Winter lingers at the Powerscourt Waterfall / L’hiver s’attarde à la cascade de Powerscourt

We didn’t expect to still find snow at the Powerscourt Waterfall. After all, a week after Ireland’s worst snow event in a decade, the white stuff was already long gone from our seaside town.

Yet only a few kilometres inland, in the Wicklow Mountains, the narrow windy roads were swamped with gushing melt water and lined with piles of dirty snow left by the clearing operations.

On that mild, damp Mother’s Day, the acorns were dressed for the weather, wearing their full rain gear and their wellies, as they like wading in the river. But no gloves to play in the snow at the Powerscourt Waterfall!

Following the obligatory first stage at the wonderful playground, we made our way to the waterfall. The vast picnic field around it was all but flooded under deep banks of melting snow. Not to be deterred by the icy temperature, the acorns literally filled their boots jumping and running through the slushy puddles.

Mother’s Day

The highest waterfall in Ireland, heavy with melt water from the Wicklow Mountains, was more powerful than we’ve ever seen it, roaring and crashing and spraying the swollen river in a thick veil of mist.

Further downstream, the acorns had a snowball fight with Brian, gloves or no gloves! They raced clumps of snow through a drainpipe under the path, checking how much had melted when they reached the other side.

Finally, it took a huge team effort to lift a heavy lump of snow off the riverbank and into the fast-flowing water. As it slowly melted away in the current, we followed it downstream all the way to the little wooden bridge that we discovered on our previous visit, last October.

With the trails beyond the bridge still closed due to the snow, we made our way back to the car. Winter certainly lingers in Wicklow, but seeing the acorns happily play in the snow at the Powerscourt Waterfall was the ideal Mother’s Day gift!

 


Nous ne pensions pas trouver de la neige à la cascade de Powerscourt. Après tout, une semaine après l’épisode neigeux le plus important en plus de dix ans, toutes traces de flocons avaient disparu depuis longtemps de notre ville en bord de mer d’Irlande.  

Pourtant, à quelques kilomètres seulement à l’intérieur des terres, les routes étroites des monts de Wicklow ruisselaient d’eaux de fonte et restaient jalonnées de talus de neige sale amoncelée par les engins de déneigement.

En ce dimanche de Fête des Mères gris et humide, les graines de chêne étaient prêts à se jouer de la météo avec leurs ensembles imperméables et leurs bottes en caoutchouc, car ils aiment aller patauger dans la rivière. Mais leurs gants étaient restés à la maison !

Après l’étape incontournable à la fabuleuse aire de jeux, nous avons poursuivi jusqu’à la cascade. Le vaste pré qui l’entoure disparaissait sous des bancs profonds de neige fondante. Ignorant joyeusement la température glaciale, les graines de chêne sautèrent et coururent dans les flaques jusqu’à ce que leurs bottes débordent.

Fête des Mères

La plus haute cascade d’Irlande, gonflée par les eaux de fonte venues des monts de Wicklow, était plus puissante que jamais, rugissant, fracassant, et aspergeant la rivière enflée d’une épaisse brume d’embruns.

En aval, les graines de chêne firent une bataille de boules de neige avec Brian, gants ou pas ! Ils jetèrent des poignées de neige dans un tuyau de drainage sous le chemin, vérifiant combien elles avaient fondu quand elles émergeaient de l’autre côté. 

Enfin, au prix d’un bel effort collectif et sous le regard amusé d’une dizaine de passants, ils réussirent à soulever un énorme carré de neige et à le pousser dans les flots rapides de la rivière. Comme il fondait rapidement dans le courant, nous l’avons suivi au fil de l’eau jusqu’au petit pont de bois découvert lors de notre visite précédente, en octobre.

Le pont et les sentiers au-delà étant encore fermés pour cause de neige, nous sommes remontés à la voiture. Certes, l’hiver s’attarde à la cascade de Powerscourt, mais de voir les graines de chêne jouer ainsi dans la neige a constitué pour moi le meilleur cadeau de Fête des Mères !

 

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary annual family membership to the Powerscourt Estate. All opinions are honest and my own.


Divulgation : J’ai reçu une carte d’adhésion annuelle gratuite du domaine de Powerscourt. Toutes les opinions sont personnelles et honnêtes, et n’engagent que moi.

Visitor information

Powerscourt Waterfall
Powerscourt Estate
Enniskerry
Co Wicklow
Tel. + 353 01 204 6000
Email info@powerscourt.net
Facebook @powerscourtestate
Open every day 10.30am-4pm Jan-Feb/Nov-Dec; 10.30am-5.30pm Mar-Apr/Sept-Oct; 9.30am-7pm May-June-July-August. Closed for 2 weeks before Christmas.
Admission: Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) €16; Adult €6; Senior/Student €5.50; Child (3 to 12) €3.50. Annual pass holders enjoy unlimited entry to the waterfall during opening hours.
There is ample parking, and toilet facilities at the playground. Dogs are allowed on a leash only.

Getting there

Travelling northbound (Dublin) on the N11, take Exit 8 (Kilmacanogue), then the first exit on the roundabout, signposted for Roundwood and Glendalough (R755). At the next roundabout, take the second exit and continue straight ahead on the R755.
Travelling southbound (Wexford) on the N11, take Exit 8 (Kilmacanogue), immediately after the Topaz petrol station, following signposts to Roundwood and Glendalough (R755). At the roundabout, take the last exit, to Kilmacanogue and Roundwood (R755). At the next roundabout, take the first exit for the R755.

