Glendalough

54 Responses to “Getting to Glendalough via Public Transport”

1. sanne bloem, on May 9th, 2007 at 3:15 pm Said:

   Hi!
   But is it possible to get from Glendalough to Cork or somewhere else in the south by ‘public’ transportation?

   Cheers,
   Sanne

2. St Kevins Apprentice, on May 9th, 2007 at 8:28 pm Said:

   Hello Sanne, Glendalough itself does not have train or bus connections but Rathdrum has a railway station and the main Dublin to Rosslare / Rosslare to Dublin route runs through there several times a day (as per the Irishrail website and the timetable in the article above). Trains run from Rosslare to Cork also.

   Regarding the other mode of public transport - Bus - again, Rathdrum is your nearest location for a Bus to Dublin - check http://www.buseireann.ie for details.

   From Dublin, the rest of the country is open to you via Bus or Rail. I hope this helps

   Alan

3. sanne, on May 10th, 2007 at 11:25 am Said:

   dear alan,

   thanx a mil! I tried to find info on the buseireann site but I couldn’t find Glendalough, now I think we will find our way.

   GL with your site.

   Sanne

4. Frank Egan, on June 1st, 2007 at 3:47 pm Said:

   The following phone number 2818119 is no longer in service

5. St Kevins Apprentice, on June 1st, 2007 at 10:10 pm Said:

   Hello Frank, I have verified the number for Glendalough Bus and dialled it today and it is in service. Where are you trying to dial the number from?

   Alan

6. Annie, on June 5th, 2007 at 8:53 pm Said:

   Hi,

   Is it possible to get from Wicklow to Glendalough via public transport? I’m looking for a place to stay that will allow me to get to Glendalough earlier than afternoon (when the buses from Dublin/Bray get in, at least in my understanding). Any thoughts?

   Thanks,
   Annie

7. St Kevins Apprentice, on June 5th, 2007 at 9:18 pm Said:

   Hello Annie, unfortunately there is no public transport from Wicklow Town to Glendalough. The only option open to you is to get a cab. I rang the 2 taxi companies locally and the cost would be just over €30… It’s about an hour round trip for the driver. If you are staying in a hotel in the town it’s possible they might be able to get a better rate from the taxi company for you.

   Hope this helps,

   Alan

8. Laura, on June 27th, 2007 at 2:21 pm Said:

   Hi,
   This information is very handy!! I found all the information needed already, just one thing though (as a verrification): I was looking up the timetables for the DART from Greystones to Rathdrum and that worked, only it didn’t say DART as transportation (or service, as is says on the site) but Arrow, is this also a train? Or is it a bus? And last but not least, if I understand correctly, the only way to get from Rathdrum station to Glendalough is by taxi?

   Thanks a mill.

   Laura

9. St Kevins Apprentice, on June 27th, 2007 at 8:08 pm Said:

   Hi Laura

   The DART only runs as far as Greystones and primarily serves Dublin commuters. Because Bray and Greystones are in close proximity to Dublin, they have the DART service. The Arrow service is the main commuter rail service running from Dublin through to Rathdrum and onwards then to Arklow and Rosslare.

   And from Rathdrum train station, Taxi is the best way to get to Glendalough or if you are feeling energetic there is a bike hire shop in Rathdrum Village!

   Alan

10. Katja, on July 3rd, 2007 at 5:40 pm Said:

    Hi there!

    I`d like to visit Glendalough in mid of September. On St. Kevin`s HP there`s only a timetable until September 1st. Do you know by chance if the buses are running in mid of Sep too? Or is the season already over than? Until now I did not get an answer from St. Kevin`s

    Thanks,
    Katja

11. St Kevins Apprentice, on July 3rd, 2007 at 8:46 pm Said:

    Hi Katja

    St. Kevin’s Bus Service runs all year round. Where are you getting the information that it only runs until September 1st?

    Alan

12. Katja, on July 4th, 2007 at 7:51 am Said:

    Good morning to you Alan!

    Well I just was not sure about it because there`s only a timetable on theier HP to September 1st. For this reason I didn`t know if they`re having something like a “winter break” because it is to cold to go there in the end of the year and there will be no tourists (except me - not caring about waether at all:-) ) who want to go there - but I did not really expect that….
    So THANKS a lot for your information! I am really looking forward to seeing Glendalough!

