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Day Trips · Leinster, Dublin

Avoca Village & Meeting of the Waters

A working woollen mill village at the confluence immortalised by poet Thomas Moore

  • Distance70 km from city centre
  • Travel time2.5 hours by bus; 1h 15min by car
  • TransportBus Éireann route 133 (buseireann.ie) from Dublin city centre to Avoca via Wicklow and Arklow; 2 departures Mon–Sat, 1 on Sun; about 2.5 hours; from €13 one-way (~$14.30)
  • Rating★ 4.5
  • Best seasonSpring–autumn; the riverside path to the Meeting of the Waters is best walked in dry conditions
Avoca Village & Meeting of the Waters

Avoca is a small village on the River Avoca, home to Ireland's oldest working woollen mill (established 1723, now a shop and café). Two kilometres north, the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers join at the Meeting of the Waters, the beauty spot that inspired Thomas Moore's 1807 poem of the same name; a flat riverside footpath connects the village to the confluence.

Practical information for Avoca Village & Meeting of the Waters
Distance 70 km from city centre
Travel time 2.5 hours by bus; 1h 15min by car
Getting there Bus Éireann route 133 (buseireann.ie) from Dublin city centre to Avoca via Wicklow and Arklow; 2 departures Mon–Sat, 1 on Sun; about 2.5 hours; from €13 one-way (~$14.30)
Address Avoca Village, County Wicklow, Y14 Ireland

How to get there

  • Bus Éireann route 133
  • Car (1h 15min via N11/M11 and R754)
  • Guided day tour (often paired with Glendalough)

Weather through the year in Ireland

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Average daytime temperature in °C. Figures are for Ireland.

Location

Avoca Village, County Wicklow, Y14 Ireland

52.8667, -6.2167 View on map

Highlights

  • Avoca Handweavers Mill shop and café, the original site of the Avoca brand
  • The Meeting of the Waters riverside walk, roughly 2 km each way, flat and well-marked
  • The village itself, used as the fictional 'Ballykissangel' in the 1990s BBC television series
  • Motte Stone viewpoint above the village for a wider valley view (short uphill walk)

Tips for visiting

  • The bus schedule is limited (as few as one return service on Sundays) — check buseireann.ie before travelling and plan the return time first
  • A day trip combining Avoca with Glendalough by car is common since both sit in the Vale of Avoca / Wicklow Mountains area, but there is no direct bus link between the two
  • The mill shop and café can get busy with coach tour groups around midday; an early or late visit is quieter