POSTED FROM

KILMACANOGUE

CO. WICKLOW · IE

Kilmacanogue
Cill Mocheanóg, Co. Wicklow

The Ireland's Ancient East
STOP 07 / 07

Cill Mocheanóg · Co. Wicklow

The Sugar Loaf is above you. The Glen of the Downs is beside you. The Avoca shop on the N11 is where most people actually stop.

Kilmacanogue is a small village on the N11 at the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf, in the gap between the north Wicklow mountains and the Dublin suburbs. A thousand people live here. Considerably more pass through.

The Sugar Loaf - 501 metres, a perfect quartzite cone - is the dominant fact about the place. The walk from the car park near the base takes two hours return, involves no technical climbing, and ends with a view that takes in Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains, and on a clear day, the Welsh coast. The Glen of the Downs, immediately north of the village, is 59 hectares of ancient oak woodland that survived the road-widening controversy of the late 1990s and remains a National Nature Reserve. Both are accessible without a car if you're coming by bus.

The Avoca shop on the N11 is the brand's largest retail outlet - not the original 1723 mill (that's in Avoca village), but the commercial centre of the operation. The café is good. The car park is large. If you're coming from Dublin for the Sugar Loaf walk, stopping here for lunch on the way back is the sensible move.

Population

1,152

Founded

Village at the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf

Coords

53.1524° N, 6.1565° W

01 / 07

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 Great Sugar Loaf

501 metres. Cambrian quartzite. Two hours up and back.

The most recognisable mountain in north Wicklow - a symmetrical cone that stood while the glaciers went around it. The walk from the base takes two to two-and-a-half hours return. No technical difficulty, but the scree near the summit requires care. The view from the top covers Dublin Bay north and the south Wicklow mountains.

Walks & outings → 02 Glen of the Downs

59 hectares of ancient oak woodland. A National Nature Reserve.

The N11 cuts through the Glen of the Downs, which is why most people pass it at 80km/h. The reserve is 59 hectares of semi-natural oak woodland on steep valley sides. Walkable from the village; a trail runs through the reserve. Quieter than it should be given the proximity to Dublin.

Walks & outings → 03 Avoca Kilmacanogue

The flagship Avoca store. On the N11.

The Avoca shop at Kilmacanogue is the brand's largest and busiest retail outlet - not the original mill (that's in Avoca village, an hour south) but the commercial flagship. Café, food hall, clothing, the full range. It occupies a converted farmyard complex set back from the N11. Most visitors stop here before or after the mountains.

Food & drink →

02 / 07

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
Avoca Kilmacanogue Café	Café & food hall	€€	The café in the Avoca flagship store on the N11. Brown bread, soups, hot food, cakes - the established Avoca formula. Busy on weekends; steady through the week. Open daily during store hours.

03 / 07

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

The road that divided the valley

Glen of the Downs

The Glen of the Downs was designated a National Nature Reserve in 1980 to protect its ancient semi-natural oak woodland. When the National Roads Authority proposed widening the N11 through the glen in the late 1990s, a group of protesters occupied trees in the reserve for two years (1997-1999) to obstruct the works. The road was widened regardless; the reserve survived in its current 59-hectare form. The woodland is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) as well as an NNR. Sessile oak, ash, hazel, and an understorey of bluebell and wood anemone in spring.

Cambrian quartzite, 500 million years old

The Great Sugar Loaf

The Great Sugar Loaf (501m) is composed of Cambrian quartzite laid down approximately 500 million years ago. The quartzite was harder than the surrounding rocks; when the Pleistocene glaciers moved through north Wicklow, they eroded the softer material and left the Sugar Loaf's core standing. The cone shape is the result of freeze-thaw erosion on the exposed summit after the glaciers retreated. The scree visible on the upper slopes is still active - loose quartzite continues to break off the summit faces in winter frost.

04 / 07

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Great Sugar Loaf Start from the car park on the R116 south of Kilmacanogue. A clear path leads to the summit at 501m. The lower section is grassy and straightforward; the upper section involves loose quartzite scree. Good footwear essential. Exposed to wind; bring a layer even in summer. The view from the top covers Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains, and on clear days the Welsh coast.

4 km returndistance

2-2.5 hourstime

Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve From the car park at the north end of the Glen (signposted from the N11 service area). A trail runs through the oak woodland on the valley slopes. Quiet and shaded; good for birdwatching in spring and early summer. Bluebells in May. The sound of the N11 is present but fades into the trees.

3 km loopdistance

1 hourtime

05 / 07

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

Bluebells in the Glen of the Downs in May. The Sugar Loaf walk is good once the ground dries out after winter. Early mornings before the weekend car parks fill.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

The Sugar Loaf car park fills by mid-morning on summer weekends. Go on a weekday or leave Dublin early. The Avoca shop is at its busiest - café waits can be long at peak.

◐ Mind yourself

Autumn

Sep-Oct

The best season for both walks. The oak woodland turns in October. The Sugar Loaf crowds thin out after August and the views are clear.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

The Sugar Loaf summit is icy from December through February - the scree becomes genuinely dangerous in frost. The Glen of the Downs walk is fine in all weathers. The Avoca café is open and warm.

◐ Mind yourself

06 / 07

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Treating the Avoca shop as the Sugar Loaf car park

The Avoca car park at Kilmacanogue is not the Sugar Loaf trailhead. The walk starts from a separate car park on the R116 south of the village. Check the map before you go.

Confusing this with Avoca village

The Avoca shop here is the brand's flagship retail outlet. The original 1723 mill - the oldest working woollen mill in Ireland - is at Avoca village, an hour south near Rathdrum. Two different places.