Parking
Start at the Uplands disused lead-works roadside car park on R756 in Glendasan. Finish at Barravore Car Park in Glenmalure. This is a linear route, so arrange a second car, lift, taxi, or advance-booked connecting bus.
Overview
About The Miners' Way
This is a linear, point-to-point walk of 16.9 km (about 10.5 miles) one way, not a loop and not a round trip. The official estimate is 6 hours, the grade is strenuous, and there is around 540 m of ascent. Waymarking is consistent: black arrows with a yellow axe on a square silver plate.
Why go
- Three-valley mining heritage
- A full-day upland traverse
Heads up
- Strenuous with rough, exposed ground
- Requires transport planning between trailheads
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation148–609 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to The Miners' Way, 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 trailhead
Hero Mine0:00 / 0:36
“Hero Mine is ahead in the Glendasan Valley, a quiet stop for stone ruins and open mountain views. You can explore the remains close to the small roadside car park, so a short visit gives you a good sense of the place.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Lead Inside the Granite
- Glendalough Upper Lake
- Wicklow Gap and Tonelagee
- Reading Glenmacnass Valley
- 55 audio storiesacross Wicklow Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Sika Deer, Red Deer, Grey Heron, and 3 more
- Works offlinemaps, 34 trails, 31 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking The Miners' Way
The sequenceThe payoff is the mining story told across three valleys, with old workings and processing…
The payoff is the mining story told across three valleys, with old workings and processing remains set against high, open ground.
- Start at the Uplands disused lead-works roadside car park on the R756 in Glendasan (53.023392, -6.36203). The signed path begins a short distance along from the parking area, so expect a brief walk to reach it.
- Climb out of Glendasan and cross into the Glendalough valley, passing the ruined miners' village and the Miners' Road mining landscape.
- Continue over open upland ground and descend to finish at Barravore Car Park in Glenmalure (52.98799, -6.413064).
Effort, footing and exposureThe route follows existing waymarked paths, but it earns its strenuous grade.
The route follows existing waymarked paths, but it earns its strenuous grade. Expect steep climbs, rough ground, and long exposed upland sections, with the high ground reaching just over 600 m before the descent toward Glenmalure. Wind and rain make those open stretches considerably harder and slower. Proper hiking footwear and weatherproof clothing are required rather than optional.
Logistics and getting backBecause the start and finish are in different valleys, plan your return before you set off.
Because the start and finish are in different valleys, plan your return before you set off. A local bus service links Glendalough and Glenmalure, but it needs advance booking and has a minimum booking requirement, so treat it as one planning option and not a guaranteed departure. A second car, a lift, or a pre-arranged pickup is the simpler solution. Dogs are not allowed on this trail.
Food, water and daylightThere are no places along the route to buy food or refreshments, so carry everything you need…
There are no places along the route to buy food or refreshments, so carry everything you need for a six-hour day, including enough water and spare layers. Start early enough to finish comfortably in daylight.
Not the same as the Miners' Road WalkIf you want the mining landscape without the commitment, the short Miners' Road Walk (Purple…
If you want the mining landscape without the commitment, the short Miners' Road Walk (Purple Route) in Glendalough is a separate easy out-and-back and a much gentler option. The Miners' Way is far longer and much more demanding, and it is planned as a full upland day traverse.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Wicklow Mountains
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 mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wicklow Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
