Wicklow Day Three - The Perfect Balance

Kevin, our guide, only appears to be telling us our day's hike will put us in the grave; he is actually pointing to our hike objectives on "The Spinc." Spinc is Irish for "spike" but also sounds a bit like "Sphynx" which is what local hill walkers call it. The rise of land we scaled today looks like neither a spike nor a sphinx.

Today Kevin acquiesced to our whining, and gave us an option less challenging than he'd planned (a 380 metre climb instead of a 500 metre climb). We climbed up one side of the Glendalough valley and down the other. Along the way were stunning views, feral goats, hybrid deer, a lake once rendered lifeless by acid mine runoff, and the secluded retreat of the region's most famous saint.

Bruce stands in as Ireland's national treasure.

Before they strip mined trees from this area, mining companies took out lead, gold and other ore. To feed themselves, the men working the mines brought in goats. The miners are long gone. The goats, gone feral, remain. 

The local deer are a hybrid of Sika (introduced from Japan in the 19th century) and the native red deer. They seem half acclimatized to humans ... keeping their distance but not entirely fearful.

Glendalough means the valley of two lakes. The large "upper" lake received the run off from the mine. 

The sign says no swimming.

Along the shore of the large lake, Saint Kevin is said to have kept his monk's cell, what is now called "Kevin's bed."

And, sure enough, there is a creepy cave there. 

We completed our walk in about five hours, ending at the same spot we began.

We're having a wonderful time, and it hasn't killed us yet.

Thanks for reading.

Karen