Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough

Walking Trail · Wicklow

Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough is an 8.8 km strenuous waymarked loop in Wicklow, starting near Laragh.

Distance
8.8 km
Climb
380 m
Shape
Loop
Time
3 hours 30 minutes

Grade

Activity Grade Difficulty Time
Walking Strenuous Challenging 3 hours 30 minutes

Getting there

Starts at National Park Information Office near the Upper Lake., near Laragh.

Directions to the trailhead

Trailhead coordinates
53.00469, -6.34573
Irish Grid reference
T 111 961
Ordnance Survey sheets
Discovery Series Sheet 56

The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.

Public transport

St Kevin's Bus Service from Dublin City Centre via Bray has a number of services per day

Before you arrive

Car parking fee of 4 euro per day in Upper Lake Car Park

About the trail

The trail ascends steeply on a path up by Poulanass Waterfall before joining a boardwalk and wooden steps leading to a spectacular viewing point overlooking the Upper Lake. It skirts the top of the cliffs with more breathtaking views before descending through blanket bog and heath into Glenealo Valley

Waymarking
White

Who manages it

National Parks & Wildlife Service Wicklow

National Parks & Wildlife Service Wicklow

Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.

Elsewhere

Trails nearby

Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.

Common questions

How long is the Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough?

8.8 km, recorded as a loop on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 380 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 3 hours 30 minutes.

How hard is the Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough?

Sport Ireland grades it Strenuous, with an overall difficulty of Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.

Where does the Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough start?

Starts at National Park Information Office near the Upper Lake., near Laragh. The trailhead is at 53.00469, -6.34573 (Irish Grid T 111 961).

Can you get to the Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough without a car?

St Kevin's Bus Service from Dublin City Centre via Bray has a number of services per day.

Who manages the Spinc & Glenealo Valley - Glendalough?

National Parks & Wildlife Service Wicklow. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.

More in Wicklow

Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.