is Lough Ouler, a heart-shaped glacial lake cradled in the corrie below the northeast ridge, best seen from above, which is where the famous view is.
Roundwood, wicklow
Vartry Reservoir still supplies part of Dublin's drinking water, more than 160 years after its dam was built to help end the city's cholera outbreaks. Around the two lakes run three easy, free waymarked loops, from a 3 km woodland circuit to a 7.2 km lap of the lower lake, with views to the Sugar Loaf and Djouce. In low summer water, the stonework of a submerged old bridge reappears on the Lower Trail.
Aughrim, wicklow
Broadlough, wicklow
Wicklow Mountains, wicklow
Enniskerry, wicklow
Roundwood, wicklow
Glendalough, wicklow
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