DEIRDRE DAVYSstands her ground when faced with some rutting stags on Camaderry, near Glenadalough, in Co Wicklow
THE TESTOSTERONE levels on the northwest flanks of Camaderry in early autumn soar high above those at your average teenage disco on a Friday night. Rutting stags warding off rivals for groups of skittish does could teach your typical 15-year-old stud a thing or two.
The secret is to stand your ground, roar loudly every so often and stare at your enemy straight between the eyes. It certainly works for ever-so-slightly nervous hillwalkers who are trying to pick the driest path through rain-sodden bog and are not particularly anxious to have to make a dash for it if the stag decides to lower his antlers and charge.
You hear them before you see them, as their russet coats blend perfectly into the autumnal shades of the bog. The doe, always more timid, will bound away, white rumps bobbing up and down as they leap from tussock to tussock.
So how do you find these lovely creatures? First of all park in the free car park at the Glendalough visitor centre, having left another car up at the Wicklow Gap.
Turn left as you leave the car park and walk along the road past the hotel, over the bridge and past the entrance to the round tower and the ruins, all the while pretending that you don’t see the stalls selling leprechauns, plastic monks, tea towels and all manner of kitsch.
Keep walking until you reach the wonderful old beech trees and a little road to your right. Take this road and walk past some big gates marked as leading to the Lodge. The road curves around to run alongside the Glendasan River. Ash, beech and birch trees tower over you, and the river tumbles its way over giant boulders. Pass a black-and-yellow gate and some huge Scots pines.
There are two sets of stepping stones in the river. Ignore the first set, and just after the second set look for a sign with what looks like a little house with a cross on it and a drawing of a monk. Go left here, into the wood, and follow the path upwards, winding gently around the side of the mountain.
Suddenly you will come to a junction, one path going off down to the left, the other going straight on through wonderful stands of old pines. Keep going straight on. As you come out of the trees, the path ends in a big circle or clearing, with another path going off up to the right. Take this one. This green road, flanked in summer by high ferns, looks as if a couple of sheep are employed full time to keep it perfectly trimmed for the tourists.
As you rise up, more and more mountains become visible in a great circle around you, most notably perhaps Tonlagee, at 817m one of the highest in Wicklow. You will now meet a sign telling you about path construction in the area. Veer ever so slightly to the right at this signpost and you will see black rubber mats set into the bog, to protect it from the boots of passing walkers.
If the weather is bad take a compass bearing on the spot height 677m. Once there, take another bearing to the top at 698m. This is a lovely flat spot, with plenty of rocks to sit on, where you can have your lunch. In good weather a compass is not necessary, as a well-trodden path leads to the summit.
Now you have two options. If you left a car at the parking spot at the Wicklow Gap, you could follow the worn track past peat hags and on towards the great banks surrounding the reservoir, which dominates the skyline ahead of you. From there pick up the tarmac road that leads back down to the car park.
Alternatively, keep with the track down to the centre of the col – spot height 627m – then head directly south, down a very boggy wet slope, towards the Glenealo River. You will be walking through wet ground that is draining into the river and forming one of its tributaries. It is here that you are likely to encounter the deer – and now you have another decision to make.
Do you sit on the decidedly wet ground and learn a thing or two about protecting those you love from possible rivals or do you walk by ever so carefully, pretending that you are not remotely interested, yet all the while looking over your shoulder to see what is going on and at the same time trying not to put your feet into a bog hole?
Eventually, if you keep going, you will reach the river and pick up a well-worn track following it downwards and leading to the old miners’ village, farther along the valley floor.
This is spectacular country, a paradise for geography teachers. You can almost hear them pointing out the hanging valleys, the glacial deposits and the lakes carved out by the moving glacier. Looking up the cliff face to your left, you may just make out some tiny figures hanging precariously on the rock face, defying death as they get their weekend adrenalin fix.
The final five kilometres are among the most beautiful in all of Co Wicklow. The river rushes down over huge rocks, forming deep, dark pools that entice the footsore and weary to come in and have a jacuzzi.
At one point the path skirts a huge boulder on which a lone holly tree leans out over the river, its gnarled trunk and dark green leaves contrasting perfectly with the white grey rocks of the path and the tumbling water below.
As you approach the upper reaches of the lake the landscape changes again. Like Gulliver in the land of the giants, you pass beneath stately pines – real Scots pines, not the ubiquitous spruce of the state forests. Through the trees the lake water sparkles in the afternoon sunlight (if you are lucky), and you might spot the occasional romantic couple perched on a rock at the water’s edge, completing the perfect picture.
Too soon you will reach the hordes in the upper car park; from here take the boardwalk running parallel to the road all the way back to your car. The final kilometre is a slog, but the views are so lovely it is hard to complain.
Start and finishCar park at Glendalough Visitor Centre.
How to get thereSt Kevin's Bus (glendaloughbus.com) from Dublin or by car.
MapOrdnance Survey Ireland Discovery Series 56.
TimeAbout four hours.
Distance12.5km.
SuitabilitySuitable for all ages if reasonably fit.
Places to stay Glendalough hostel (0404- 45342, anoige.ie/hostels), the Glendalough Hotel (0404-45135, glendalough hotel.com) or any of the numerous BBs in the area.