Hiking with kids in Glenmalure can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to choose a trail that’s appropriate for their age and ability level. Below, are some trails and tips for Kid friendly Hikes in Glenmalure Wicklow:

Hike 1- Shay Elliott Carpark to Cullentragh Little Moutain

We did this great little walk lately with all the kids and they absolutely loved every second of it. Our 6-year-old ran most of it and our 4-year-old tried her best to keep up with her older sister. If you want to bring your buggy be prepared to carry the child for the last section.

Start in the Shay Elliot car park here. It’s not a long walk and the trail is very sheltered from the elements until the very last section.

 Hike key points

• 1.6km each way 3.2km total
• 95% buggy friendly- carrier required for the last 300m
• Nice sheltered woodland walk
• Amazing views of the Glendalough and Glenmalure valleys
• Perfect for all ages
• Allow 2 hours to walk this

Hiking route below: The route is not signposted but if you stay on the main path you can’t miss the mountain. This is a great starter walk for Kid friendly Hikes in Glenmalure Wicklow

Hike 2- The 3 waterfalls Glenmalure

The 3 waterfalls are called the Coolalingo Waterfalls. The Coolalingo waterfalls are perfect for kids of all ages to explore. I would give a word of caution, there is no real path to the waterfall and the route to the waterfalls are steep and on a main road. If you are cautious while exploring this should not cause a problem.

Secret waterfall Glenmalure Key points

• 1km down and 1 km return walk
• Small 200m road walk
• No signs
• Spectacular waterfalls
• No crowds even in summer

Step by Step directions to the SECRET waterfall:

Park here

Walk 200m down the road until you see a tree with a small pile of stones.

Enter the wood. The path leads to the left and right. Turn left and down the forest toward the stream. The path zig-zags down until you reach the river bed. Walk back upstream until you see the waterfalls.

Hike 3- Carrawaystick Waterfall

(Unfortunately, this is now closed)

Carrawaystick waterfall is a really nice waterfall to explore with the kids. This is one of the starting points to hike Lugnaquilla but you can still go and only explore this wonderful waterfall and a small walk around the base of the mountain.

We recommend not bringing kids younger than 5 to Lugnaquilla mountain on this route. Walk out to the waterfall and explore the area, the kids will love it.

Key points Carrawaystick Waterfall

• You have to park on the side of the road
• A lovely footbridge underneath the waterfall
• less than 1km walk

Hike 4-Baravore loop walk

The start of Baravore loop walk begins at the end of Glenamlure valley road. The start point has a large car park with lots of space. The loop walk is 6km long with steep sections. This walk is possible for young kids but can be challenging. If you don’t feel your kids are able for the full walk they can do a small section and turn around. There are footbridges and great views of the valley and river from the start of the walk. This is a great place for kids to explore.

Key points for Baravore loop walk

• Starting point here
• Suitable for kids 3-4 years plus
• Section of river walks
• Great views of the valley
• Small steep sections
• 2-3 hours to complete with lots of breaks
• 6km long
• Well signposted

Food Recommendations

Now, to one of the best parts of any hike, snacks and treats. We have a couple of good food recommendations after your hike. We always give the kids treats after a nice family walk. We have eaten in The Glenmalure Lodge after a number of our hikes in Glenmalure and found it to be a very nice family-run pub.

If you are going back to Laragh, the Wicklow Heather serves an amazing lunch or dinner, we highly recommend it for dinner.

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Keadeen Key facts

• We hiked 9.4km out and back to the 2 mountains.
• It took us 2 hours with small breaks
• Wet gear was required as the top section is quite boggy
• Parking is limited
• Not suitable for kids in winter
• Difficulty- Overall, it’s not too hard. 4 out of 10 for difficulty
• Recommendation- A nice walk, and an easy summit

Keadeen Map

Below is a map of the walk to Keadeen summit.

Keaden Carpark Start

The car park is located here. Come early to this mountain as parking is limited. Only 4-5 spaces are available for cars on this forestry road location.

Hiking Keadeen Mountain

The hike starts at the car park. Be sure to turn left straight away and not walk up the foresty road, as I did.

At the car park follow the trail footpath cut into the wood and not the forestry road. Once you find the path the trail to the summit is well-worn and easy to follow.

After about a 200m walk and a steady climb along the edge of the wood, you come to a fence. Cross over the fence and follow the fence line up the hill. The path is through a field but it is easy to follow.

At the end of the field, you come onto an open mountain. From this point, it becomes very wet and boggy. Visibility was poor for us on the day of our hike but I’m sure there are amazing views from here.

Pass through the fence opening and take care on the mountain for deep boggy sections.

From this section, you will descend into a small valley and then back up another hill. The Cairn is then situated at the top.

Optional additional walk to Carrig Mountain

We decided to walk Carrig mountain as it was only a 4km walk to the top of Keadeen mountain, and we felt we needed to stretch our legs a bit more.

We walked back down the hill but now followed the fence line the whole way to Carrig Cairn.

The Cairn for Carrig Mountain was only a pile of stones but it was a nice little additional walk to finish off the hike. We used the same path to return back to the car.

