I wrapped my arms tightly around William. My heart sped up from anxiety, William’s from excitement. We scooted forward, moving our carpet closer to the edge and the spiral of darkness that awaited us.
And then we took off, racing around the bends, blinded by darkness.
I screamed in terror as William laughed, our exclamations echoing through the slide for everyone to hear. And then, just when I was thinking we still had an eternity to go, we shot out into the light.
Dublin -> Wicklock Mountains -> Kilkenny
Our packed day 1 paid off in the jetlag department. We only hit the snooze button once when the alarm went off at 8.
The hotel didn’t include breakfast, but it did have a small on-site cafe with a selection of pastries, yogurt, and oatmeal. After a quick breakfast (and several shots of espresso), an unexpectedly small number of grumbles from the under-10 crowd, we were on the road, and, mostly, on schedule.
Day 2 was a relocation day, but to keep everyone happy and make the most of our road trip, we planned several stops along the way to Kilkenny.
- Glendalough Monastic Site and Visitor Centre (short ramble)
- Beyond the Trees Avondale (ticketed entry)
- Avoca Handweavers (late lunch)
- Medieval Mile + Kilkenny Castle
- Hotel – Mount Juliet Estate
In hindsight, we packed a lot into our day and should have left the hotel an hour earlier. We fit everything in without feeling rushed, and there isn’t anything I would have removed from the itinerary, but I would have liked to have gotten to the hotel a little earlier to take advantage of their beautiful grounds.
Glendalough Monastic Site and Visitor Centre
Located in County Wicklow, this site is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Dublin. We had planned to arrive shortly after they opened at 9:30, but ended up arriving closer to 10:30. The parking lot was about half full when we arrived, and by the time we left, it was filling up, and we saw several groups of picnickers setting up spots in the meadow around the visitor’s center.
From the parking lot, our first stop was the visitor center, where we purchased our tickets and had a quick bathroom break. Tickets were €13.00 for our family, or we could have bought individual tickets for €5.00 per adult and €3.00 per child.
From the visitor center, we turned left and crossed a small bridge. Once over the bridge, we could go left for a longer loop or right for the more direct path to the monastery. We turned right. The shaded path was well-maintained, packed dirt, and easy for our 5-year-old to navigate.
After about 10 minutes, the trees opened up, and we saw the ruins to our right.
The site is picturesque. Framed by the Wicklow Mountains, it feels like you’ve stepped into a hidden valley. The Celtic crosses surrounded by green rolling hills beneath a deep blue sky met all my expectations of what Ireland should look like, and it felt like the perfect introduction to the Irish countryside.
From the moment we entered the site, the kids jumped at the chance to ask us about everything. William wanted me to read the inscriptions on the tombstones, stopping at each one, asking me, “Who’s buried here?”
This was also their first experience with ruins, and both kids had many questions about what happened to the roofs (Where did they go? What did they look like? When did they collapse?”) and what each structure had been used for (Who lived here? What did they do in here?”).
The round tower was my favorite feature. We spent a while walking around the tower, trying to figure out how to get inside. The only entrance we could find was about 12 feet from the ground. My theory, which a simple internet search confirmed, was that they would have used a ladder to get in and out during raids.
As a nature walk, this is a nice stop off. It was very accessible for the kids and offered a nice break in our drive. It was also a great first taste of the Irish countryside, especially for my city kids. As a bonus, the bathrooms were clean.
In total, we spent about 30-40 minutes walking around. While the website recommends an hour to an hour and a half, that would have been too long for the kids’ attention span.
Beyond the Trees Avondale
Next stop: Beyond the Trees Avondale, which was about a 20-minute drive away. While a short drive, the drive from the monastery to Beyond the Trees was terrifying! We had been warned about the Irish roads, and we quickly saw why.
It’s hard to know whether they were really as bad as I remember, or if they seemed worse because I wasn’t yet used to the roads or to driving on the left. The roads were lined with trees, with lots of sharp turns and narrow throughways, making for a beautiful but terrifying drive.
We weren’t sure what to expect from Beyond the Trees, but we had been told it was worth the visit. When we pulled into the parking lot, we had mixed feelings. We worried we were entering a quasi-amusement-park experience, expecting to see overbuilt, kitschy attractions. Our fears were unfounded.
