Djouce Woods
Overview
Djouce once formed part of the Powerscourt Estate. The property would have had numerous roads and drives constructed back in the day, including Lady’s Drive and Earls Drive and now form part of our forest road and trail network. Other features include the Paddock Ponds that fed the water to the fountains of the Esate and it is also possible to see the remains of a boat house built into the bank on the western side of the ponds.
Views from Djouce include the Dargle River valley and Powerscourt Waterfall which is the highest falls in Ireland or Britain. Djouce Mountain (725m) lies to the south west in the Wicklow Mountain National Park. The area is a good jumping off point for accessing the mountain area of Djouce, War Hill, White Hill and Maulin and the Glensoulan valley. It also gives access to the Wicklow Way.
Things to do
Walk: There are two walking trails to explore at Djouce. The Blue Loop (4.5km, 1.5 hours, easy) follows one of the old driving roads where walkers get occasional views over to the Deer Park and the Powerscourt Waterfall.
The Deerpark loop (9km, 3 hours, moderate) takes in the Paddock ponds that were a water source for the famous Powerscourt fountains. It also gives walkers to admire panoramic views over the Sugarloaf, Bray, Klilliney Hill and Dublin Bay to Howth, along with the Glensoulan Valley , Maulin and an extensive area of wild land to the west.
Explore nature: Wildlife abounds in the area. One can see evidence of deer throughout the forest - descendants of the Sika Deer introduced into the estate over 100 years ago and now breeding freely with the native red deer. The best time to see deer is the hour before sundown or early morning.
Visitors Facilities on site
Car park – Please note the Winter Opening & Closing Times – 8.00am to 4.30pm