    Katja

13. St Kevins Apprentice, on July 4th, 2007 at 9:57 am Said:

    HI Katja

    Although there won’t be as many visitors during the winter months, I think it’s the best time of the year when there is nice clear weather and it’s not too cold. It is especially good for photographs as the sun is less harsh. You’ll enjoy it though, no matter when you arrive!

    All the best

    Alan

14. Milla, on July 10th, 2007 at 10:15 pm Said:

    Hello Alan!

    Thanks for the great web pages, I’ve already found tons of useful information.

    I’m planning to visit Glendalough later this month and will probably come there by bus (St. Kevin’s bus service). Can you tell me how long does the bus trip from Dublin to Glendalough take? Should I book a seat on the bus beforehand or can I just hop on it, pay the fare and enjoy the ride?

    Milla

15. St Kevins Apprentice, on July 10th, 2007 at 10:33 pm Said:

    Hiya Milla

    Thanks for the kind words. I’m working on some more pages and videos showing the area aroung Glendalough and what to expect.

    About St. Kevins Bus service - yeah, just pay the fare and settle back then for the trip which takes about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes.

    Be sure to send some pictures of the trip so I can post them on the site!

    Alan

16. Milla, on July 10th, 2007 at 10:55 pm Said:

    Hi!

    Thank you for the quick answer! I can’t wait to visit Glendalough, it seems such a lovely place. Not sure about the pics, though, I’m not too handy with the camera… But if I manage to capture some of Glendalough’s beauty in my pictures, I’ll send you some

    Good luck with the pages and videos you’re working on!

    Milla

17. joan, on July 20th, 2007 at 5:02 pm Said:

    Hi, I can’t navigate into the page of St. Kevins Bus service…. Also I want to know the time on sunday of the departure from Glendalough to Dublin of this buses.. Thank you

18. Glendalough » Timetable for St. Kevin’s Bus Service to Glendalough, on July 20th, 2007 at 9:48 pm Said:

    […] If you are looking for more information on getting to Glendalough via public transport, you will find more information right here […]

19. St Kevins Apprentice, on July 20th, 2007 at 9:52 pm Said:

    Hello Joan,

    I just created a new page on the site with the bus service timetable that I had archived on my computer.

    The page on the site is

    http://wicklow.com/glendalough/2007/07/20/timetable-for-st-kevins-bus-service-to-glendalough/

    Alan

20. Dave, on September 14th, 2007 at 5:19 pm Said:

    Hi

    I’m trying to work out how to get from Glendalough to Waterford next Friday.

    Any ideas/suggestions as I seem to be struggling so far?

    Many thanks
    Dave

21. St Kevins Apprentice, on September 14th, 2007 at 9:05 pm Said:

    Hello Dave,

    Your best option is to get the Rosslare train from Rathdrum. Rathdrum train station is 15km from Glendalough. Departure times are 8.51, 14.43 and 19.53.

    Get off at Enniscorthy train station and then get a bus from Enniscorthy to Waterford. The bus from Enniscorthy to Waterford runs regulary from 11.24.

    I’m only getting these schedules from the Irish Rail site and the Bus Eireann site.

    To get a train directly to Waterford, you would need to travel into Dublin and get a train from Heuston station.

    The train and bus route that I mentioned means you could leave Rathdrum on the 8.51 train in the morning and be in Waterford by 12.30 in the aftertoon.

    Hope this helps

    Alan

22. Mark, on October 2nd, 2007 at 3:48 pm Said:

    Hi

    I am trying to find out about bus services to and from Glendalough to Dublin, or one of the Dart train / tram stations.

    I am thinking of moving to Glendalough, but can’t seem to find a way of travelling there by bus, and I work and don’t drive.

    Can you help?

    Thanks

    Mark

23. St Kevins Apprentice, on October 2nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm Said:

    Hi Mark

    Pretty much all the information you need is in this post already. St. Kevin’s Bus Service runs both ways, all the info on the timetables for it are on the website linked above. Rail transport would be via Rathdrum railway station - the service terminates at Dublin’s Connolly Station. There are many options after that such as DART, Commuter Rail, LUAS (Tram service), Dublin Bus etc.

