A hike in Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, early November 2015.
After our stay at the beautiful Castle Leslie Estate in November last year, we drove to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains National Park, County Wicklow to do a hike. Unbelievably beautiful — even in the drenching rain — this is a bucket list place to visit no matter what the season or weather. 
We managed the Spinc and Glenealo Valley (White Route) which was only 9km but pretty tough (for us!) because of the large number of steps/uphill action for the first part of the walk. I have just finished reading brilliant Clare Balding's terrific book, "Walking Home: My Family and Other Rambles" and even she found the walk a trifle challenging "I was breathing heavily and my thighs started to ache, so I kidded myself into a state of masochistic meditation. I tried to enjoy the pain, knowing it would be worth it for the view". I can confirm the views are definitely worth the pain and puffing! The steps are cleverly designed — railway sleepers with studs and mesh for grip — and they make it easy to navigate the terrain especially if it is boggy underfoot. We saw very few people on the hike (one of the advantages of doing this in the off-peak period as I gather it can get pretty busy in the summer) but did manage to spy some deer on the way back down the mountain. 
After our hike (with aching legs) we warmed up in the excellent Wicklow Heather Restaurant  with mountaineer-size servings of corned beef and Irish stew. Delicious!