‘Once you start, you can’t stop!’
Over the past several months, Jeff undertook a series of adventures throughout Wicklow. In the process, he collected 15 Wicklow Passport stamps and became a Wicklow Ambassador! In our latest interview, we spoke with Jeff to learn everything we could about his adventure and experiences.
How did you first hear about the Wicklow Passport?
One of my friends does a lot of hiking and started one himself. He sent a photo of his Wicklow Passport and told me how to get one, so I did!
What motivated you to take on the challenge?
Initially, I thought it would be a great way to get in more hiking and walking.
Many of the stamping locations are in towns but, as the saying goes, once you start, you can’t stop!
Can you share the most unforgettable memory from your Wicklow
Passport experience?
In general, it is almost like a treasure hunt.
I enjoyed the orienteering aspect of finding stamping locations, as well as mapping them out.
Many places that knew of the passport also wanted to discuss it and encouraged me to collect more, etc.
What advice would you give to others who are interested in participating in a similar adventure?
Plan, plan, plan!
I would recommend using a car and making a plan. This helps to avoid travelling a distance and missing stamps along the way or having to return for a single stamp.
I personally made a list of places on Google Maps, travelled to the furthest stamp location, and worked my way back.
If you had the chance to do your Wicklow Passport adventure all over again, what would you change?
I would love to see an app that allows you to scan a QR code to collect the stamps.
I think that getting a discount for collecting a stamp could also encourage people to spend the whole day at a single location.
What was your overall impression of the Wicklow Passport challenge?
