Wicklow way

del88

Havin giving up beer and all other alcoholic related beverages for a month i've started hillwalking the last few weeks and have enjoyed my new found clarity of mind....
So i've decided in order to motivate my self to continue my new found enjoyment of non hungover sunday mornings i'm going to hike the wicklow way in late july.
If being reading a lot about long distance hiking on the net and the ins and outs of diffrent tent/tarps setup ups ,backpack sizes and weights ect...
Have you guys any tips / suggestions what to pack..backpack sizes...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated..

Cheers

Cookie_Monster

The WW is a fairly easy walk and can be done in a realativle short time. I did it in 4 days (back when I was fit:pac:). And it can easily be done in 6-7 with a bit of practice beforehand.

I don't have a map or distances to hand but Marley park to Dargle valley above powerscourt (or somewhere below Knockree to shorten it) and then to Lough Dan the following day, Glenmalure the night after and can't remember there after.

July should only require a light weight tent and equipment due to the nice weather and minimal food as you pass a few shops along the way, ie only bring enough food to get you to Roundwood / Laragh and then resupply there.

Make sure your backpack has a good waist band and this takes a lot of pressure off you shoulders. No 1 consideration IMO. You can also cut down on clothes if you don't mind being a smelly hiker:p A platipus (or 2), type of water carrier with a tube, would also be good, you should be drinking 2-4L of water a day doing this in the summer.

Despite the marked path a map and compass are essential just in case. Insect repellent and blister plasters are also a must just in case. Plan where you can bail out to towns / bus routes if you hurt yourself; bad blisters, muscle strain etc.

del88

cheers for that....looking foward to it now

i also looked at walking from the east coast to the west coast but it's a bit longer and would take more time ....maybe next year

Dave!

I (an incredibly unfit guy) did half the WW, from Glendalough to Marlay Park, last summer. If I survived it you will too! It was tough going, but loved it Did it with 2 of my friends and we camped out for 2 nights along the way

Make sure you bring ample supply of water, and don't bring alot of clothes! Our bags were ridiculously heavy because we took too many clothes, as the forecast said it was to rain at least 2 of the days (it turns out we all got burned to bits, the sun was out non stop!!!)

Also bring some simple COMPACT food... we made the rookie mistake of bringing a load of tasty food that was too cumbersome

We'll be doing another walk this summer, and we shall be taking the bare minimum in food, to minimize bag weight!!!

Dubrub

My gf and myself are planning on doing with Wicklow Way this weekend, From Friday to Tuesday. I suppose the main questions I have is how much water and food to take along the way and is it possible to refill water everyday. We are planning on camping it,, are we totally mad??

Cookie_Monster

Dubrub wrote: »

My gf and myself are planning on doing with Wicklow Way this weekend, From Friday to Tuesday. I suppose the main questions I have is how much water and food to take along the way and is it possible to refill water everyday. We are planning on camping it,, are we totally mad??

You can get water relativly easily, call into houses if need be. You can also buy purification tablets and take water from the rivers ABOVE farmland / development. ie Dargle valley or Glenmalure.
You can get drinking water in Lough Dan (tap on side of barn of scout campsite) though it is a km or 2 deviation. After Marley the first food stop without deviation iirc is Laragh on day 2/3 depending where you stop. Pasta and tuna FTW:)

Bear in mind that south of Glenmalure it gets kinda crappy, walking through farmland and along roads more often the tracks on mountains.