Ashford Co Wicklow:

Visiting Ashford Co Wicklow

One of my favourite villages, Ashford in co wicklow (locally pronoounced ash-forrrd) lies about 3km before Rathnew village off the main N11 motorway from Dublin to Wexford.

It is a charming village growing in population with many activities and tourist facilities such as the Chester Beatty Inn, Bel air hotel and equestrian centre, Ballyknocken cookery school and Mount Usher gardens which feature in the annual gardens of Ireland festival held every May.

Mount Usher gardens are a lovely day out as they cover over 20 acres of flowers, trees, shrubs and lawns laid out along the river vartry where 'gruff-look' ( as I call him) the heron likes to fish.

Also to be found at mount usher gardens is a selection of craft shops selling pottery, old pine furniture, saddlery and assorted gifts in the courtyard.

Mount Usher Gardens,Ashford, tel: 0404 40116
Website: www.mountushergardens.ie

Just up the road towards Tiglin (the unfortunately recently closed adventure centre) is the Coillte owned woodland named: Devils glen (don't be scared.) It has walks which run from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length including the recently opened seamus heaney poetry walk leading toward the waterfall and encompasses a most interesting exhibition of wooden sculptures as part of the "Sculpture in Woodland" project.

The variety of tree species to be found along these walks is quite astounding and include all of the following: Broadleaf & conifer such as beech, Spanish chestnut and ash, old beech, scrub oak, scotspine, Norway spruce, western hemlock and grand fir. Suffice to say you can gather some interesting samples for the school nature table!

This glen is a natural habitat for fox, otter, badger and squirrel, and at the right time of year (October or thereabouts) you will hear the sound of antlers crashing against one another as deer on the far side of the glen battle it out with their seasonal display of 'rutting'. This is one of my favourite walks!

For walking holidays contact Ballyknockenhouse which offers guided and independent walking programmes including "Wicklow Way" trail, also home to the Highly acclaimed, Ballyknocken Cookery School run by chef Catherine Fulvio.

This cookery school offers a broad range of cookery classes from Southern Italian to Mexican, from vegetarian to Gourmet Entertaining and much more. Catherine believes in keeping her workforce happy and regularly organises team bonding excercises to bring her diverse workstaff together and recently won the award for 'Best in HR Development' at the SFA's National Small Business Awards in March 2007.

There is a farmers market held in the carpark of Ashford house every Saturday from 11am-3pm. Get there early as it is very popular and the early bird catches the worm or in this case best tomatoes and olives eh?

The wonderful Irish school & landscape painting studio is to be found here set in seven acres of mature garden and woodside along the river vartry where you can escape from the pressures of modern living and express yourself through the art of painting.