Hiking around Powerscourt Waterfall

 On Christmas Eve I felt the need to escape the maddening crowd and headed to Crone Wood just outside Dublin. From here you can hike up Maulin mountain on a loop trail. 

A plus on this route is that you have rather spectacular views of Powerscourt Waterfall on the way up. There is even a bench or two set up overlooking the waterfall if you want to have a bit of a rest.

There was a lot of fog about, and I found "Far over misty mountains high" stuck on repeat in my head.

The trek up to the top of Maulin Mountain was rather muddy, and when I reached the top, fog all around. So no spectacular views for the album. I did however get my picture of the cairn, as you do.

I might just return in the summer for some spectacular view photos.

The entire trek up the mountain and the associated video clips can be found on the newly created YouTube channel 😁. 

Oh look, here is a link: https://youtu.be/GGWnR-Y8j0U

I used the All Trails app for general navigation. My expedition can be seen here 

St. Annes Cemetery

 

When I visited Bohernabreena Reservoir and read up about the area, I stumbled across a name on a map. "St. Anne's Cemetery". On Google Maps someone left a "review" about how stunning the place is and "how did I not know of this"? 

So I was instantly intrigued.

So on a Friday off I donned my HiTec's and went searching for this hidden gem.

Following the reviewer's instructions I did not go through the reservoir but rather approached the cemetery from the upper road. A small road, almost hidden, leads from the lane down, through a rather apt gate, and through some farmland to the graveyard overlooking the reservoir.

It is difficult to believe that you are, for all intents and purposes, still in Dublin. The peace and quiet soothes the soul. And the grave yard is ridiculously picturesque. Overgrown in some areas with new gravestones popping up here and there.

Standing there I was reminded of one of my favourite books; "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. If you have not read it yet... shame on you.

 If I could choose a place to be buried, it would be here.

Looking deeper into the history of the site, it seems that it once housed a church, of which only one portion of the wall still exist. The site was actually called Kilmesantan, meaning Church of Santan and was dedicated to St. Santan. The church was in use until the late 1600's but was then abandoned and fell into ruin.

Remaining portion of the church wall

I absolutely love this place. If you take your time and look around there are some surprises looking up at you from the grass and some newer gravestones standing between the old ones gives a nice contrast. But for me, the best part is the peace and quiet.

Bohernabreena Reservoir

I was off for a couple of days after the Easter Weekend and decided to explore around the Bohernabreena Reservoir one afternoon. 

Alright, so let me give you the lowdown on the Bohernabreena Reservoir. Picture this: tucked away in the scenic Dublin Mountains, this reservoir has a pretty fascinating backstory.

Back in the day, way back in the late 1800s, Dublin was booming, and the city needed a reliable water source to keep up with all that growth. So, they came up with the genius idea of building not one, but two reservoirs: Upper and Lower Bohernabreena. Construction kicked off in the late 1800s, and by 1887, the Lower Reservoir was up and running, supplying fresh water to thirsty Dubliners.

But here's where it gets interesting. Fast forward to the 1930s, and Dublin's thirst had grown even more. So, they decided to build a massive dam to create another reservoir: the Upper Bohernabreena. Construction took a while, what with the whole World War II situation slowing things down, but by the 1940s, the dam was standing tall and proud.

Today, these reservoirs aren't just about quenching Dublin's thirst, they've become a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, with folks flocking here for everything from fishing to hiking. Plus, the stunning views of the surrounding mountains ain't too shabby either.

There is a decent walking route around the reservoir, but keeping one eye on the weather I decided it might be best not to venture too far. Did not have the brolly with me, after all.

I started from the main carpark, which is only 15 cars big, and ventured up to the lower reservoir. There were some signs along the route reminding me to take it easy.

A section of the dam wall was closed, so I could not walk onto that. I could however get onto the section above the spillway, and I have to say the rushing water is very soothing.

 

I hiked to the upper reservoir from the lower. There are some brilliant wetlands next to the road with an abundance of birds. It is not nearly full summer yet, in fact, I wonder if it will ever be summer this year, and already the birds are aplenty.

The ducks were having a little nap as well...

 I did not walk around the reservoir, although there is a clear walking trail around the reservoir. I will however be back to explore that. Because it was a work day, it was deadly quiet around the reservoir. The birdsong was clear and I really enjoyed the hike. 

There were some fishermen doing the fishermen thing and I came across some walkers / hikers, all being much faster than I am. No worries.

Fisherman doing the Fisherman thing.

I had my cameras, do photos were plenty. 

I did not even scratch the surface of this beautiful area. I only hiked up to the dam wall of the upper reservoir. There is still the entire ring route around the upper reservoir to explore. 

The route I took

 On the to-do list then!!