Up on the solitary St Kevin’s Way with Charlie

REPORTER DAVID MEDCALF RESUMED HIS TRAVELS WITH HIS DOG CHARLIE. THEY FOUND PLENTY TO SEE AS THEY TREKKED FROM BALLINAGEE UP TO THE WICKLOW GAP AND THEN ON TO GLENDALOUGH

THE Wicklow Way is well known. A small industry of B&Bs has sprung up along the route which runs north to south through the county. On any day in summer, walkers from all continents may be found trekking along its length. Alert followers of the Wicklow Way may note the existence of a second trail as they pass through Glendalough, where signs advertise St Kevin’s Way. The less famous alternative runs east west, connecting with Hollywood, 28 kilometres away near the Kildare border.

Or rather west to east, for that is the direction in which St Kevin himself is believed to have walked when he decided to leave the comforts of Hollywood and seek contemplative solitude up in the hills.

How long the great man took to complete the trip is of course unknown. Modern walkers wishing to take their time may allow two days for the journey, though it is quite possible to wrap it up in one with an energetic approach.

Nowadays, the western half of the route is mainly on public roads but the concluding 14 kilometres are mainly off-tarmac through woodland and open countryside, over a mix of farmland, woodland and national parkland. Charlie and his companion opted to cut out the first bit and instead spent four very pleasant hours marching up from Ballinagee to the Wicklow Gap and then on to the busy tourist magnet of glorious Glendalough.

Before setting out, we had the benefit of an introduction from Eleanor Sutherland to the challenge facing us: ‘The guidebook is out of print,’ she told us, ‘but we are hoping to have one again in the future.’

Eleanor, who works for the parks and wildlife service, recalled that she was one of those who were to the fore in reviving interest in St Kevin’s Way (also known as St Kevin’s Road or Slí Chaoimhín) as a project to mark the new millennium. She, along with fellow volunteers Tomás Maher and Kevin Ó Ceallaigh decided to open up the Road and they discovered a fellow spirit in William Mullen who had been walking the Camino trails running from France into Spain.

The enthusiasts worked with Coillte, private landowners and the national park authorities to re-invent the saintly route which in times gone by was a popular attraction for pilgrims. At various stages, the backing of organisations including Wicklow Rural Partnership, the Hollywood Forum and the National Heritage Council has been forthcoming, while Sports Ireland inspects and certifies the route as fit for purpose.

Members of Eleanor’s family in previous generations worked as gamekeepers to Lord Waterford at Glenbridge near Valleymount and the young visitor loved her holidays there.

She still clearly remembers seeing a map there on which was marked a line entitled ‘St Kevin’s Road’ – her fascination with the holy man and his relationship with the countryside started then: ‘At one time the pilgrimage to Glendalough was considered the equivalent of pilgrimage to Rome,’ says Eleanor, harking back to mediaeval times.

ST KEVIN’S WAY is available in 2018 for hikers who simply yearn for fresh air and open countryside, though the notion of pilgrimage has by no means been abandoned. The late Father Paddy Finn organised walks for the faitful in the 1990s and the current Church of Ireland rector in Hollywood Leonard Ruddock has enthusiastically taken up the baton in more recent times.

12.43 – expect no neon signs or billboards at Ballinagee.

The start of our journey is marked by a simple gateway to the side of the R756 which runs between Hollywood and the heights of the Wicklow Gap, leading us through foxgloves and oxter high ferns into the woods. We quickly learns that the trick is to look out for the St Kevin signs and pointers on simple posts, with their helpful distinctive logo of the great man wielding his crozier. At least presumably that’s what it is – either that or a dalek with a vacuum cleaner.

The pilgrims of old, in their sandals or bare feet, expected no smooth highway and neither should the hiker of the 21st century. Though the line of march is very well marked, the going is occasionally rough, so ankle supporting footwear is essential.

12.59 – we loop back on to the R759.

The joy of this Way is that it does not generally depend on the tarmac, though occasionally it is necessary to cross the modern road, as in this case, or to follow it for a few hundred metres. Never mind, just wave to the nice tourists in their hired cars.

We duck quickly back into the undergrowth which features thistles and a cloud of butterflies, then on into the commercial stands of Sitka spruce. Then we are treated to the first of the wooden walkways installed to lift travellers up above boggy stretches, followed by a neat timber pedestrian bridge over a drought-hit stream.

13.08 hours – oak wood.

As we rise up and up into higher country here

is no getting away from Coillte’s stock spruce planting, though the designers of the route have contrived ensure that the forestry – which might make for a monotonous day out – never becomes a bore on St Kevin’s Way. The dappled light in among the oaks is a pleasant diversion and at one point later on we meander past extensive planting of young rowan (mountain ash) trees. The worst looking parts of the walk are the occasional areas of clear felled forest which rival a Word War One battle scene for sheer battered desolation. 13.30 – the path expires.

We hit a woodland junction where the choice is between turning right on to a well-defined forest road or continuing straight onto a sketchy trail. Some helpful boy (or maybe girl) scouts have fashioned an arrow signal using stones, so we follow their lead and a take chance on the sketchy trail. Good move.

The Kevin & Crozier signs are generally so frequent and well positioned, that the occasional blip can cause anxiety. The worst of these gaps is probably in the maze of leadworks late in the day at the head of the Glendalough valley but common-sense is usually a good guide. 13.35 hours – out among the sheep. After all the climbing, we emerge on to the high ground where the baa-ing of sheep resounds across the hill.

If Tibet is the roof of the world, then this is the roof of Wicklow – so who in their right mind abandoned a car seat by this stile? Such aberrations apart, St Kevin’s Way is a mercifully litter free zone.

13.52 – we reach the top.

The Wicklow Gap is a natural place for people to stop to admire the views. The dog walkers stop. The picture takers stop. The coachloads of French tourists stop. The lorry drivers pull in to have their packed lunch. But we are not disposed to linger, choosing instead to march on into the heather and the sheep droppings.

14.09 – a wow moment.

We scramble along the path between commonage and forest when we discover that we are not alone. A doe deer pops up no more than 30 metres away, her coat a startling orange against the sombre green of the Sitka. She pauses nonchalantly to appraise the intruders before disappearing into the trees.

This one deer is the only wild mammal we encounter all afternoon. We see a few small birds – mostly brown, though some had yellow markings. And we do our best not to step on the perfectly lovely hill flowers, whether pink and obvious or yellow and tiny.

14.49 – the lead mines.

The 19th century ore extraction left piles of spoil resembling enormous white moles hills. The mines mark the beginning of the end of our travels, taking us downhill through all grades of stone, from dust and gravel to rock and boulder. The path becomes a stone staircase.

15.28 – we are down in the valley.

After spending so long away from civilisation and human habitation, we pass houses that include a B&B to which access for hikers is via stepping stones across the river.

We pass a rag tree within the walls of a long disused mine building, to which pious pilgrims have attached not only rags but also beads and socks and whatever else comes to hand.

15.45 – we are nearly finished.

Turn left and there is the round tower, trademark symbol of Glendalough. After meeting no one all day, except at Wicklow Gap, we are suddenly in the midst of parties of foreign students and stalls selling the sort of hats that people only wear on holiday.

The hotel is advertising St Kevin’s Red Ale. Kevin himself would surely never have let such a beverage pass his lips, but the human half of this duo is sorely tempted…

WE CONCLUDE that the Way is well worth following – and there is plenty of room for everyone. Pilgrimages are due to be staged later this month during National Heritage Week. The Wicklow route is one of five such paths promoted by the Pilgrim Passport scheme which also encourages walkers to follow the lead of holy men in Mayo, Cork or Kerry (two).