Wicklow Mountain and Glendalough!!

10 days more to 30 November!!!!!

Last Saturday (17 November) I went for my last and final sight seeing trip in Ireland!!

WICKLOW MOUNTAIN and GLENDALOUGH!

It was so tiring that my legs/thighs are aching all over! I know i'm not fit...
I climbed over 600 wooden steps. If you think it was easy, it wasn't for me. And mind you, it was raining non stop. Umbrella was not strong enough for the STRONG wind that it is officially spoilt! The metal rims (or whatever you call it) are all out of place or crooked! So, for 3/4 of the trail I was walking and climbing in the rain. I was badly drenched....jacket, shirt, jeans, undergarments, socks and shoes! Ouh, walking in wet jeans is not easy. The jeans were so heavy and cold. Wet socks just made it worst!

I liked the walk by the lake and into the forest. I could hear the wind "coming" from the back. The trees will start swaying and "howling". The lake will start moving and making "gushing" sounds. It was such a perfect setting for any horror/thrilling movie. And i liked the trees. It was towering on the both sides that it made a perfect shade as well as nice arcs shadow. And since it is AUTUMN, the plants/leaves were all orange and the pathways were all covered with fallen "dried" leaves!

Ouh, and the water from the Wicklow Mountain is used to make Guinness and I managed to see the "Guinness Lake". Haha, i also liked the part where i had to climbed up and down huge stones to cross the lake in the rain. But, my "friction-less" shoe and slippery rock made it even challenging!

Let me side track abit, Can you imagine that there is a Slippery Rock University??? Isn't it funny? haha. I came across it while finalizing the US database at work.

And there was this once, which was quite long ago... I was the only one in the office and the phone rang and i picked it up. The guy on the other end was looking for my colleague which was out for break and i asked if wanted to leave any message... And finally, i asked for his name...
And it was... Tommy Horney. When i heard it at first, i thought he was fooling around and i swear i could had start bursting into laughter. I asked him to repeat it and he spelt it out for me instead... haha, i think that last name is hilarious.

Okay so back to the Wicklow trip...
Since i was all drenched and in the bus, i sat right at the front which was near the door, i was practically shivering for the good 3-4hours journey back to Athlone. I had to force myself to sleep to forget about the cold! And by the time we arrived back in Athlone, my legs were so cramped and numb due to the wet and cold jeans, and walking home was so COLD!

Took a hot shower and wore thermal wear and ate panadol before i slept. I was so afraid i would fall sick again after just recovering last 2 weeks... Alhamdulillah, this time round, even after being caught in the rain for such a long period, i did not fall sick!!

Information about WICKLOW MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Wicklow Mountain National Park covers part of a mountain range that extends over most of County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. The upper slopes and rounded peaks are blanketed with heath and bog.

This is the trail/walk that i trekked....
Spinc and Glenealo Valley
Grade: Hillwalk
Distance: 9km
Time: 3hr 30min
Climb: 380m

This popular walk leads you through some of the most spectacular scenery in Co. Wicklow. The name Spinc comes from the Irish 'An Spinc' means 'pointed hill'. The trail ascends steeply up by the Poulanass Waterfall before joining a broadwalk. More than 600 wooden steps lead you to a viewing point overlooking the Upper Lake. The broadwalk skirts the top of the cliffs before descending through blanket bog and heath into the picturesque Glenealo Valley, home to a large herd of deer. A rough track then leads you back down into Glendalough Valley.

Did i mention, only 13 out of the 50 students who went for the trip finished the trek? And i was one of them... so i'm not that unfit after all. hahahahaha. and no pictures were taken or to be specific only 3 pictures were taken as it was raining and i did not want to spoil papa's camera. by the way, i'm so sorry hafiz for spoiling your umbrella. i'm going to replace it. it's the wind!!!