We started from camp at the "8-Acres," Powerscourt, across hayfields and cattle grazing land, downhill and through thick chestnut and sycamore woods. We made our first halt by a Scout log-cabin built aloft in a fir tree left of the road. The Dargle river ran alongside, shallow, rapid, and brownish on account of the peaty soil. Bracken and evergreens grew everywhere. Presently we entered woods of elm and fir. Here it started to rain.

We passed a toll-house, and a notice that " These lands are poisoned."- Some geese and chickens, however, were grazing outside a house on the right. The river was surrounded by a bog; the valley was very steep, the road running about half way up it. We saw some deer grazing here.

We reached the waterfall at the head of the valley (350 ft. high). Seeing no roads ahead we turned back and asked directions from the old man in the last cottage passed. We now ascended a steep hill and noticed the name "Valclusa" on a gate; this was one of the places on the route. The country was now barren, bramble and bracken covered for the most part. The road was 3rd class, but with good surface. Here we passed, and spoke to, one of the only three pigs I saw in Ireland. We enquired the way to Long Hill from a farm, and found we were on the right road, which mounted the hillside, and we should have had a very fine view of the country but for drizzly mist, which still persisted. Further on, hay was being mowed. Passing a cross-road with farm, cows and turkeys, we proceeded along a steep and badly made road, and enquired the way to "St. Kevin's Well." We were told that if it was anywhere at all, Mr. Redden of Long Hill would direct us to it.

A second cottager, further on, said Mr. R's house was straight ahead. At the top of Long Hill (1,040 ft.) we were told St. Kevin's Well was 14 miles ahead, near Glendalough. Finding Mr. R's house at last, we encountered only a small child who could tell us nothing. On Ballyremon Common, a bleak spot devoid of trees or_houses, the mist became a drizzle and a head wind sprang up. We saw the waterfall and pinewoods back across the valley, only half a mile distant. After taking bearings from this, we walked a mile across the moorland in driving mist, and were beginning to wonder whether we had lost our way, when out of the mist appeared the very welcome figure of a shepherd, who told us St. Kevin's Well was only a little farther on.

Half a mile further, some hay-carters informed us the well was about a mile ahead, but at the next farm we were assured it was about 7 miles on. At another farm we learned that we were only a half-mile off it, but by this time we were thoroughly fed up with the name of the place. A tramp sheltering in a barn told us the well was only a quarter of a mile further, so we hurried onwards, only to find, to our disgust, that St. Kevin's Well was a spring gush-ing at about a gallon a minute into a large stream.

We returned to the farm house but nobody was about, so we continued our journey over barren gorse-land, with cows grazing in the fields, passing a church among trees on the left Ahead of us we could see the Sugar Loaf Mountain (1,700 ft.). On the right we passed a narrow lane with a sign post "Calary Church." The church was hidden in a small copse. Later on, we passed an inn, the first we had met on the route, and fields with potatoes and cabbages growing. The Sugar Loaf was now covered with clouds. On our left we came once more to Ballyremon Common. A little farther on, we had a good view of the wooded Powerscourt Estate, with our camp site On our left we could see Killough River, so we enquired at a small farmhouse for Killough, expecting it to be a village, only to discover we were in Killough. We now passed some tea rooms, but the country was still bleak ; after a while we found a house called Cwain Rude (sic). Over several streams and through woods, we reached Tinnahinch Bridge and passed through the gilt gate of the Powerscourt Estate, known locally as "The Golden Gate."

The Dargle ran along the left of the road, deep and smooth. The Sugar Loaf we could see 'due South. We climbed up a series of S-bends into the main drive of the Estate, and turned left, along avenues of horse-chestnut and beech, in front of the house, but concealed therefrom by a high wall. A sign-post by a farm showed that the road we had come by was from Ennis-kerry ; we went straight ahead along the one labelled " Waterfall," through woods and more woods to our camp, arriving at 11.15 a.m.

Patrol Leadr. G. L. GREEN, 1st Gidea Park.