“It’s fun, exciting and challenging at the same time!”
Meet Claudio and Adonia, Wicklow’s latest Ambassadors who have recently conquered the Wicklow Passport Challenge.
During a vacation from Malta, this dynamic duo collected an impressive 19 stamps and immersed themselves in a number of Wicklow’s attractions.
In our latest Ambassador interview, learn more about Claudio and Adonia’s adventure and some of their favourite experiences!
How did you first hear about the Wicklow Passport?
We came across the Wicklow Passport initiative online.
We discovered it through the Visit Wicklow website whilst we were searching for information on walks and treks in the County.
What motivated you to take on the challenge?
We love to travel, and we thought that the passport was a great initiative that served as a unique souvenir at the end too!
What was your favourite memory from your Wicklow Passport experience?
It’s definitely hard to choose only one! We love trekking and taking photographs, so Wicklow was a paradise for us.
We would definitely suggest a visit to Powerscourt Waterfall, a trek with the alpacas at K2Alpacas and the Mill Tour at the Avoca Mill.
Each one offers a unique experience in its own way that you will surely never forget!
What was the most challenging part of your journey?
The most challenging part of the journey was to combine all the places that we needed to visit in a given timeframe . We also had to take into consideration the opening hours of the establishments that participate in the Passport initiative.
We did not hire a car but rather depended solely on the transfer service we booked at Lough Dan House! Without support from the family at Lough Dan House, we would have not made it.
What advice would you give to others who are interested in taking on a similar adventure?
Just purchase your passport and start collecting the stamps!
Apart from supporting Co. Wicklow, it is definitely a fun way to explore. It also motivates you to discover different parts of the County.
Enjoy every town, village, and experience where you choose to stop for stamps.
We also recommend hiring a car, as this would surely make the challenge a little easier.
If you had the chance to do your Wicklow Passport adventure all over again, what would you change?
Well, this was our third visit to Co. Wicklow in less than 2 years. So, we only wish that we were aware of the challenge before and had started collecting stamps during our first visit.
What was your overall impression of the Wicklow Passport challenge?
It’s fun, exciting and challenging at the same time!
Whilst initially you think it might be easy, you might discover that it gets harder as days go by!
What is your next adventure?
We will be doing the West Highland Way in Scotland early next May.
However, we intend on returning to Wicklow to collect the remaining stamps over and above the minimum number required! We definitely wish to collect all the stamps
