After bidding a fond farewell to Mount Juliet–I’m coming back–we headed to Co Wicklow for a second trekking adventure with Glendalough Equestrian Center.  

The route took us to the Wicklow Mountains, a breathtaking rugged landscape of exposed stone, rivers, and the odd sheep wandering about. We also saw the area where the Christian Bale/Matthew McConaughey movie "Reign of Fire" was filmed.

We arrived at Glendalough none too soon–the narrow, winding roads and the tour bus’ floating suspension were making my stomach extremely unhappy. I hated to inconvenience the rest of the crew (and frankly, it’s not like there was much that could be done about it), so I opted to suffer in silence, but it was a close call.

Once we arrived the first crew took off to ride while the rest of us were entertained with a spot of light archery. Glendalough is the first of what its creator hopes will be a franchise of equestrian and adventure/ecotourism centers. Options include courses in orienteering, survival skills, and team work, as well as archery, biking, target shooting, and more. The site is a gorgeous old home formerly owned by Irish President Erskine Childers