Another Walk of Discovery
As I do different walks towards the 50Mile January Challenge for Leitrim GAA & Ladies LGFA, I seek out Walks of Discovery to locations of great interest which I can discover/explore and share.
One such attraction is Dublin’s Newest Public Park, namely, Fernhill Park and Gardens bordering the Dublin mountains in Dublin’s southside near Stepaside. It was acquired as a public amenity by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County in 2014. It was a family estate, comprising 80 acres dating back to 1823 and has a unique collection of heritage buildings , gardens , parkland, woodland, agricultural land, and Rhododendrons, Camelias and Magnolias. The Council continues to develop the amenities including now - landscaping, footpaths, ponds, a play area, sports pitch, 400 metre running track, 3 car parks, woodland walks, a sports court and much more …….
My brother, Battie - an experienced daily walker took me on this Walk of Discovery this week as I had never been to the Fernhill Park.
We set off walking from St Mary’s Church in Sandyford Village - established in 1829 (photo 1) and proceeded along the Sandyford and Enniskerry Roads. After a nice steep series of steps we reached the elevated sports pitch and running track ( photo 2 ) where I did a bit of speed running towards the 50mile ( 80km) target. We are pictured (photo 3 ) at the side of the running track with Dublin City in the background. Finally, you can see a picture of the original family’s Fernhill House, built in the 1850s.
The round walking trip came to 7km and the elevation rise was 135metres (443ft ) - and a decent walk towards my target .
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