Overview
The Vartry (Irish: An Fhairtir) is a short river that does a lot of work. It rises in the peaty Calary Bog beneath the Great Sugar Loaf, runs down through County Wicklow past Wicklow town, and reaches the Irish Sea at Wicklow Harbour. For its modest length it carries roughly 40% of Dublin’s drinking water, feeds the planting at Mount Usher Gardens, and gave Wicklow town its harbour. The reservoir scheme at Roundwood is the real story here, more than the river itself.
The 1865 waterworks
By the 1850s Dublin had outgrown its water supply. The Dublin Waterworks Act of 1861 authorised damming the Vartry at Roundwood, and the reservoir was completed in 1865. Its stone dam, pipe network and a tunnel driven through the hills delivered the city’s first clean mass-supply water. The scheme still serves around 200,000 homes and provides roughly 40% of the city’s needs – a Victorian piece of engineering that has never really been replaced, only added to.
The river’s name is older than the dam. It appears in 12th-century documents as Fertir or Fortir, probably from an Old Irish word for ‘fortress’, perhaps a reference to a ring-fort that once stood at Glasnamullen.
Mount Usher Gardens
The river’s best stretch for a visitor runs through Mount Usher Gardens at Ashford. The 22-acre gardens are laid out Robinsonian style on both banks, with the Vartry channelled over weirs between the beds, and hold a large collection of trees and shrubs including magnolias, azaleas and Chilean fire trees. The water is part of the design rather than a backdrop to it. There is an admission charge and seasonal hours, so check the gardens’ website before travelling; this is the one paid attraction on the river and the one most worth the money.
Wicklow town and the harbour
The Vartry’s mouth gave Wicklow a natural anchorage, and the harbour grew on trade in coal and other goods. The Bridge Tavern, dating to the early 18th century, was the birthplace in 1836 of Robert Halpin, the sea captain who went on to help lay over 26,000 miles of trans-Atlantic telegraph cable aboard the Great Eastern. The pub still trades and tells the story; details are on the Bridge Tavern website.
Above the harbour stand the ruins of the Black Castle, a 12th-century Anglo-Norman tower on a rocky promontory. The interior is closed, but the headland around it is open and gives the best view over the river mouth and coast.
The walk
A level riverside path runs from the town centre down to the harbour, with benches and interpretive panels along the way and views to the Wicklow Mountains inland. It is short, flat and suitable for most abilities, and links onward to sections of the Wicklow Way for anyone wanting to keep going. Otters and kingfishers are on the quieter stretches, though you will need patience and an early start to see either.
Practical information
- Mount Usher Gardens – paid entry, seasonal hours; check the website before visiting. Limited wheelchair routes – ring the visitor centre ahead.
- The walk – free, level and largely wheelchair-friendly, town centre to harbour.
- Getting there – the N11 runs close by, with parking at the harbour and at the gardens. Bus Éireann services between Dublin and Wicklow town stop within walking distance of the riverside walk.
- Fishing – permitted on some stretches; a permit may be required, so check with Wicklow County Council first.
Wicklow weather turns quickly, so bring a rain jacket even on a bright morning.