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Moanbane to Silsean hike- Key information

• Allow 2-3 hours to hike from Ballyknockan
• Parking and picnic tables at the start point
• Navigation Skills- Essential
• No signs or visible trail to follow
• Amazing views
• 8 out of 10 for difficulty-Very steep
• 11 km out and back hike

Starting point to hike Moanbane and Silsean

At the base of the mountain, there is a designated car park with 2 picnic tables and enough parking for 5-10 cars. We parked our car here.

Initially, couldn’t see a distinct hiking trail to walk the mountain. We started our hike to Moanbane by crossing the gate in front of the car park and walking in the direction of Silsean, first (RHS of the mountain).

Hiking to Silsean

We decided to hike to Silsean first, then we would cross over the ridge to Moanbane. After walking through the two flat fields at the start of the hike, we came to an open area below the base of the mountain. We walk towards a recently cut-down forest to the right as we looked at the mountain.

We follow the line of the fence ascending towards the summit until we reach the end of the fence. This section of the hike is EXTREMELY steep and very tough on the legs.

From here, we continue towards the summit. The landscape starts to turn very boggy with large peat mounds. After hiking 55 minutes from the car we see Silsean summit stone mount insight.

Hiking from Silsean to Moanbane

The summit of Silsean is distinct due to the large stone mount and the view over the Baltinglass lakes in the background. We turn left at Silsean summit, passing a small lake.  We walk in the direction of Moanbane while descending slightly and crossing the ridge between both mountains. The ground is very boggy in this location, with deep holes from water and peat.

We ascend again to climb the side of Moanbane but it is not too steep or long before we see a post in the distance marking the summit of Moanbane.

The summit of Moanbane is marked with a timber stake and a small lake.

Descending Moanbane to Ballyknockan

From Moanbane, we descend downward while trying to track back toward the base of Silsean. The descent is easy but navigation is required, as it’s easy to pick the wrong reference point to descent towards. Our descent was quick and easy. We walked into a herd of deer grazing while descending, it made for a great distraction on our descent.

Conclusion of Moanbane and Silsean hike

A very nice hike with two great summits. It took us 2 hours 10 minutes to summit both mountains and return back to the car. The hike is tough but very rewarding. Navigation is required on this mountain. We recommend the Viewranger app and a power bank for your phone.

Map of Moanbane to Silsean Wicklow hike

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Turlough Hill is a man-made lake that sits at an elevation of 681 meters. Turlough Hill is a pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant. This means that when there is a peak power requirement on the ESB electrical grid, the ESB can generate power by releasing water from the top lake down the tunnels and past the turbines to meet the power demand. More information on this amazing power generation plant can be found here. The top lake shape is a very recognisable structure and it seems to be visible from the majority of Wicklow other mountains.

Walk key information

• Start point- The walk starts here
• Length- 6 km out and back
• Duration- 2hours 15 minutes
• Buggy Friendly- Yes, an access road to the end.
• Summit- No real summit but there is an option for hiking at the end
• Is there access to the top lake?- No the lake is fenced off and cannot be viewed
• Elevation gain- 450m to 650m at the summit

Buggy friendly mountain walks

The walk starts at the top car park here. There is a small boardwalk over to a nice timber decking viewing point, which provides a nice view down the Wicklow valley.

We planned to walk the access road up to the top lake and walk to the top of the high point of 681 meters. We had never walked this route before but love exploring new hiking trails in Wicklow.

At the start of the walk, the roadway is blocked off by a traffic barrier but there is a small footpath to both sides of the barrier. Unfortunately, the footpath isn’t big enough for a buggy, but they do fit with a small bit of manoeuvring.

As we now have a 4.5 small adult, and 2.5-year-old toddler and a 7-week old baby, we need to be walking buggy-friendly walks, until the weather improves at least.  We are waiting until our 7-week old baby becomes more comfortable in her baby hiking carrier before leaving the buggies behind. We will also aim to walk Kippure and Mount Leinster in the coming weeks, weather permitting.

The road tarmac surface is really smooth and perfect buggy walking conditions for a sleeping 7-week old baby.

Starting the walk up the Wicklow mountains

The walk starts by walking up a gradual slope until we reach a sharp corner and viewing point over the lower lake. The children loved looking over the lower lake.

The walk got steeper from here but the kids were loving the views of the Wicklow mountains. The higher we got, so did the wind. Make sure that you have enough clothes or windbreakers to keep the kids warm.

We follow the road the whole way until we reach a crossroads. We continue straight here. The road then turns to the rear of the lake and we get amazing views of Lugnaquilla and the south of County Wicklow.

We abandoned the buggies at this point and walked to the right up towards the highest point. This takes us 10 minutes with the children but it provided us with a nice little walk at the end of the Buggy friendly walk.

Turlough Hill buggy-friendly walk Map

Turlough hill walk summary

A nice buggy-friendly walk that gives great views of Tonelagee, Lugnaquilla and the Great Sugarloaf. There is no real summit at the top but we did get amazing views and had some great family time together.

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