The Spinc and Camaderry Loop

A closed loop of 17.9 km (11.1 miles) as it is usually quoted, starting and finishing at the Glendalough Visitor Centre. The verified connected line comes out slightly longer at 18.45 km, so treat the round number as a convention rather than a precise measurement. Plan on about 6.5 to 7 hours at a steady walking pace, and rate it hard, 8 out of 10.

You start low in the monastic valley, passing the Deer Stone and the ancient monastic site, then work up to the Upper Lake. From there the climb steepens through woodland beside Poulanass before you gain the Spinc ridge, where the boardwalk runs along the cliff tops with the lake dropping away below. The route then leaves the busy ground for open mountain toward the Camaderry summit area, around 699 m, and descends through the Glenealo valley to pick up the Miners Road and the valley path back to the visitor centre.

Roughly 900 m of climbing across the day, with sampled ground running from about 128 m at the valley floor to just under 700 m up high. Expect a steep rocky ascent, long stretches of wooden boardwalk and steps, blanket bog, loose rock, and easy forest and valley track on the return. Hiking boots and rain gear are the right call, not optional extras.

The Spinc section is waymarked and obvious, but the Camaderry leg is open, exposed upland with rough ground and real route-finding demands. Do not assume the whole loop is signed. In low cloud, wind or driving rain the high section becomes a serious navigation problem, so carry a map and compass or a GPS you actually know how to use, and be willing to turn back.

The payoff is the full picture: Upper and Lower Lakes from the cliff edge, the glacial sweep of Glenealo, heather and open Wicklow upland from the Camaderry ground, and the monastic landscape at the start and finish. Deer are common in the valley. Ravens, kestrels, merlins, red squirrels and treecreepers are all recorded on these routes if you keep your eyes up.

Start from the Glendalough Visitor Centre car park, which is the durable primary access and is paid. The Upper Lake car park sits on the route but is not the stored trailhead. Dogs are welcome only on a lead at all times, and with sheep, deer and unfenced cliff edges along the Spinc, that rule matters here more than most places.

If you mainly want the boardwalk cliffs and the Glenealo view without the mountain day, the official White Route is a clearer 8.8 km loop of about 3.5 hours covering the same headline scenery. Choose the Camaderry version when you want the bigger, wilder half of the walk.