    Hopefully this points you in the right direction. If not let me know

    Alan

24. Darren, on October 3rd, 2007 at 6:30 pm Said:

    Hey Dave,

    I’m planning on bringing a friend to see glendalough but i have just been looking at the st. kevins timetable and they leave at 11.30 and the only bus back to dublin is at 16.30. this gives us very little time to actually do anything considering the length of the bus trip and getting back on time to catch the last bus. staying over is not an option unfortunately. any ideas? any alternative ways to get back to dublin?

25. St Kevins Apprentice, on October 3rd, 2007 at 8:28 pm Said:

    Hello Darren,

    If I were you I would get into Glendalough earlier in the day by getting the 7.26 am train from Connolly station in Dublin.

    That gets into Rathdrum just before 9am. You would need to get a taxi from Rathdrum to Glendalough. At least you will then have more daylight hours to do whatever walks you want.

    If you do use the St. Kevin’s service from Dublin, then the only way back is via train from Rathdrum after you get a taxi from Glendalough to Rathdrum. There is a 7.25pm and an 8.55pm service in the evening.

    Alan (not Dave )

26. Katie O'Grady, on October 15th, 2007 at 10:10 pm Said:

    Hi Dave,
    I am planning to stay in Glendalough in early Nov. for 5 nights, I have reserved a cillin for myself. Can you tell me a little bit about the nearest town (within walking distance) and maybe some sights that I should see while there? What will the weather be like? This will be my first trip to Ireland. Thanks!!

27. Katie O'Grady, on October 15th, 2007 at 10:56 pm Said:

    Hello Alan,
    So sorry I called you Dave earlier!! Can you please tell me the correct way to pronounce Glendalough. I am saying GLEN-DA-LOW….but I think this is incorrect.
    Thanks for your time!

    Katie

28. St Kevins Apprentice, on October 16th, 2007 at 6:02 pm Said:

    Hi Katie,

    Glendalough is pronounced GLEN-DA-LOCK. You can hear me on the home page of this site - there is a little recorded welcome there.

    Nearest town/village within walking distance is Laragh. It has a grocery store/garage and pub/restaurant. There aren’t any sights to see in Laragh as such. Wicklow Town is the closest big town (it’s where I live) but it’s a 25 minute drive.

    Weather wise, expect a mixture! You can get some of the most glorious fine autumn weather - crisp, cold mornings and cold nights (I personally love this type of weather). You might get milder days with showers. I have a page on the site with more information on weather and links to weather sites if you like

    http://wicklow.com/glendalough/2007/05/05/climate-in-glendalough-and-county-wicklow/

    Hope this has answered your questions. You will have a superb time in Ireland and I wish you a safe journey

    Alan

29. Rosie, on November 17th, 2007 at 2:03 pm Said:

    Hi Alan,

    I am trying to arrange a trip to Ireland next month and could use a little help with the transport! Do you know if the St Kevins Bus goes back from Glendalouh to Roundwood and if so, the times that it does? We have accommodation in Roundwood but would like to visit Glendalough during the daytime. Also, is there anywhere to have lunch in Glendalough? And one last question - please can you assure us that after a night in Roundwood we can get the St Kevin Bus back to Dublin City Centre the next day (Friday)? Thank you for your help.

30. St Kevins Apprentice, on November 17th, 2007 at 10:00 pm Said:

    Hi Rosie

    Yes, St. Kevin’s Bus does go through Roundwood, so you will have no problem with the plan you outline above. The timetable in on the St. Kevin’s Bus website which is linked to in the article above. Here is the link directly for the timetable. You will have an early start in the morning for your return trip to Dublin (7.30 am)

    http://www.glendaloughbus.com/timetable.html

    The Glendalough Hotel right by the monastic site does an OK lunch but I would highly recommend you visit The Wicklow Heather in Laragh - it’s about 2km from Glendalough itself but believe me - it is not to be missed.