After entering the park, it was a short, wooded walk down to the boardwalk that takes you above the trees, and once on it, we were blown away by the views and the experience. They also did a great job with signage, so we learned a lot about the property’s history and the different trees we saw along our walk. Wes (10) loves trees, so he was particularly engaged with the educational side of the experience.
I would have been happy enough just with the boardwalk because being above the trees like that offered such a unique experience. But when we reached the end of the boardwalk, another surprise awaited us. I knew there was a tall slide, but I was not prepared for the actual slide.
Coming in at 90 m (295 feet), it was without question the tallest slide any of us had ever seen, and my slide-loving 5-year-old lit up at the sight of it.
The walk up to the top of the slide is a lot. By about a quarter of the way up the kids slowed significantly, but the prize awaiting them was worth the effort, and they stuck with it.
The line was relatively short (5 or so minutes), but we’ve read that it can get really long. I don’t know if we just hit it at a good time of day or if it was less crowded because we were there on a Monday.
William was too small to ride alone, so he paired up with me. Wes was tall enough to ride solo, and, given the choice, he opted to go it alone. He’s braver than I am. I was relieved to have company.
Nothing prepared me for what it would be like to go down the slide. It both felt like the longest and shortest ride of my life. It’s pitch dark inside, so between the lack of light and the twists, you quickly lose sense of how long you’ve been inside and how far you’ve come.
By the time we popped out, I was happy to be done. William loved it so much he wanted to go again, but we all decided once was enough, so we thanked the slide attendants and headed back to the car.
Avoca Handweavers Mill
After Beyond the Trees, we headed to the Avoca Handweavers Mill for lunch. While they had a cafe at Beyond the Trees, we held out for the cafe at the mill, which was about 15 minutes away.
There was a lot of seating inside the cafe, but we opted to take our lunch to one of the picnic tables in their outdoor garden. They didn’t have a “kids’ menu,” but they did have rice, roasted chicken, and quiche, which we split amongst ourselves and the kids.
After lunch, we browsed the shop. They have a seconds section upstairs that’s worth a look. They also have packaged foods and snacks for sale, if you’re looking for some edible souvenirs or travel snacks.
We missed out on doing a mill tour, but after the shopping, the kids were done looking at anything to do with wool or weaving, and William was ready to see a castle, so we piled back into the car and made our way to Kilkenny.
Kilkenny
The last stop of the day was Kilkenny, about 1.5 hours from Avoca Mill. The big attraction is the castle, though the Medieval Mile leading up to the castle is a charming historic area worth a walk-through if you have time or are staying nearby.
We got to Kilkenny about 4:00 and headed straight for the castle, which closed at 5:30 (last entry at 5:00).
William, who napped in the car between Wicklow and Kilkenny, was engaged as we went through our self-guided tour. They’ve done a great job restoring and furnishing the castle, even sourcing some original furnishings or using photos to recreate the space as true to life as possible. Seeing a furnished castle helped William imagine what living in one would have been like, and made for a good first castle on the trip. It was easier for him to imagine the spaces in the other, unfurnished ones.
Wes, who was feeling jet-lagged, was less engaged. After a quick 45 minutes through the castle, we headed back to the car, arriving just as the clouds opened up and it began to pour.
I would have enjoyed having more time to explore Kilkenny, but that will have to wait until our next visit.
Mount Juliet Estate
After a long day of driving and sightseeing, we had one final stop: our hotel for the night. Mount Juliet Estate is about 20 minutes from Kilkenny, but in the rain, it took about twice as long.
The hotel, housed in a historic hunting lodge and stables, was beautiful. The room was comfortable and felt luxurious, and the gym and pool were the nicest facilities of our stay. We also introduced the kids, who were starving by the time we arrived, to their first room service experience (hamburgers and chips). They were big fans.
I had my dinner on the covered terrace of The Hound, one of the on-site restaurants. The dishes were artistically displayed and delicious, with an unexpected Asian-fusion mix of flavors. They also offered a whiskey tasting, which was a perfect ending to day 2.
Leave a Reply