Toast Sally with a Guinness | Dublin to Dublin

Where does it start? Dublin

Where does it end? Guinness Storehouse, Dublin

How long is it? 82 miles

Why is it great?

The road through Sally Gap, one of two east to west passes through the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, was built by the British Army to make it easier to flush rebels from the hills after the Irish rebellion of 1798, and to this day is known as the Military Road.

These days, signposted helpfully by the tourist board, it provides spectacular views of the Glencree valley, the dark waters of Lough Tay, Kippure Mountain and Glenmacnass Waterfall.

To get there, the road from Dublin is well-surfaced open sweeping single carriageway through the hills, sundappled woods, lakes and rivers of Wicklow, Dublin’s back garden, and on through the Gap to the pretty villages of Roundwood and Laragh to Glendalough.

You can then come back the same way, or head east on the route marked to the coast road and back to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour on the history of Ireland’s most famous beer and a pint in the rooftop bar.

What do I need to know?

In the Sally Gap, stop halfway at Glenmacnass Waterfall for a great photo.

Also worth a visit if you have time are the magnificent formal gardens at Powerscourt, the inspired fabrics and colours at reinvented traditional weavers Avoca and Avoca village itself, the setting for the Ballykissangel TV series.

A must if possible is the ancient monastic settlement at Glendalough. Monks arrived in this beautiful wooded river valley in the 6^th Century for a bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately they forgot to tell the Vikings (who raided the monastery four times), the Normans (who pillaged it once), and Henry VIII (who finished the job with the Reformation). Today, it’s one of the best preserved monastic sites in Ireland.

Anything Else?

Top spots to get fed and watered are Bates in Rathdrum for excellent food at a decent price, and the Cartoon Inn pub next door.

If you want to stay locally, Aughavannagh Cottage, beautifully restored by owner Dave Deighan, is up a leafy lane in a wooded valley with a stream burbling through the garden.