Lough Tay

Lough Tay sits in a deep glacial trough with the granite cliffs of Luggala rising almost vertically above its western shore. The water is stained near-black by the peat it drains, and at the northern end a strip of pale sand was brought in by a former owner, giving the contrast that produced the local nickname of the Guinness Lake - helped by the fact that the Guinness family owned the estate for much of the twentieth century. The lake and the valley floor are private land, so the standard visit is from a roadside viewpoint on the R759 that looks straight down the length of it. That viewpoint has a car park, an interpretation panel and a persistent parking problem on fine weekends. The valley was used as a filming location for the television series Vikings, which brought a surge of visitors and, briefly, a lot of illegal parking on a narrow road.

What you actually see

• The black water - peat-stained almost to the colour of stout.
• The Luggala cliffs - granite rising sheer above the western shore.
• The white beach - imported sand at the northern end.
• The viewpoint - the roadside platform looking down the valley.

When to go

May to September for the light and the road conditions. Early morning avoids both the crowds and the parking problem. The viewpoint faces west, so late afternoon light is better than midday.

Honest expectations

You cannot get down to the lake - the valley is private property. The whole visit is a roadside viewpoint and takes half an hour. Parking is limited and the road is narrow; blocking it is both unsafe and enforced.

Nearby

The Sally Gap is north; Glendalough is south-west through Roundwood.