Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [131]
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Bus Éireann ( 01-836 6111; www.buseireann.ie) operates bus 133 from Dublin to Wicklow town and Arklow with stops outside Ashford House, in Ashford (one way/return €5.50/7.90, one hour, 10 daily).
Wicklow Town
pop 6930
Busy Wicklow town has a fine harbour and a commanding position on the crescent curve of a wide bay, which stretches north for about 12km and includes a long pebble beach that makes for a fine walk. One top-notch attraction aside, this is not really a big tourist town and, unless you have your own transport, it doesn’t make an especially good base for exploring inland.
The tourist office ( 0404-69117; www.wicklow.ie; Fitzwilliam Sq; 9.30am-6pm Jun-Sep, 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-May, closed Sun) is in the heart of town.
SIGHTS
Wicklow’s Historic Gaol
Wicklow’s infamous jail ( 0404-61599; www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com; Kilmantin Hill; adult/child/student incl tour €7.30/4.50/6; 10.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat, from 11.30am Sun, Apr-Oct), opened in 1702 to deal with prisoners sentenced under the repressive Penal Laws, was renowned throughout Ireland for the brutality of its keepers and the harsh conditions suffered by its inmates. The smells, vicious beatings, shocking food and disease-ridden air have long since gone, but adults and children alike can experience a sanitised version of what the prison was like – and stimulate the secret sadist buried deep within – in the highly entertaining tour of the prison, now one of Wicklow’s most popular tourist attractions. Actors play the roles of the various jailers and prisoners, adding to the sense of drama already heightened by the various exhibits on show, including a life-size treadmill that prisoners would have to turn for hours on end as punishment, and the gruesome dungeon.
On the 2nd floor is a model of HMS Hercules, a convict ship that was used to transport convicts to New South Wales under the captaincy of the psychotic Luckyn Betts: six months under his iron rule and most began to see death as a form of mercy. The top floor is devoted to the stories of the prisoners once they arrived in Australia. Tours are every 10 minutes except between 1pm and 2pm; on the last Friday of every month there are adult-only tours ( every 30 min, 7-9pm; €25) of the prison, complete with ghouls, finger food and a glass of wine.
Other Sights
The few remaining fragments of the Black Castle are on the shore at the southern end of town, with pleasant views up and down the coast. The castle was built in 1169 by the Fitzgeralds from Wales after they were granted land in the area by the Anglo-Norman conqueror, Strongbow. It used to be linked to the mainland by a drawbridge, and rumour has it that an escape tunnel ran from the sea cave underneath up into the town. At low tide you can swim or snorkel into the cave.
The walk south of town along the cliffs to Wicklow Head offers great views of the Wicklow Mountains. A string of beaches – Silver Strand, Brittas Bay and Maheramore – start 16km south of Wicklow. With high dunes, safe bathing and powdery sand, the beaches attract droves of Dubliners in good weather.
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DETOUR: BALLYKNOCKEN HOUSE
As fine a country home as you could ever hope to find, Ballyknocken House & Cookery School ( 0404-69274; www.ballyknocken.com; Glenealy, Ashford; s/d from €69/118, 3/4-course dinner €35/45) is a beautiful ivy-clad Victorian home, 5km south of Ashford on the R752 to Glenealy. Each of the bedrooms is carefully appointed with original furnishings and have en-suite bathrooms, some with stencilled Victorian claw-foot tubs, which lends the whole place an air of timeless elegance that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. The old milking parlour on the farm grounds has been converted into a tidy two-bedroom loft that sleeps up to six people. Besides the home itself, the big draw is Catherine Fulvio’s cooking classes (€110), which run throughout the year; check the website for details.
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FESTIVALS
In mid-May, the Wicklow Arts Festival ( 086-033 3906; www.wicklowartsfestival.ie)