Near Dublin - Ireland 2014 - page 197

rest of the Wicklow area. The lush movies Barry Lyndon and The Count of Monte Cristo
were filmed in this well-watered aristocratic fantasy.
Spend five minutes checking out the easy-to-miss “To Have and To Hold” room, which
provides a history of the estate and model of Powerscourt House before the fire.
Cost and Hours: €8.50, daily 9:30-17:30, last entry at 17:00, great cafeteria, tel. 01/
204-6000, www.powerscourt.ie .
Nearby: Skip the Powerscourt Waterfall (€5.50,4miles/6.5kmaway). Kids may enjoy
a peek at the antique dollhouses of the upstairs Museum of Childhood (€3, Mon-Sat
10:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00).
Sleeping in Enniskerry: Drivers coming straight from Dublin Airport can stay
overnight in Enniskerry at $$ Brook Cottage B&B, a quiet guesthouse that's popular
with hikers. It has a rambling floor plan and sports six rooms, comfortable beds, and tra-
ditional breakfasts in a country setting (Sb-€50-55, Db-€80, Tb-€100-105, Qb-€100-110,
cash only, 10 percent discount for multiple-night stays, Wi-Fi, tel. [phone], mobile
086-824-1687, www.enniskerry.org , [e-mail] , Mary Moran). From the
Enniskerry clock tower, go 1.8 miles (3 km) up Kilgarron Hill toward Glencree, look for
the last bus stop on the left (with a big bus turn-around on the right followed by the B&B
sign on the right), turn left (directly across from the B&B sign) down a narrow lane (Shop
River Road), and pass through the green gates.
▲ Military Road over Sally Gap
This trip is only for those with a car. From the Gardens of Powerscourt and Enniskerry,
go to Glencree, where you drive the tiny military road over Sally Gap and through the
best scenery of the Wicklow Mountains (on Sundays, watch for dozens of bicycle racers).
Look for the German military cemetery, built for U-boat sailors who washed ashore in
World War II. Near Sally Gap, notice the peat bogs and the freshly cut peat bricks drying
in the wind. Many locals are nostalgic for the “good old days,” when homes were always
peat-fire heated. At the Sally Gap junction, turn left, where a road winds through the vast
Guinness estate. Look down on the glacial lake (Lough Tay) and the Guinness mansion
(famous for jet-set parties). Nicknamed “Guinness Lake,” the water looks like Ireland's
favoritedark-brownstout,andthesandofthebeachactuallylooksliketheheadofaGuin-
ness beer. From here, the road meanders scenically down into the village of Roundwood
and on to Glendalough.