There is a surreal ‘Guinness Lake’ close to the UK which actually resembles a pint of the popular Irish stout. The Guinness Lake, officially known as Lough Tay, is in County Wicklow in Ireland. The lake appears dark in colour and at the top of it, it has a bright sandy bank which gives it the look of an actual pint of Guinness, aptly located in Ireland. A short drive from the UK, this lake is a bucket list item that avid travelers and fans of Guinness should have on their list.
County Wicklow, which is nicknamed the ‘Garden of Ireland’ thanks to its natural beauty, is located south of Dublin. For those whow want to travel there from the UK, there are a few options. Firstly, you can fly to Dublin Airport, which takes anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour from the UK, and drive down to Lough Tay. Alternatively, there are a number of ferry routes between the UK and Ireland, giving you the option to bring your own car. You can either get the ferry to Dublin or to Rosslare, which is located south of Wicklow in County Wexford.
Ferries to Dublin depart from Liverpool and North Wales, while ferries to Rosslare depart from South Wales. From Rosslare, the Guiness Lake is a 1 hour 36 minute drive. From Dublin, it takes around 55 minutes.
Now that we have figured out how to get there, let’s talk about Lough Tay, why you should visit and how exactly it resembles a pint of Guinness. It turns out that its resemblance to Guinness was actually very intentional.
The Guinness family, who owned this area of land, imported the sand to place at the top of the lake to make it look like a pint of stout.
There are a number of walking and hiking routes around Lough Tay that will give you the best views of it. The best viewpoints are along the R759 road.
For those wanting to get even higher, there is an easy boardwalk trail that leads up to the summet of Djouce mountain. Visitors to the Guinness Lake have raved about it, praising the amazing scenery.
One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: “Went here with family and we enjoyed the views of the surrounding areas. The area is very peaceful and quiet.”
Another said: “Took the scenic route from Dublin along the Sally Gap, and what a drive. The scenery on the drive is amazing and once you get to the view point for Lough Tay the view is stunning. Great photo opportunity.”
A third wrote: “We visited the lake as part of a coach tour, It was possibly the highlight of the tour. Sadly the driver on gave us 15 minutes to get of take photos and get back on the coach. If you want to visit here then find a different means of transport enabling you to have more time to view and explore.”
County Wicklow is one of the most scenic parts of the island of Ireland. Visitors to the Guinness Lake also enjoy attarctions such as Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains National Park and the seaside town of Bray, which was named by Time Out as the “Brighton of Ireland”.