FKT: Samantha Borrett - The Miner's Way (Wicklow) - 2026-04-26

Another scorcher of a day with temperatures hitting 17 degrees and no substantial cloud cover! My legs were tired from running up/down Lugnaquilla yesterday and the 6km walk in to the start from the Glenmalure lodge. So not as fresh as a daisy but hopefully getting a time up here will encourage other females to have a go! today I took 2L of water in my bladder and lots of snacks. The road section near the start wasn't very inspiring but as soon as the first climb started, the cars and campers were forgotten and the views started to be revealed! It was then a fabulous hour of seeing nearly no one before encountering crowds at the top of the Glendalough Valley which caused a minor delay on the narrow boardwalks but I didn't mind, the sun was shining and we were all entitled to be enjoying the views! So just be aware if you do this route on a nice day, there may be heavy human traffic at that point. The descent into the valley was ok because the wider path meant I could easily move around walkers and everyone was very friendly. A tranquil section along the lake before a small climb out the valley and then the descent down to the road. Another road section I could have done without, my energy was low and I wasn't quite sure where the end was at this point so my enthusiasm was dwindling! Eventually got off the road and had a pleasant and interesting climb up the old quarry and rocky steps to the end of the GPX at the ruins. I think technically the official walk continues another 30m to the car park though. Another beautiful route (minus the road sections!) with lots of history and really good info boards that I enjoyed on my walk to the start and after the finish, well worth the time to read them.