    Alan

31. Rosie, on November 19th, 2007 at 1:49 pm Said:

    Hi Alan, thanks for your help. The plan is to stay on the bus to Glendalough, spend a while there and then get the bus back to Roundwood sometime the same day (that is where we are staying). Is that possible? And if so, what time would that bus be? The timetable is not all that clear to me! Also, The Wicklow Heather sounds great - can we get the bus on to there from Glendalough and still get back to Roundwood for the evening?? Or would we be stranded? (My worst nightmare!)
    Thanks. Rosie.

32. St Kevins Apprentice, on November 19th, 2007 at 3:02 pm Said:

    Hi Rosie

    Yes, it is possible to do what you want to do. The evening bus from Glendalough is at 4.30 pm, passing through Roundwood at 4.45 pm.

    This part of the timetable is shown under the words “From Glendalough” on the website.

    The morning bus from Glendalough leaves Glendalough at 7.15am and passes through Roundwood at 7.30am.

    If you click on http://www.glendaloughbus.com/route.html it shows the route the bus takes.

    The bus passes through Laragh so you can pick the bus up from there on to Roundwood in the evening.

    So basically, schedule your day based on the timetable of the bus service which is 2 buses per day leaving Glendalough, passing through Laragh and on to Roundwood and other stops in between (as shown on the route map on the site).

    Getting from Glendalough to Laragh or vice versa outside the times of the bus service means walking - but it is only 2km - 20 minutes at most.

    Alan

33. Rosie, on November 20th, 2007 at 3:57 pm Said:

    Thanks for all your help Alan. Really looking forward to our trip!

34. Emily, on January 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am Said:

    Hi Alan,

    Your site has been extremely helpful. I’m going to be studying at Trinity in the summer and have been agonizing over how to get from Dublin to Glendalough, so all this information has been amazing.

    One quick question though, does St. Kevin’s bus service stop in Bray, as well as Roundwood, on the way back up to Dublin?

    Thanks so much!

35. St Kevins Apprentice, on January 4th, 2008 at 4:32 pm Said:

    Hi Emily

    It does yes - enjoy your stay in Ireland and hopefully we will have some better weather this year !

    Alan

36. Andrew, on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 am Said:

    Hi Alan,
    I’m leaving tomorrow from US for a N.Wales/Dublin trip and will have only one day in Glendalough and Bray [my grandmother’s home town]. Between St. Kevin’s bus service and the Rosslare Europort rail it will hopefully enable me to see as much as I can. I have found your site and your questions & answers section to be extremely helpful. Thank you very much!
    Regards,
    Andrew

37. St Kevins Apprentice, on January 23rd, 2008 at 11:12 am Said:

    Excellent, thanks for the feedback Andrew - glad you found the information helpful.

    Alan

38. Yvette, on January 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pm Said:

    Hello,

    Planning my trip to Dublin for the start of February, I think it really would be nice to visit Glendalough for a day, especially after having had a look at your website.

    However, I am slightly worried as to what we can do when we can only get there by bus and therefore can only spend a few hours at the site. What can you do in these hours between 1 and 4.30? Can we see both sites and walk from one to the other?

    Because we are a group of five, it won’t be really handy to take a taxi from Rathdrum, will it?

    Thanks,

    Kind regards,
    Yvette

39. St Kevins Apprentice, on January 31st, 2008 at 12:49 am Said:

    Hi Yvette,

    Well, you will be rushed if you only have 3 1/2 hours on site. You can get easily from the monastic site to the upper lake and take in a short walk along the upper lake to the miners village in that time but it is cutting it fine.

    Mick Dunbar taxi’s has a mini bus so you could get that I am sure. Best to email him at info@mickdunbar.com

    Why not overnight in Glendalough?

    Alan

40. Yvette, on January 31st, 2008 at 1:07 pm Said:

    Thanks for the info Alan.
    Good tip to email the taxi company. I think I’ll do that! Would be great to spend a long day out of the city.
    Unfortunately this time round we won’t be staying in Glendalough overnight, because we have already booked a hostel in Dublin and are only there for a few days. But perhaps, when we have seen the beauty of Glendalough we will do so next time…

    Kind regards,
    Yvette

41. Peter, on February 1st, 2008 at 8:33 pm Said:

    Hi Alan

    The information on your site is very good. I might have missed it - but could you tell me how long the bus journey is from Dublin to Glendalough.

