‘TWO DAYS IN WICKLOW’:  Visit Russborough House, Ride a Segway at Avon Ri, Discover Seefin Passage Tomb, Horse Trek in Hollywood.

April 2018

This month we are taking you to West Wicklow for our “Two Days in Wicklow” tour package proposal.  Our April 2018 Press Trip is filled with outdoor activities and heritage.

DAY 1: Russborough House & Segway

Visit Russborough House

Our day started with a visit of Russborough House in Blessington.  Russborough was built between 1741-1750 and is regarded as one of Ireland’s most beautiful houses. It has magnificent views of the Blessington Lakes and Wicklow Mountains .

Segway along the Blessington Greenway

After a lovely lunch at Avon Ri, we geared up at the Adventure Centre, and got on a fantastic tour along the shores of the Blessington Lakes following the Greenway

Dinner & Overnight:

After a great day, we headed to Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort who hosted us for the evening with delicious dinner and a good night sleep.

DAY 2: Seefin Passage Tomb & Horse Riding

Climb to Seefin:

After breakfast, we headed to Kippure Estate where we met our guide that would bring us to the top of Seefin mountain and explore the 5000 years old tomb.  This is a short but steep climb, and we strongly recommend anyone planning to go there to either get a guide, use a gps device or be familiar with map orienteering (especially on the descent when the summit is overcast).

Horse riding with Hollywood Horse & Pony Trekking

Our last activity was located back on the other side of the valley, and we took the long scenic route along the Blessington Lakes Drive.   Hollywood Horse and Pony Trekking is located up in the mountains, with stunning views over the Wicklow Gap and the plains of Kildare.  After gearing up and a short introduction, we headed for the mountains for a two hours trek.

RESOURCES:

Our proposed starting point for this tour is Blessington.  Blessington is a 45 minutes drive from Dublin City Centre.  Here is the list of resources that will help you prepare this trip:

Day 1:

• Russborough House & Parklands:
  Russborough offers daily scheduled tours of the house.  There are also plenty outdoor activities around the vast estate including various walks, a 2000 meter beech maze, children playground, walled garden and a Birds of Prey Centre.  More info at:  http://www.russborough.ie 
• Avon Ri Lakeshore Resort:
  Avon Ri is located on the shores of the Blessington Lakes.  Facilities include luxury townhouse accommodation, restaurant & bar and a large activity centre offering many water and land activities including Segway tours, sailing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, pigeon clay shooting, bike rental and more.   More info at http://avonri.com
• Blessington Greeway: 
  Our Segway tour took us along the Blessington Greenway.  The 7 kilometers trail connects Avon Ri to Russborough House.  It is a great trail that follows the shore of the Blessington Lakes with and is open to both walkers and cyclists.  More info at http://visitwicklow.ie/item/blessington-greenway-walk/ 
• Accommodation:
  • Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort:  Our tour was hosted by Tulfarris.   Tulfarris is one of the most picturesque hotels in Wicklow  with  spectacular views across Blessington Lakes and the Wicklow Mountains.  More info at https://www.tulfarrishotel.com/
  • Other Accommodation:  West Wicklow provides varied accommodation from Blessington to Baltinglass.  Find more accommodation at http://visitwicklow.ie/accommodation

Day 2:

• Seefin:
  There are various trails leading to the ancient passage grave but none officially marked and it is easy to lose yourself up there, especially coming down if visibility is poor.  We strongly recommend that you ideally use the services of the guide or plan your walk carefully (GPS and map orienteering essential).  We recommend you contact Kippure Estate (info below) that can help organise your walk:  More info on Seefin:  http://visitwicklow.ie/item/seefin-passage-grave/
• Kippure Estate:
  Kippure is a great location to plan your trip up Seefin.  We recommend you park your car at at the entrance of the Estate (please call let them know before hand).  The Estate covers 240 acres of wild and beautiful forest and parkland and is a great destination for Team Building activities and/or unique Weddings.  More info at https://kippure.com/
• Hollywood Horse and Pony Trekking:
  Hollywood Horse and Pony Trekking is a family run stables, set in the heart of the dramatic, timeless, unspoilt scenery that is the Wicklow mountains.  Experienced or novice riders alike can enjoy riding out over this hidden landscape which follows St. Kevin’s way, the ancient pilgrim walk which leads to Glendalough.  More info at http://visitwicklow.ie/item/hollywood-horse-and-pony-trekking/