Glendalough Upper Lake

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Glendalough Upper Lake
Glendalough Upper Lake from South-West.png
Overall view
Island of Ireland relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Ireland
Location County Wicklow
Coordinates 53°00′10″N6°21′57″W / 53.00276°N 6.36584°W / 53.00276; -6.36584 Coordinates: 53°00′10″N6°21′57″W / 53.00276°N 6.36584°W / 53.00276; -6.36584
Type Glacial lake
Primary inflows Glenealo river, Lugduff Brook
Primary outflows Glenealo river
Basin  countries Ireland
Max. length1.4 km (0.87 mi) [1]
Max. width0.52 km (0.32 mi) [1]
Max. depth30 m (98 ft) [2]
Surface elevation440 ft (130 m) [3]
Islands no

Glendalough Upper Lake ( Irish : An Loch Uachtair [4] ) is a glacial lake near Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland.

Contents

Geography

Eastern shore of the lake Lac superieur Glendalough.JPG
Eastern shore of the lake

The lake is located in the Wicklow Mountains area west of Glendalough Early Medieval monastic settlement. [5] Near the southern shore stands a small rectangular church named Temple-na-Skellig, only accessible by boat and a series of steps from the landing stage; a nearby cliff hosts a cave called St. Kevin's bed, [6] reputedly a retreat for St. Kevin and later for St. Laurence O'Toole.

Geology

The lake is classified as a ribbon lake. The Upper and the Lower lake were at first united but one of their inflow brought an amount of sediment large enough to divide the original lake in two parts. [2]

Hiking

Close to the eastern tip of the lake passes the Wicklow Way, a long distance waymarked walking trail, on its way from Rathfarnham in the north to its southerly point of Clonegal. [7]

Nature conservation

Ducks on the lake shore Ducks Upper Lake 03.JPG
Ducks on the lake shore

The Upper Lake is part of the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Among the plants living near the coast can be cited the white waterlily and the broad-leaved pondweed. Some of its shore is occupied by a marsh with horsetail, bottle sedge and common reed, which is a convenient place to spot dragonflies. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Wicklow Way 131 kilometre trail over the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland

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R756 road (Ireland)

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Lough Oughter

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Conavalla Mountain in Wicklow, Ireland

Conavalla at 734 metres (2,408 ft), is the 69th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 85th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale. The summit of Conavalla sits just off the main "central spine" of the Wicklow mountains range in Ireland, as it runs from Kippure in the north, to Lugnaquillia in the south. Conavalla's large massif to the north-east is described as a "wet and boggy barren plain" whose various shoulders dominate the head of the Glendalough valley, and the upper east-side of the Glenmalure valley.

Valleymount Village in Leinster, Ireland

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Saint Kevins Way Pilgrim path in County Wicklow, Ireland

The Saint Kevin's Way is a pilgrim path in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is 30 kilometres long and begins in the village of Hollywood, crosses the Wicklow Gap, and ends at the remains of the medieval monastery in Glendalough. An alternative spur route begins at Valleymount and joins the main trail at Ballinagee Bridge. It is typically completed in one day.

Turlough Hill Power Station Hydroelectric station in Wicklow, Ireland

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Lugduff Mountain in Wicklow, Ireland

Lugduff at 652 metres (2,139 ft), is the 154th–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 186th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale. Lugduff is situated in the southern sector of the Wicklow Mountains range, and forms a broad horseshoe around the Upper Lake of the Glendalough valley with the mountains of Mullacor 661 metres (2,169 ft), Conavalla 734 metres (2,408 ft), the hydroelectric station at Turlough Hill 681 metres (2,234 ft), and Camaderry 699 metres (2,293 ft).

References

  1. 1 2 "Upper Lake /An Loch Uachtair, Glendalough, co. Wicklow, Ireland" . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "Lakes & Rivers" (PDF). Wicklow Mountains National Park. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  3. The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. 1843. p. 351.
  4. "An Loch Uachtair" . Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  5. "Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland". Brockagh Resource Centre. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  6. Margaret Greenwood; Mark Connolly; Geoff Wallis (2003). Ireland. Rough Guides. p. 154. ISBN   9781843530596 . Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  7. "Roundwood to Glendalough" . Retrieved 2016-10-27.

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