Crone Woods and Maulin Mountain Loop
6.6 km · About 350m of ascent elevation
About
This is the serious walk from Enniskerry, and the one that gives you the waterfall for nothing. From the Crone Wood car park, about 7km southwest of the village, a forest road climbs through the conifer plantation and joins the Wicklow Way, which passes Enniskerry roughly 4km to the south rather than through it. Follow it to Ride Rock, the shoulder that looks straight across at Powerscourt Waterfall from above with the Great Sugar Loaf off to the east and Dublin Bay laid out behind on a clear day. The loop then leaves the Way, climbs onto the open ground of Maulin and comes back down into the forest. Sport Ireland grades it strenuous over 6.6km with about 350 metres of ascent, roughly two and a half hours. The lower half is gravel forest road and the upper half is mountain, so do not be lulled by the first twenty minutes.
Highlights
- ✓Ride Rock, looking across at Powerscourt Waterfall from above with no ticket and no gate
- ✓A section of the Wicklow Way, which passes about 4km south of the village
- ✓The open summit ground of Maulin above the Glencree valley
- ✓Views east to the Great Sugar Loaf and north over Dublin Bay on a clear day
Tips
- →Waymarked with arrows on a red disc with footprints. Follow the discs, not the desire lines.
- →The Crone Wood car park is small and fills on fine weekends. Get there early or go midweek.
- →The upper section is open mountain with no shelter. Take a waterproof even on a bright morning.
- →Dogs are allowed but must be on a lead; there is sheep grazing on the open ground.
- →There is no bus to Crone Wood. Drive, cycle or arrange a taxi from the village.
Best Season
More Cliff walk Activities
Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve
The steep river wood in the ravine below the village, a statutory nature reserve since 1994, sessile oak, petrifying springs and an hour's loop on the Glencullen River.
The Great Sugar Loaf
The 501m quartzite cone that closes every view from Enniskerry. A short, steep 3.5km round trip from the Red Lane car park, finishing on a rocky scramble.