Active Pursuits

Cycling

The Lorum Old Rectory is also the base for Celtic Cycling (tel. 097/977-5282; www.celticcycling.com/lorum.html), which offers a variety of 1- and 2-week cycling tours, or you can hire the gear you need from them and go it alone. In the summer, this area, with its rolling hills (although things get a bit steep in Wicklow) and gentle breezes, is great cycling country, and this outfit will help you make the most of it. Also, Cycling Safaris (tel. 01/260-0749; www.cyclingsafaris.com) offers a weeklong tour of the area for upward of €670 per person, including accommodations and food.

Fishing

During brown-trout season (Mar 15-Sept 30), you'll find lots of angling opportunities on the Aughrim River (contact Arie van der Wel; tel. 0402/36753 or 087/920-2751) and on the Avonmore River (contact Peter Driver in Rathdrum; tel. 0404/46304 or 087/978-7040). Permits to fish on the Aughrim River are also available from Lawless's Hotel, Aughrim (tel. 0402/36146; www.lawlesshotel.ie) and the Woodenbridge Hotel in the Vale of Avoca (tel. 0402/35146; www.woodenbridgehotel.com). The Dargle River flows from Enniskerry to the sea at Bray and offers great sea-trout fishing in season from February 1 to October 12 (contact Hugh Duff in Enniskerry; tel. 01/286-8652). Shore angling is hugely popular from beaches along the coast; contact the Irish Federation of Sea Anglers (tel. 01/280-6873; www.ifsa.ie) for information on how to obtain permits. Note: Lovely though it is, the Avoca River south of the Meeting of the Waters is polluted by copper mines and is unsuitable for fishing.

Golf

If you're looking for cachet, head to the championship Druids Glen Golf Club, Newtonmountkennedy (tel. 01/287-3600; www.druidsglen.ie), an inland beauty of a course that bears more than a fleeting resemblance to Augusta and was European Golf Course of the Year in 2000. Greens fees are €150 daily if you arrive after 9am; early bird greens fees, from 7:30 to 8:50am on weekdays, are €115. It also has a partner course nearby: Druid's Heath. It's arguably just as nice, and is much cheaper; green fees are €90 or €70 early bird. It can be reached at the same phone number. Special rates that include breakfast or a five-course dinner are available at both. For a more affordable day out, try the parkland Glenmalure Golf Club, Greenane, Rathdrum (tel. 01/269-6979; www.glenmalure.com), where greens fees are €25 weekdays and €35 weekends. Lessons are also available for €50 per person, per hour. The Arklow Golf Club (tel. 0402/32492; www.arklowgolflinks.com), a seaside par-68 course, charges fees of €40 weekdays and €50 Friday and Saturday (closed Sun.) In addition to a slightly discounted early bird price, they also do a twilight rate (after 6pm) of €20.

Horseback Riding

The hillside paths of Wicklow are perfect for horseback riding. More than a dozen stables and equestrian centers offer horses for hire and instructional programs. Rates for horse hire average around €30 to €50 per hour. At the Paulbeg Riding School, Shillelagh (tel. 053/942-9100), experienced riders can explore the surrounding hills, and beginners can receive expert instruction from Sally Duffy, who gives an enthusiastic introduction to the sport. Another leading venue in the area is the Brennanstown Riding School, Hollybrook, Kilmacanogue (tel. 01/286-3778; www.brennanstownrs.ie), which offers beginner's treks up the picturesque Little Sugar Loaf Mountain, which has views across Dublin Bay.

Walking

Loved by hikers and ramblers for its peace, isolation, and sheer beauty, the Wicklow Way is a 132km (82-mile) signposted walking path that follows forest trails, sheep paths, and country roads from the suburbs south of Dublin, up into the Wicklow Mountains, and down through country farmland to Clonegal, where the path ends. It takes about 5 to 7 days to walk its entirety, with overnight stops at B&Bs and hostels along the route. Most people choose to walk sections as day trips.

You can pick up information and maps at the Wicklow National Park center at Glendalough, or at any local tourist office. Information on less strenuous walks can be found in the Wicklow Trail Sheets, also from tourist offices. It provides a map and route description for several good short walks along the path.

The most spectacular places to walk in Wicklow are in the north and central parts of the county, and it is traversed by the Wicklow Way and numerous short trails. One lovely walk on the Way begins at the Deerpark parking lot near the Dargle River and continues to Luggala, passing Djouce Mountain; the next section, between Luggala and Laragh, traverses some wild country around Lough Dan.

St. Kevin's Way, an ancient pilgrims' route more than 1,000 years old, has recently been restored. The path runs for 30km (19 miles) through scenic countryside from Hollywood to Glendalough, following the route taken by pilgrims who visited the ancient monastic site, and winds its way through roads, forest paths, and open mountainside. It takes in many of the historical sites associated with St. Kevin, who traveled the route in search of a mountain hermitage, as well as areas of geological interest and scenic beauty.

Folks who prefer less strenuous walking can follow the paths around the lakes at Glendalough, or join the southern section of the Wicklow Way, through Tinahely, Shillelagh, and Clonegal. Not as rugged as the terrain in central Wicklow, the gentle hills roll through peaceful glens. Through much of this section, the path follows country roads chosen for their lack of traffic.

Watersports & Adventure Sports

Deep in the Wicklow Mountains, the Blessington Lakes are a 2,000-hectare (4,940-acre) playground of tranquil, clean, speedboat-free water. Less than an hour's drive from Dublin center, and signposted on the N81, the Blessington Lakes Leisure, Blessington, County Wicklow (tel. 045/857844; www.blessingtonequestrian.com), provides all you need for canoeing, kayaking, sailing, and windsurfing, as well as land-based sports such as archery, orienteering, tennis, and pony trekking. They also run week-long, multi-activity Adventure Camps; visit the website for details.