Wicklow and Glendalough Day Tour from Dublin w/ Baltinglass Abbey

Our day tour to Wicklow departs from Suffolk Street outside the Old stone church in Dublin. We begin our journey southwards, traveling up past the Blessington lakes. Our first stop is Baltinglass where you will have half an hour to grab a coffee and a look around the 12th century abbey founded by Dermot MacMurrough, then King of Leinster. This is a fantastic ruin with a combination of Cistercian and Irish Romanesque architecture. The arches are the Abbeys most prominent feature with alternate round and square pillars. Explore the ruins and discover some intricate carvings.  Experience the working side of Wicklow with a visit to a working Irish sheep farm. Meet your friendly local farmer Ed who will introduce you to his life, from the diverse farming practices of sheep farming to organic vegetable growing. The highlight of this stop is a sheepdog exhibition, where farmer Ed will coral the sheep with his trusty border collies. We are the only tour company that introduces you to the real working and living side of Wicklow! After a scenic rural drive we stop off in Lynhams of Laragh in Laragh, Glendalough, for lunch (own expense). We then visit the beautiful valley and Monastic site of Glendalough.  Here was where Saint Kevin settled in the 6th century, evidence of which still can be seen via 10th / 11th century monastic site perched between the hills. Explore the monastic site and take in your surroundings. You get 1.5 hours to discover the area before we continue our journey. We continue on our route heading back to Dublin through the scenic Sally Gap, journeying along the military road built after the 1798 rebellion in an attempt to flush out the rebels hiding in the Wicklow mountains. Take your picture at the PS I Love You bridge and see Lough Tay - aptly named Guinness Lake - while surrounded with blanket bog and mountain peaks drenched in green and yellow in the summer, and pink and purple in autumn.   We arrive back in the fair city of Dublin at around 5:30pm. ITINERARY:   08:30    Depart Dublin  10:00    Baltinglass Abbey   10:45    Visit a working Sheep Farm  12:30    Lynhams of Laragh for lunch (own expense) 14:15    Glendalough Monastic Site and Lake Walk  16:05   Lough Tay  16:20    Wicklow Mountains  17:30    Arrive back in Dublin