J.B. Malone Memorial

The stone itself is modest: a granite boulder with a plaque, set beside the Wicklow Way where the ground drops away and Lough Tay appears in its steep-sided hollow below. The view is the reason people walk up here, and it is one of the most photographed compositions in the eastern uplands: dark water pinched between crags, forestry and open moor rolling off toward the surrounding Wicklow hills. The plaque gives the place its meaning, and the drop-off gives it its drama.

John James Bernard Malone (1913-1989) did more than anyone to make Wicklow walkable. He started hill walking in Ireland in 1931, worked as an army intelligence mapmaker, wrote a walking column in a Dublin evening paper from 1938 to 1975, and published guides including Walking in Wicklow and The Complete Wicklow Way. He first proposed a long-distance Wicklow route in 1966; the first sections opened in 1980 and the full 132 km line from Marlay Park to Clonegal was finished in 1982. The memorial sits on the trail he imagined, above one of its best views, which is a fitting place for it.

The memorial is a natural staging post rather than an end point. The Wicklow Way continues north over boardwalk and open moor toward Djouce (725 m), an out-and-back of a few hours from the same parking area, and loop options link it with the Ballinastoe forest tracks. Section walkers on the Knockree to Roundwood leg pass this spot mid-route as part of a long, strenuous day.

• Waterproof layers and proper footwear, even for a fifteen minute walk; the boardwalk gets slick and exposed sections catch wind
• Water and a snack, since there are no toilets, shops or cafes at the memorial
• A map and the usual hill essentials if you plan to continue toward Djouce
• Insect repellent in warmer months, as ticks and biting insects occur in the uplands

The stone is small and the visit is brief, so this works best combined with a longer walk or a wider Wicklow drive. Crowding at peak times can make the narrow boardwalk feel like a queue, the approach road is winding and unnerving for nervous drivers, and low cloud can reduce the whole point of the trip to a grey wall. Dogs are welcome on the trail but must be kept on a lead.

This is blanket bog and heath country: heathers, bilberry, upland grasses, sphagnum mosses and sundews on acidic peaty soils. The wider park uplands hold species such as red grouse, peregrine, merlin and pine marten, though seeing any of them from the stone is a matter of luck rather than expectation.