Wild (and Fast) Wicklow

In order to experience the untamed countryside that is Wicklow, I decided to be social this week and sign-up for the Wild Wicklow Tour. In addition to being social, this tour also appealed because I really wanted to be lazy and let someone drive me around explaining stuff so all I had to do was follow and listen. John (pictured above) was that someone. A hand-clapping, ballad-singing Irishman who knew his history and had the incredible ability to maneuver a chartered bus in the smallest of areas. An incredible talent, indeed.

The tour picked us up near Trinity College in Dublin and then headed out to Wicklow (only about an hour from the city). Tour Guide John provided some Dublin facts along the way and as we started to get further from the city, the celebrity-home tour portion of the program began…this was unexpected! First we drove outside Bono (U2) and Enya’s homes. You could not really see Bono’s house due to heavy foliage, but Enya’s house…it is a castle! Like a for real castle with stone turrets and all. Impressive! She clearly is doing well for herself.

Then we passed a church where, according to Tour Guide John, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise married while filming Far and Away (can’t seem to find confirmation on this tour tidbit). The final drive by was of Daniel Day-Lewis’ home (well, the lane that leads to Daniel Day-Lewis’ home to be exact). Finally, we started to leave the homes behind and headed up into the hills, with only a couple more Hollywood highlights in store. Braveheart and P.S. I Love You were both filmed in the wilds of Wicklow and one of our stops was at the P.S. I Love You bridge.

Now I have seen P.S. I Love You. I could not recall a bridge scene, but to be honest I only saw the movie once and figured I would remember it when I saw it. Nope. Not even a little bit. I didn’t even get a movie setting vibe. Don’t get me wrong, it was a charming bridge over a small stream of gently cascading water surrounded by wildflowers, but I also feel like you trip over one of those every half mile or so in Ireland…which is what makes it so magical. But in terms of highlighting one bridge over any other…yeah, the claim to fame here is that Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank walked over it.

Of course that night, I googled “P.S. I Love You Bridge Scene” and I saw it…all one second of it. Check it out, but don’t blink or you will miss it.

P.S. The bridge is the small one towards the end of the clip, not the large bridge at the very end.

As we drove through the wildness of Wicklow, it was interesting to see the colors of the landscape swirl together with the purple of the heather, the yellow and pink of the wild flowers, and the deep green of the Irish forestry. From afar, it sometimes was hard to distinguish each color making up the whole picture. Then we would stop, get out of the bus, and were greeted by each individual color that makes up the rolling hills of Wicklow. I can definitely see why so many films have chosen the area as a backdrop.

After finishing a pub lunch, our last stop of the day was Glendalough. Glendalough is a glacial valley in Wicklow that was home to a monastery settlement founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin. The area is incredibly beautiful with an unbelievable history. We were there on a Sunday and the area was packed with people not only touring the grounds, but walking the paths around the lakes, playing in the lakes, and enjoying an ice cream from some of the nearby vendors. For locals, Glendalough is their local park.

The only issue I had with Glendalough is that I was not there long enough. After a 20 minute presentation from Tour Guide John, we then had 20 minutes to hightail it to the lakes and back to the bus to head to Dublin. Hardly any time was spent on the monastery grounds and there are other notable areas related to St. Kevin that I really wanted to explore. With that being said, I am going to plan a return trip to Glendalough to spend the day.

With a tour group and so many stops scheduled, I understand and appreciate sticking to a tight timeline. Unfortunately, that also meant not being in any one area for more than 20 minutes. It was like being handed the CliffsNotes to Wicklow when you really wanted to read the book. Tour Guide John attempted to soften my disappointment with a shot of Jameson on the bus. I will neither confirm nor deny that it worked.

The plan was to see Wicklow and be social. Mission accomplished. I met a couple of ladies from Australia and one from Egypt on the trip. One of the Australian ladies had to be Bono’s number one fan and gave off a shriek of excitement when we passed his house. For her, that was the portion of the tour that was too brief, so she plans to revisit Bono while in Ireland. I guess I am not the only one making return visits.