Follow the R755 until a fork in the road. Turn right onto the R760, signposted for Powerscourt Waterfall and Glencree Drive. At the next junction, leave the R760 on the right and continue straight ahead onto a minor road, following signs for the waterfall and Glencree Drive. Follow this narrow road all the way to the gate for the waterfall.


logo-ireland-tourism-visitInfos pratiques

Cascade de Powerscourt
Powerscourt Estate
Enniskerry
Co Wicklow
Tel. + 353 01 204 6000
Email info@powerscourt.net
Facebook @powerscourtestate
Ouvert tous les jours 10h30-16h janvier-février/novembre-décembre ; 10h30-17h30 mars-avril/septembre-octobre ; 9h30-19h mai-juin-juillet-août. Fermé pendant deux semaines avant Noël.
Tarifs d’entrée : famille (2 adultes et jusqu’à 3 enfants) €16; adulte €6; étudiant/3e âge €5.50; enfant (3 à 12 ans) €3.50. Entrée libre pendant les heures d’ouverture pour les détenteurs d’une carte annuelle.
Grand parking et toilettes à côté de l’aire de jeux. Chiens en laisse autorisés.

S’y rendre

Circulant en direction du nord (Dublin) sur la N11, prenez la sortie 8 (Kilmacanogue) puis, au rond-point, la première sortie, en direction de Roundwood et Glendalough (R755). Au deuxième rond-point, prenez la deuxième sortie et continuez tout droit sur la R755.
Circulant en direction du sud (Wexford) sur la N11, prenez la sortie 8 (Kilmacanogue), tout de suite après la station service Topaz, et suivez les panneaux indiquant Roundwood et Glendalough (R755). Au rond-point, prenez la dernière sortie pour Roundwood et Glendalough (R755). Au rond-point suivant, prenez la première sortie pour la R755.

Continuez sur la R755. A la fourche, tournez à droite sur la R760 et suivez les panneaux pour Powerscourt Waterfall et Glencree Drive. A la prochaine intersection, là où la R760 vire à droite, continuez tout droit sur une route secondaire, signalée pour Powerscourt Waterfall et Glencree Drive. Suivez cette route étroite jusqu’au grand portail d’entrée de la cascade.

 

Kippers and Curtains

 

 
 

21 Responses to “Winter lingers at the Powerscourt Waterfall / L’hiver s’attarde à la cascade de Powerscourt

  • Stunning scenery #adventurecalling@_karendennis

  • I loved watching your boys mesmerised by the power of the waterfall, the sound was amazing! I really liked the photos of your boys running through the melting snow too, it looked like so much fun. Beautiful shots of a stunning landscape as always. Thank you so much for linking up to #pointshoot

  • Oh looks amazing! We love hiking and waterfall hunting with our kids. Would love to take them to Ireland one day. Hubby & I went together prekids and loved it. #ExplorerKids

  • Waterfalls are so pretty. That one looks amazing! #ExplorerKids

  • Wow! That looks like an amazing waterfall. I love the water wheel spiral on the kids playground too; I’ve never seen anything like that. #explorerkids

  • That is a stunning waterfall, so beautiful, no wonder your kids were mesmerised. #adventurecalling

  • Wow, that is impressive what a treat to go and see this! #ExplorerKids

  • Beautiful waterfall – looks like a bracing but very rewarding day out! #CountryKids

  • Waterfalls are so pretty and even better with snow. This looks like a fab place to explore

  • This looks like a fab place to explore. Waterfalls are always so pretty and even better with snow

  • What a lovely way to spend Mother’s Day #PointShoot

  • Oh wow Annette, what an beautiful place and stunning photography as usual. #ExplorerKids

  • What a stunning place to visit, the noise must have been quite something too #countrykids

  • What a beautiful looking spot. The snow really adds to the look of that stunning waterfall and well done the acorns for embracing their surrounding s and heading to play, even without their gloves. It looks a bracing way to spend Mother’s Day but a beautiful one and beats being indoors any day!

    Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

  • The way you write about places is almost poetic. I love the way you include all the senses to the stories of the places you visit. You write beautifully. #CountryKids

  • To be honest I a pretty fed up with the white stuff now, I would like to see some Spring flowers! Although the waterfall looks very pretty. When I was a child we visited Niagra when it was all iced up it was amazing! Happy belated Mothers day #CountryKids

  • What a waterfall! Seems like Mother’s Day was a snowy one all round this year! #AdventureCalling

  • The waterfall looks beautiful and it sounds like the acorns all had fun playing in the snow even without their gloves! #countrykids

  • What a stunning waterfall. It very much reminds me of Aber Falls, which is near our home, but I think yours just scrapes it on size – it looks magnificent! Thanks for linking up to #adventurecalling. I hope you can again when we open for more posts tomorrow.

  • That is an impressive waterfall! Love the sense of fun of your family, even the cold can’t put you off. It’s always a treat reading your posts and being transported to a faraway place. Thanks so much for sharing your perfect Mother’s Day outing #AdventureCalling

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