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The beautiful Avondale Forest Park is filled with marked walks and nature trails, some of them along the bucolic setting of the River Avonmore banks. There is also an 18th-century arboretum within the park, with an impressive range of plant species.

The delightful Georgian village of Blessington is where the beautifully preserved Palladian mansion Russborough House, and its famous Beit Art Collection, is to be found. From here, yet again, there are good views of the mountains while, just south of the village, the River Liffey has been dammed to form a picturesque lake reservoir, popular with Dubliners for picnic outings and water-sports.

A top recreation site for families, the fun park is in the Vale of Clara, and near the village of Laragh – hence the name. Its rides are mostly based around water, but there are Go Karts, too, and the highest slide in Ireland, as well as tree-houses, climbing frames and picnic areas.

Although close to Wicklow Town, this romantic wooded glen, with its waterfall and chirruping birds, is a haven of peace and tranquillity. It is part of the pretty valley of the Vartry. Perfect for walking or riding, it makes a quiet escape within an hour’s drive of Dublin. There are many pleasant self-catering apartments and cottages to rent, as well as stables, and other holiday facilities.

Close to Dublin, this steeply hilly woodland is part of the Powerscourt Estate. With the beautiful Powerscourt Waterfall at its centre, it is a popular area for an outing from the city, especially for walks, picnics, jogging and orienteering. Deer and red squirrel can be seen among the oak, Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, beech and chestnut trees.

This bleak and remote crossroads on the mountain road between Dublin and Glendalough stands at one of the highest mountain passes in Ireland. With its extensive areas of watery bog, the country is so inaccessible around here that it was a favourite hideout for Irish warriors and nationalist rebels during the centuries of conflicts between the English and Irish forces.

“There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet,” wrote 19th-century poet Thomas Moore in his work The Meeting of the Waters . It is perhaps not as idyllic now as it was then, but the meeting of rust-coloured rivers among wooded hills is still enticing. Avoca Handweavers, at the nearby village, produce wonderful authentic tweeds in Ireland’s oldest handweaving mill.

This high point on the little R756 road through the Wicklow Mountains is also on the mountain route to Glendalough from Dublin. Turn here to climb up to the 2,670-ft (816-m) Tonelagee viewpoint, with its breathtaking panoramic view. There are few places that better capture the lonely beauty of this mountain range.

Wicklow’s modest county town has a low-key charm, with its harbour and unpretentious pubs. The one unmissable sight is Wicklow Gaol. A shocking tale is told at this notorious historic jailhouse (closed in 1924), where hundreds of Irish rebels were detained, often tortured and, in many cases, hanged. Evocative exhibitions fill in the background, including a section on the deportation of the inmates to the colonies, such as Australia.

For those who really want to see the mountains at close hand, there’s nothing better than walking. Numerous easy marked local paths run through pretty hill country, while the Wicklow Way is for serious hikers. This 82-mile (130-km) marked path makes its way through the heart of the region, all the way from Dublin to Clonegal, in County Carlow.