Enniskerry (Irish Áth na Sceire, "rocky ford") is a village in County Wicklow, best known for Powerscourt House, gardens and waterfall. It was created in the 1840s as a planned village for tenants of Powerscourt estate. It's also a base for exploring the Wicklow Mountains, and being within an hour's travel of central Dublin can get crowded at weekends, but suburban sprawl has been kept at bay. Enniskerry had a population of 2000 in 2022.

Get in

Dublin Bus 44 runs hourly from city centre, taking an hour via O'Connell St, Merrion Square, Dundrum Rd, Sandyford, Murphystown, Jamestown and Kilternan. South of Kilternan, you'll know you've left Dublin for Wicklow when you pass through the rugged valley of "The Scalp".

Go Ahead Bus 185 runs every 30 min between Bray, Enniskerry village and Powerscourt, taking 25 min.

1 Bray is the nearest railway station, on the coast 8 km east. This has Dart trains from Dublin Connolly every 10-20 min, taking 50 min via Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey. It also has mainline trains from Dublin Connolly to Wicklow Town, Arklow, Gorey, Wexford and Rosslare, for ferries to Fishguard and Pembroke.

By road follow M11 / N11 and exit onto R117 at Kilroney Cross; follow the river valley up to Enniskerry.

Get around

Powerscourt is a short walk from the village, but you need wheels to reach the waterfall or explore Glencree.

Bus Éireann and other operators run bus tours from central Dublin to Powerscourt and various nearby scenic spots.

Alpine Cabs (+353 87 299 8836) and Furlongs Minibus (+353 86 263 1061) can take you round the area.

See

• 1 Powerscourt Gardens, Powerscourt Demesne, Enniskerry, ☏ +353 1 204 6000, info@powerscourt.net. Daily 9:30AM-5:30PM. The grand house is now a hotel, see Sleep. So it's the magnificent gardens you visit, looking towards the Wicklow mountains and the distant waterfall. Laid out 1860-80, their highlights include Tower Valley with the Pepperpot Tower, the Japanese gardens, the winged horse statues, Triton Lake, the pet cemetery, Dolphin Pond, walled gardens, Bamberg Gate and the Italian Garden. The gardens ticket doesn't include the waterfall. Adult €13.50, conc €11.50, child €5. (updated Jun 2024)
• 2 Powerscourt Waterfall, Deerpark, Powerscourt A98 W0D0, ☏ +353 1 204 6000. Daily 9:30AM-5PM (to 4PM midwinter, to 7PM midsummer). The Powerscourt lands once stretched 7 km from house to here; they no longer do so but the waterfall remains part of the estate. It's not a pure drop, but a steep slope where the River Dargle cascades 121 m into a corrie etched out by glaciation. It fans out so the cataract can be seen from a great distance, year-round thanks to the rainfall on the mountains, so it's long attracted painters and photographers. In 1821 when King George IV visited, the Viscount dammed the upper river so that it would form a dramatic torrent when he and the king came to admire it. But the king lingered at dinner and didn't come, just as well as the torrent when released swept away the bridge they were to stand on. (Actually George IV didn't so much linger at dinner as gorge and sluice mightily, so the bridge was at risk from his bulk anyway.) The ticket doesn't include the estate gardens, they don't do a combi. Adult €7.50, conc €6.50, child €3.50. (updated Jun 2024)

Powerscourt House and Gardens

• 3 Enniskerry village square is a triangle at a road junction, with attractive buildings from 1840 in mock-Tudor style.
• 4 St Patrick's Church, Enniskerry A98 F753. Su 11AM-1PM. This Church of Ireland (Protestant) church was built in 1861, funded by the 7th Viscount to replace the old Stagonil church which stood on his estate. (That old church was less convenient for parishioners once the village moved from Stagonil to Enniskerry; its ruin is hidden in the woods of the estate, and some of its masonry was re-used for the Pepperpot Tower.) The new church has attractive stained glass windows and a bosky graveyard. (updated Jun 2024)
• Glencree is a scenic valley in the mountains west of Enniskerry, which frames the view of Great Sugarloaf Mountain east towards Greystones. Across the head of the valley is a military road (now R115) from Dublin to Glendalough built to hunt down fugitives from the failed rebellion of 1798, "The Year of the French". A barracks was also built here, which later became a harsh school, then a prison camp for Germans: as prisoners of war in World War I, and as internees in World War II when Ireland was neutral. Postwar it housed German and Polish war orphans. It's now the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, opposite the German war cemetery.
• 5 Glencree German war cemetery (Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Glencree), Oldboleys, Glencree. 24 hours. There are 134 graves, mostly air force and navy personnel from World War II, in a moving setting. The spy Hermann Görtz is among them: he was about to be deported at the end of the war and, fearing he'd be handed over to the Soviets, he swallowed poison. The single free-standing stone cross in the rear right hand corner of the cemetery was carved by him during his wartime internment, with the same care and skill that he'd used for sketching RAF airfields. (updated Jun 2024)
• 6 Sally Gap is a pass in the mountains where the military road R115 intersects R759. Spectacular scenery here with Luggala above and Lough Tay below.

