Aughavannagh

 

Our beautiful Wicklow holiday cottage is in Aughavannagh - a secluded and stunningly beautiful valley in south west Wicklow less than 60 kilometres from Dublin. Due to its seclusion it has been called ‘the last place God made’. The Wicklow Way - one of Ireland's best known walking trails runs through the valley. The Irish Times newspaper said of Aughavannagh “You could be hundreds of miles from Dublin.” This is a hill walker’s paradise, dominated by Lugnaquilla - Wicklow’s highest peak . Other summits such as Croaghanmoira will also reward the hiker with fabulous views. Southwards from Aughavannagh are views to Mount Leinster, reputedly the home of Ireland’s last wolf - shot for bounty in 1786.

Aughavannagh is the terminus of the Military Road, constructed after the 1798 rising in order to ensure the establishment of British rule in the Wicklow Mountains. This beautifully scenic road meanders for many miles over the mountains from the Dublin suburb of Rathfarnham and took almost 5 years to build.  Near this self catering Wicklow cottage is the site of an old British military barracks, years later a shooting lodge of famous Irish Nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell and formerly an An Oige Youth Hostel. This Wicklow holiday home is set in a mountain idyll, with only two roads traversing the mountains between here and Dublin’s suburbs, namely the Wicklow Gap and the Sally Gap. Yet despite its seclusion it is only 15 minutes by car from the pretty village of Aughrim. For wildlife enthusiasts - with a bit of luck you can see the Red Kite, recently reintroduced following an enforced absence of many decades. Over the Slieve Mann mountain pass - a favourite with cyclists - lies the beautiful Glenmalure - the longest glacial valley in Ireland.