Lansdowne Road

Spent a little time in Dublin first thing before heading back to the mountains. We got taken up to the roof of the apartment block where we were staying which afforded an amazing view of the city. This shot is of the new Lansdowne Road, home of both Irish rugby and football. It's a sensational stadium and it looked incredibly beautiful in the morning light.

We probably didn't get quite enough sleep, but there is no better antidote to that than a day walking in the hills in warm sunshine. With the heather in full bloom, we couldn't have picked a better day for the route we chose, from Crone Forest Park. We first climbed the lovely peak of Maulin, where we had a lunch of bread and cheese, bought in a Farmer's Market that morning. The simplest of foods always taste so wonderful when eaten at the top of a mountain!

From there we had a number of options, finally choosing an out and back leg to Djouce Mountain, which involved a descent to the Dargle River for a paddle (TJ) and a sunbathe (me), and then a long re-ascent to the summit at 725m. Djouce is a typical Wicklow mountain, heather clad with soft curves, but with some unusual rock formations at the top. It had a rather other-worldly feel.

It looked like it was going to become overcast, but the clouds disappeared as quickly as they arrived and we finished our walk in beautiful evening sunshine, returning to the Dargle River and then taking a different and delightful trail back to the car park. It was close to 7.30pm by the time we left to get some food and find out B&B for the night. It had been another full and very rich day.