Saint Kevins Way Pilgrim Path Wicklow

Saint Kevins Way is a long-distance walk across the Wicklow Mountains from Hollywood to Glendalough. Below are some key facts about this Wicklow long-distance walk.

• 29km long from Hollywood start point
• Alternative start at Valleymount
• A large quantity of road walking sections
• 7-9 hours long to walk
• No interconnecting transport
• Good walking surface
• Good signposts
• No drinking water but lots of rivers and streams
• No shops only at the start and finish

Saint Kevins Way Hike start point

We start our long-distance walk in the village of Hollywood Ireland in County Wicklow. The hike starts on the main road beside the telephone box. At the start of this Wicklow long-distance walk, there is an information board detailing the distance and route maps.

We parked our car in the church car park 20-30 meters down the road. Parking is free and it is not in a heavily trafficked area so it should be free.

How well is this Wicklow long-distance walk Signposted?

Warning-The hike along Wicklow is signposted very well. We only got slightly lost once, this was due to a forest being cut down and the logging company stacked the trees in front of the sign. After walking for about 15 minutes without seeing a new sign, we knew to walk back until we saw another sign.

We consulted our maps and realised that we should be gaining elevation. We found the sign and rejoined the Pilgrims path hike.

Starting to hike Saint Kevins Way walk

The start of St Kevin’s way walks along the base of a valley through the middle of fields. I opened gates from field to field until I reached a road. I was lucky enough to have fantastic weather for my walk in the Wicklow mountains and this section was amazing.

Road Walking sections from Hollywood Saint Kevins Way

After walking through the fields I start to walk along a small road with very little traffic. I walk the road for 4.1kms until I reach a Y junction onto another road. The other road is the R756 regional road, it was very busy with little opportunity to avoid oncoming traffic. This road is very busy, and I would not recommend children to walk this section.

We continued walking on this road until we reached a 90-degree bend in the road and the St Kevins way signs directed us down a small country road. It’s good to get off the main road. We can start to focus on the walk and the amazing views again instead of constantly trying to listen out for oncoming traffic and trying to figure out where are we going to try and jump into the ditch to stay safe.

We enjoyed this section of road walking as it was filled with farmers working, lots of friendly horses that are very keen to investigate strangers walking on their roads. We stopped lots of times on this section to chat with the friendly people living on the road and to share an apple with some of the horses.

Eventually, the road leads to a cul de sac and a gravel path. We did start to become uneasy as we taught that the road was leading into a farmers yard and we might be trespassing, as we didn’t see a signpost for a few kilometres but thankfully we skirted around the farm.

Trail walking section on St Kevins way

The tarmac road eventually turned into an off-road gravel path leading through a wood area being cut down. This was the first section of off-road hiking that we been so we had a small picnic beside a stream listening to the birds singing and soaking in all the nature.

After our picnic, the St Kevins trail comes to a larger river that we have to use stepping stones to cross (we loved this). The trails cut down into a woodland here and become very tight and turn into a single file footpath. The trail follows a river along the base of the valley and this section is simply breathtaking.

After walking on this section of the trail for 5 minutes we walk onto a forest gravel road. We follow this uphill until we reach the main road from Glendalough to Hollywood.

From here we turn back towards Hollywood and walk on a small path parallel to the road. We then cross the road and walk into another wood. The trail cut up sharply in elevation until we are walking along the top of the wood/ fields. We see a red squirrel here, which is a rare sight in Irish woodlands now.

We descend back down the woodland until we cross the R756 again. We walk back into the forest on the other side of the road and we now start walking on some nice comfortable sleepers. We walk up along St Kevin’s pool and take a short break soaking in the lovely peaceful area.

Saint Kevin’s way on the Wicklow Mountains

The railway sleepers continue to guide us along the footpath until we reach the end of this section of forest. We start to walk along a forest road again but this time the forset is actively being cut down. We get slightly lost here so be aware of logs blocking the sign locations.

Turlough Hill Saint Kevins Way

The trail cuts back up the hill toward the main road again. We walk a small section of the road until we reach the Turlough hill car park. The path cuts down between the heathers along the edge of the bog. This is the only section of the hike we encountered boggy wet areas. The trail now starts to run parallel to the main R756. For a small section of the hike, we walk along gravel paths and the main road.

The Miners Way Glendalough

St Kevin’s way walks down into Glendalough using part of the Miners way. In our opinion, this is the most scenic section of the St Kevins way hike. The hike down into Glendalough follows the river that cuts down the valley along the old miner’s paths. The views here are outstanding.

As the hike down the valley follows the river, the river has lots of little waterfalls and nice pools to stop and soak your feet. On the trickier sections, they have installed nice steps and railway sleepers to help with your footing.

Walking into Glendalough on Saint Kevins Way

St Kevins Way walks into Glendalough along the Glendasan river/road. This is a small road used for access to a hostel at the end of the valley. The end of the St Kevins way walk is opposite the entrance to the round tower in Glendalough. There is a map and a board to show you the location.

Finishing Saint Kevin’s way in Glendalough

We walk into Glendalough beside the round tower. We decide to have a big family picnic in the green area opposite the visitor centre.

Transport on Saint Kevins Way

There is no transport along the hike. We left our car at the start and organised to be collected at the end and to be dropped back to our car at the end.

Shops along the trail?

There are no shops along the hike. As the hike is 29km long, it is possible to hike this in one day and carry all the food and water required for the hike.

Wicklow Way in Glendalough on Saint Kevins Way

St Kevins way end in Glendalough at the monastic site. This is a midway point of the Wicklow way long-distance walk that walks from Dublin to Carlow. If you want to continue walking you could walk to Marley Park in Dublin or Clonegal in County Carlow. You can even follow the Wicklow way to Glendalough (3 hours walk) and walk Lugnaquilla. Lugnaquilla is Wicklows highest point- See our blog post on Wicklows highest point here.

Maps of St Kevins Way Wicklow

Visit Wicklow has detailed OS maps of the trails which we found extremely helpful. We started in Holywood because it was closer to our home. If you are travelling from Dublin Ballinagee may be an easier starting point.

• Hollywood to Ballinagee-Map (our starting Point)
• Ballinagee to Valleymount (Alternative starting point)
• Ballinagee to Wicklow-Gap-Map
• Wicklow Gap to Glendalough