    Peter

42. St Kevins Apprentice, on February 1st, 2008 at 10:20 pm Said:

    Hi Peter,

    It’s about an 1 1/2 hours for the journey, it’s dependant on city centre traffic. Once out of the city it’s open roads (well, more open than Dublin anyway!)

    I will be updating this page soon and making it easier to get the relevant information quickly rather than having to read through all the comments.

    Alan

43. Sarah, on March 15th, 2008 at 3:19 pm Said:

    Hi,

    Was wondering what is the best way to get to Glendalogh from Rathdrum? if you recommend a cab how much does it charge approximately for two people?? is it easy to find a B&B in Glendalough if you dont book it before hand??

    would appreciate a quickie as am planning to visit with my hubby on 17th march

44. St Kevins Apprentice, on March 15th, 2008 at 8:53 pm Said:

    Hi Sarah, Yes, cab is the way i recommend. price would be 20 to 30 euro approx. this being St Patrick´s weekend I would not be sure you would get a b&b that easily.

    Alan

45. Vera, on March 30th, 2008 at 6:12 pm Said:

    Dear Alan,

    Thank you so much for this helpful site!

    I will be making my first trip to Ireland this coming week for six days, and hoping to find a way to visit Glendalough, stay one night and continue on to the West. This brings me to two questions! First, I read on the St. Kevin’s hermitage site that they are available for a minimum of two nights - do you know if is this a hard rule or is there flexibility? Second, as far as I can tell, the only way to continue on to Kilkenny would be by going back to Dublin and getting a train from there - is that right, or is there any bus or combination of train and bus that gould get me to Kilkenny from the Wicklow area? Thanks so much! Sorry for the wordiness.

    Best,
    Vera

46. St Kevins Apprentice, on March 30th, 2008 at 6:43 pm Said:

    Hi Vera
    re: the hermitage - it’s best to get in contact with them via the contact form on their page or give them a call as I don’t know the answer.

    You will have to travel to Dublin for connections to Kilkenny, there is nothing directly there from the Wicklow area.

    Alan

47. Vera, on March 31st, 2008 at 1:26 pm Said:

    Thanks a lot, Alan! Will do.
    Best wishes!
    Vera

48. Mat, on May 24th, 2008 at 8:21 pm Said:

    Hi there,
    Sorry to bother you. I was wondering the best way from Enniskerry to Glendalough. Is there any public transport between the two locations?

    Cheers,

    Mat

49. sara, on May 28th, 2008 at 9:14 pm Said:

    Hi
    We are having difficulties figuring out how to get to Glen.. from Kilkenny. Any advice or is this basically impossible? Thanks for the help and great job on the website.
    sara

50. St Kevins Apprentice, on May 28th, 2008 at 10:36 pm Said:

    Hi Mat, there’s no public transport between the two locations specifically but you could easily get in to Bray and catch the St. Kevin’s bus service on to Glendalough then.

    Alan

51. St Kevins Apprentice, on May 28th, 2008 at 10:39 pm Said:

    Hi Sara, no public transport between the two locations. You will have to get to Dublin first and then on to Glendalough via one of the options listed in the original post above.

    Alan

52. sara, on May 29th, 2008 at 3:17 pm Said:

    thanks a bunch! I Guess we will just do Kilkenny to Dublin and then Dublin to Glen. Do you know how much time that would take us if we were to do that in a day?

53. St Kevins Apprentice, on May 29th, 2008 at 8:34 pm Said:

    Hi Sara, checking http://www.irishrail.ie and searching for Kilkenny to Dublin timetable, the first train from Kilkenny leaves at 6.56 am and gets in to Dublin at 8.45am. All the other information regarding length of time to get to Glendalough from Dublin is already here. I’d recommend you take one of the organised tours from Dublin to make best use of the time you have. Check the organised tours link for more information on that.

    Alan

54. sara, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:13 am Said:

    thanks for the advice-we are staying at night in glen so we will probably just end up exploring it ourselves. We are not really the tour type more the outdoor type. Once again thanks for all the help
    sara

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