Do

Japanese garden at Powerscourt

• 1 Killegar Stables, The Scalp, Enniskerry A98 C7Y0 (2 km north of village), ☏ +353 87 161 9058. Tu-Su 9AM-7PM. They offer riding lessons, treks, pony camp and livery service. (updated Jun 2024)
• Kippure stands at 757 m / 2484 ft on the Dublin—Wicklow county boundary. It has a TV transmitter and other ugly fittings at its summit, but fine views. Most Sunday strollers use the access lane from R115 on its east flank, but feel free to struggle through bog by approaching from any other direction. Hills to its west are Seefingan (723 m) and Seelin (621 m): beware the army firing ranges if you go that way.
• Other hills that you can climb near Enniskerry include Fairy Castle, Maulin, Djouce, Luggala, Gravale, Duff Hill and Mullaghcleevaun. See Bray for Great Sugar Loaf, which is further east and detached from the main chain.
• The Wicklow Way is a long-distance hiking trail through these hills.
• Golf: Powerscourt GC lies north of the mansion hotel, with two championship courses, the East and the West. Lots more golf towards Bray on the coast.

Buy

• Windsor Spar on The Square is open M-Sa 7AM-7PM, Su 8AM-7PM.
• Arty-crafty places in the village are Corner Studio, Objects, Smock Boutique, Botanical Art Gifts and Enniskerry Antiques Gallery.

Eat

St Patrick's Church

• Emilia's, The Square, Enniskerry A98 R967, ☏ +353 1 276 1834. W-Su 5-9:30PM. Good Italian fare. (updated Jun 2024)
• Poppie's, The Square, Enniskerry A98 W2X8, ☏ +353 1 282 8869. Daily 7AM-6PM. Small deli and cafe, good food and gets crowded at lunchtime, as do the bike racks outside. (updated Jun 2024)
• 1 Johnnie Fox's Pub, Glencullen D18 X635, ☏ +353 1 295 5647. Su-Th 11AM-11:30PM, F Sa 11AM-12:30AM. Dating from 1798, the highest pub in Ireland serves great trad fare in a lively atmosphere. By a margin of 1 km it's in County Dublin, but easier to reach from County Wicklow. Can feel touristy, but welcoming and at night live music and a grand view of Dublin from the hill road. (updated Jun 2024)

Drink

• Enniskerry Inn just off The Square serves food daily noon-9PM and has rooms.
• Powerscourt Distillery by the gardens makes Fercullen single malt whiskey, tours available.

Sleep

• Fernadale House is a B&B on the village square. Check whether they're offering breakfast, or room only.
• 1 Summerhill House Hotel, Cookstown Cottages, Enniskerry A98 WA40 (off R760), ☏ +353 1 286 7928, info@summerhillhousehotel.com. Old-fashioned hotel, with a spa on its impressive grounds. Comfy and well-run, often does weddings. B&B double €180. (updated Jun 2024)
• 2 Powerscourt Hotel, Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry A98 DR12, ☏ +353 1 274 8888. The grand house was built by Cassells 1730-40, and the gardens were laid out in the 19th century. It's been owned by the Slazenger sportswear family since 1961 but was gutted by fire in 1974; renovation took till 1996. It's nowadays an upscale hotel and spa, managed by the Marriott group. B&B double €280. (updated Jun 2024)
• Powerscourt Springs 3 km south of the village is a good B&B, but doesn't live up to its price or billing as a spa or "health farm".
• Coolakay House is a pleasant welcoming B&B 500 m further west towards the waterfall.

Connect

As of June 2024, Enniskerry and its approach roads have 4G from Eir and Vodafone, and 5G from Three.

Go next

• Glendalough is an extensive complex of Early Christian and Norman religious sites, in a scenic valley.
• Wicklow Town has a notorious jail, now a museum, and two fine botanic gardens.
• Dublin is just over the hills to the north.