Private Day Trips from Dublin - Sheep Dog Demo & Glendalough

About This Tour

Premier Chauffeur Drive runs this private day trip through the Wicklow Mountains and Wicklow National Park, and it includes one stop you won’t find on most day tours out of Dublin: a visit to a working sheep farm to watch an Irish sheepdog demonstration.

Your driver-guide provides commentary throughout the day, so you’re learning as you go rather than piecing things together from a leaflet. The route takes in the 6th-century Glendalough Monastic Site, founded by St Kevin, where you’ll have time to explore the ruins and the valley with its two lakes. And there’s a stop at Lough Tay - also known as the Guinness Lake - for a photo that’s well worth pulling over for. The full day runs 8 hours.

What’s Included

• Private chauffeur driver-guide
• Live commentary throughout
• Local guide

What’s Not Included

• Food and drinks
• Gratuities
• Irish Working Sheepdogs (this refers to the demonstration - it’s a visit to see them work, but the dogs themselves aren’t provided as a service!)

Itinerary

1. Sheepdog demonstration - Watch highly trained border collies manoeuvre sheep across a working farm in the Wicklow Mountains, directed by a shepherd using whistles and commands. A genuine glimpse of Irish rural life. (30 min)
2. Glendalough - The 6th-century monastery founded by St Kevin sits between two lakes in a beautiful valley. You’ll have time to explore the stone ruins and walk the surrounding area. (90 min)
3. Lough Tay (Guinness Lake) - A stop to take in the striking views of this mountain lake on the Guinness family estate. Your guide will tell you the full story when you’re there. (20 min)

Good to Know

• This is a private tour - just your group.
• Service animals are welcome.
• Infant seats are available on request.
• Public transport options are available nearby.
• Suitable for all fitness levels.
• Conducted in English.

Local Tips

The 90 minutes at Glendalough is well spent if you use it right. The monastic site has a round tower (30 metres, doorway three and a half metres up the wall - monks pulled the ladder up when the Vikings came), a cathedral, and seven churches spread across the valley floor. Your driver-guide will point you toward the highlights. For a short walk, the flat Green Road from the visitor centre along the Lower Lake and on to the Upper Lake takes about 25 minutes each way - do the outward leg and turn back at the Upper Lake beach.

Lough Tay makes more sense once someone explains it. The white sand on the northern shore was imported by the Guinness family, whose estate borders the lake. From above, the lake with its dark water and pale beach really does look like a pint of Guinness in a glass. The best viewpoint is from the Military Road junction above - your guide will know exactly where to stop.

Bring lunch or plan a stop in Laragh. Food and drinks are not included, and Glendalough itself has limited options outside the hotel. Laragh - the actual village, 1.5km east of the monastic site - has a few good stops: Trinity Mountain Bothy for soup and sandwiches, Lynham’s for a proper sit-down meal. Ask your driver-guide whether the schedule allows a Laragh stop.

The sheepdog demo is the part that stays with you. Border collies reading a shepherd’s whistle signals from hundreds of metres away, moving sheep with quiet precision - it’s a skill that takes years and looks effortless. Even if you’ve seen sheep all your life, you haven’t seen this.

Nearby on IrelandMe

• Glendalough - St Kevin’s 6th-century monastic city sits between two mountain lakes in a glacial valley - the round tower, the seven stone churches, and the Spinc ridge walk above the Upper Lake are the reasons Wicklow gets called unmissable.