Lough Dan

Lough Dan (Irish: Loch Deán) is a boomerang-shaped ribbon lake near Roundwood, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a popular area for hikers and kayakers and lies very close to the Wicklow Way.

The Inchavore river flows into Lough Dan from the west and Lough Tay feeds it via the Cloghoge river from the north. It is drained to the south by the Avonmore.

Most of the lake is surrounded by private lands, though the northwest corner is part of the Wicklow National Park.

The Cloghoge River flows out of Lough Tay and into Lough Dan. The Inchavore River flows in another glacial valley from the west to enter Lough Dan. The scenery around here is spectacular. The valley floor at 230m is very fertile. The remains of lazy beds, which were ridges built for growing vegetables, cover the valley. They are evidence of higher population levels in the mountains in the past. Arctic Char Salvelinus alpinus was last recorded in the lake in 1988. This fish is one of the oldest inhabitants of Ireland but a recent survey found no trace of them, indicating the species is now extinct in Co. Wicklow. There are Peregrine Falcon sites on the steep cliffs overlooking the lake on the eastern side, and some lovely broad-leaved woodland in the Inchavore Valley. The Cloghoge and Inchavore Rivers are rich in invertebrates and breeding Dippers and Grey Wagtails can be seen around the river. Herons and Cormorants roost near the mouth of the Cloghoge River.