St Kevin's Bed View

Overview

About St Kevin's Bed View

Why stop

Quiet pine walk beside the Upper Lake

Heads up

The cave is distant and cannot be entered

A small man-made cave is cut into the cliff face high above the Upper Lake, traditionally the spot where St Kevin retreated to pray. It may well be older than the saint, possibly a prehistoric burial place, so the story you get is a mix of legend and unresolved archaeology. This spot on the north shore is the viewing point, not an entrance: the cave itself is no longer accessible and is looked at from across the water.

Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop here

Map

Where it is

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SightSt Kevin's Bed View53.00662, -6.35324

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Morning and mid to late afternoon tend to be calmer than the middle of the day, when the valley fills up. Light on the far cliff matters more than usual here: an overcast, flat day makes the cave opening hard to pick out, while low sun across the lake gives the rock much more definition. Winter and early spring, with fewer leaves and lower crowds, give a clearer look.

Getting there

Start from the Upper Lake area and follow the flat, gravelly Miners' Road along the north shore
The viewpoint sits a short way along the road, so you do not need to commit to any full loop to see it
If you want more, the waymarked Miners' Road Walk continues about 5 km round trip and roughly an hour at easy grade to the old Miners' Village, 1.5 km from the car park and reachable on foot only
Beyond the Miners' Village the ground turns into a much steeper, rougher mountain walk, a different proposition entirely

3 active Wicklow Mountains alerts

CautionExtreme upland fire riskDo not use solid-fuel BBQs in Wicklow Mountains National Park, and take extreme care with cigarettes and other naked flames because the hills are dry and at extreme risk of fire.Official details
CautionGlendalough Spinc trail works and intermittent disruptionsExpect intermittent disruption on the Glendalough Spinc trails while NPWS upgrades the White Trail.Official details

See all 3 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide

Your drive to St Kevin's Bed View, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Wicklow Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Glendalough Upper Lake

0:00 / 0:49

“You’re coming up on the access to Glendalough’s Upper Lake. If you’d enjoy a quiet detour, look for Reefert Church, tucked into the woods near the lake paths.”

Plays as you drive up to St Kevin's Bed View in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.

More about St Kevin's Bed View

What you actually seeA dark slot in grey rock partway up the cliff on the far side of the lake, small and easy to…

A dark slot in grey rock partway up the cliff on the far side of the lake, small and easy to miss without a moment of scanning
Upper Lake below, with rocky, heather-streaked slopes rising above it
Native pine woodland framing the track on the walk in
Deer sometimes move through the valley on the broader route, though never count on a sighting

What to bringBinoculars or a zoom lens, easily the difference between a smudge and a proper look

Binoculars or a zoom lens, easily the difference between a smudge and a proper look
Layers and rain gear, since valley weather changes fast
Shoes with grip, as the track can be wet, gritty and uneven in places

Honest drawbacksThis is a modest stop rather than a headline sight.

This is a modest stop rather than a headline sight. The cave is distant and undramatic compared with the big ridge walks on the south side of the valley, and there is no way to reach it from here. Do not attempt to scramble toward the cliff or approach by water. Treat it as a five to ten minute pause with a good story, folded into a walk you were doing anyway.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Wicklow Mountains

All Wicklow Mountains wildlife maps

204 sightingsSika DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

18 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

15 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

11 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map

28 sightingsEuropean Common FrogMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

11 sightingsViviparous LizardMost seen around 11 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wicklow Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.