If you've come to Wicklow, the chances are that a visit to Glendalough (Gleann dá Loch, meaning 'Valley of the Two Lakes') is one of your main reasons. And you're not wrong, for this is one of the most beautiful corners of the whole country and the epitome of the kind of rugged, romantic Ireland that probably draws people to the island in the first place.
The substantial remains of this important monastic settlement are certainly impressive, but an added draw is the splendid setting: two dark and mysterious lakes tucked into a long, glacial valley fringed by forest. It is, despite its immense popularity, a deeply tranquil and spiritual place, and you will have little difficulty in understanding why those solitude-seeking monks came here in the first place.