Wicklow · Moderate · There and back

Tonelagee and Lough Ouler from the Wicklow Gap

A short, boggy climb from the Wicklow Gap to the top of Tonelagee and on to the shoulder where heart-shaped Lough Ouler lies below.

Distance
4.6 km (2.9 mi)
Ascent
399 m
Time
About 2 h 45 min
High point
812 m
Grade
Moderate

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

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Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Tonelagee and Lough Ouler from the Wicklow Gap
Rob Hurson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the Wicklow Gap car park on the R756, cross the boardwalk and climb north-east up the broad, boggy spur of Tonelagee (Tóin le Gaoith, 'backside to the wind') on a faint path to the summit trig pillar. Carry on east along the ridge for about 400 m, dropping gently to the shoulder above the north-east face. Below lies Lough Ouler, heart-shaped in its corrie: you see it from above and do not go down to it. Return the same way.

It is 4.6 km there and back with 399 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Moderate: short, but on open, boggy mountain, with an unmarked path that is faint and hard to follow in places.

There is no waymarked trail: this is open upland in the Wicklow Mountains National Park area, where walkers roam freely. Expect blanket bog and peat hags, and cloud on the top. Keep back from the steep north-east face. Carry a map and compass or GPS, know how to use them, and turn back in poor visibility. Snow and ice make it a full mountain day in winter. Keep dogs on a lead at all times.

The car park by the Turlough Hill viewing point is free. No public transport reaches the gap; St Kevin's Bus from Dublin stops at Laragh, about 8 km down the R756.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Tonelagee is Tóin le Gaoith, 'backside to the wind', and at 817 m it is the third-highest summit in the Wicklow Mountains.
  • Lough Ouler sits in an ice-carved corrie under Tonelagee's north-east face; seen from the slopes above, its outline is a near-perfect heart.
  • The Wicklow Gap is an old pass at about 480 m between the Glendasan valley and the west of the county; St Kevin's Way pilgrim route crosses it.
  • Across the road rises Turlough Hill, where the ESB's pumped-storage station keeps a reservoir on the summit.

Summits on the way

  • Tonelagee 816 m

Getting there

Start: Wicklow Gap car park · Free parking. 53.04169, -6.39613

Directions to the start

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Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Wicklow: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.