By Graham Whelan – August 2022

During the month of August 2022, the whole family (children, mom, dad and grandparents) travelled from our home in Killiney around County Wicklow to complete our Wicklow Passport, visiting places of interest and supporting local businesses.   After travelling the width and length of the County and collecting all the 23 stamps, our boys Toby (9) and Harry (11) are now certified Wicklow Ambassadors!

Overall, this was an amazing month for us to experience:  we discovered the many things to see and do around Wicklow and experienced the warmth and generosity of the people we met in the shops, hotels and businesses we visited.

See below some of Toby and Harry’s highlights:

• Our first stamp! Victor’s newsagent in Carnew.
• Made Chocolate Moulds in Shillelagh at the Chocolate Gardens of Ireland
• Walked along the tree walk and climb and slid down the tower at Beyond the Trees in Avondale
• Did the Virtual Reality Experience at Wicklow Gaol
• Visited the Arklow Maritime Museum:  we got a personal tour of the collection, and when we got home the boys were full of stories to their mum about explosives and bog butter.
• Discovered two amazing locations we found by chance – the ruins of the school/mines in Glendalough, and the remains of the Abbey in Baltinglass

• Best overall Experience – Christien’s Pottery Class at Aughrim (Turning Thistle)
• Best Food – the sandwiches in Red Bird Café at Bray

Notable mentions:

• Best coffee – the Hollywood Café
• Best desserts – the vegan cakes and artisan gelato at An Lar Café in Dunlavin

The Wicklow Passport is an absolutely fantastic initiative, and there were so many parts of the county we had never seen before that we have already penciled in for return visits!

If you’d like to take part in The Wicklow Passport you will find all the details here: https://visitwicklow.ie/passport