The Valley of the two lakes location was sought out as a peaceful retreat by Saint Kevin because of its remoteness and serenity, but several men who wished to follow his teachings built a temporary place of churches and living quarters in the valley below the site of his house. This soon grew and became an important school. The remains of the monastery are located beside the Lower Lake and the Upper Lake.
The Glendalough monastic site includes a 33 metres tall round tower and Saint Kevin’s Cross, a Celtic High Cross. It has been thought the round tower was built during the era of the Viking invasions into Ireland (up to and around 1066), in order to protect the religious books and chalices used around the monastery at the time.
At the west end of the Upper Lake lie the ruins of an abandoned miners’ village that is, normally, accessible only by foot. The mining of lead took place here from 1850 until about 1957 but the mines in the valley of Glendalough were smaller and less important than those around the Glendasan Valley, that are separated by Camaderry Mountain. In 1859 the Glendasan and Glendalough mines were connected with each other by a series of adits, now flooded, through the mountain. This made it easier to transport ore to Glendalough and process it there.
There are many walking trails, of varying difficulty, to be made around Glendalough. Within the valley itself there are nine colour-coded walking trails maintained by Wicklow Mountains National Park They all begin at an information office located near the Upper Lake where maps are available to purchase.The Wicklow Way, a long distance waymarked walking trail, passes through Glendalough on its way from Rathfarnham in the north to its southerly point of Clonegal in County Carlow.
The Upper Lake at Glendalough.
Glendalough’s granite cliffs, situated on the hillside above the north-western end of the valley, have been a popular rock-climbing location since the first climbs were established in 1948. The current guidebook, published in 1993, lists about 110 routes, at all grades up to E5/6a, though several more climbs, mainly in the high grades, have been recorded since then.
The granite rock provides excellent friction, and the climbs typically follow crack lines, with good traditional protection. The climbs vary between one and four pitches, and up to over 100m in length. There are several sectors:
- Twin Buttress, a large buttress divided in the middle by a seasonal waterfall, which contains the most popular climbs. This area is approached via the zig-zag path at the head of the valley.
- The Upper Cliffs, a band of cliffs high up on the hillside east of Twin Buttress.
- Acorn Buttress, a small buttress just below Twin Buttress, which is a popular base-camp location.
- Hobnail Buttress, a small buttress with some easy climbing, on the hillside one kilometre to the east.
The quality of the climbing along with the variety of grades attracts climbers of all standards to Glendalough, and makes it a favourite destination for Dublin climbers in particular. The Irish Mountaineering Club has operated a climbing hut in the area since the 1950s.
Below the crag is an extensive boulder field. This is a popular location for bouldering activities , the boulders within easy reach of the path being especially popular.
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