The move itself from Dublin to Wicklow is usually straightforward once you’re on the road. Where these jobs actually go wrong is at the Dublin end, with parking, narrow streets and apartment access, and at the Wicklow end with rural lanes that a big truck simply cannot get down. Sort those two things out before moving day and the rest of it is just normal removals work.
We do a steady stream of these moves, families leaving Dublin for more space, a garden, or a shorter commute against the tide once they’re settled in Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole or further out towards Rathdrum and Blessington. The pattern is nearly always the same: a terraced house or apartment in Dublin with tight access, and a bigger property in Wicklow with its own driveway but sometimes a lane that was never built for a removals truck.
Why so many Dublin families are looking at Wicklow
The appeal is obvious once you’ve lived in Dublin for a few years with a growing family. Wicklow gives you a garden, a driveway, more square footage for the same or less money, and towns like Greystones and Bray that still have a Dart line into the city. Further south and west, in Arklow, Rathdrum and Blessington, the commute is longer but the housing stock stretches further again.
What people underestimate is how different the properties are. A lot of our Dublin collections are from Victorian terraces, duplexes or apartment blocks. The Wicklow drop-off is often a detached or semi-detached house with an attic, a shed, maybe a converted garage. That’s not a bad thing, but it does mean the move has two very different access problems to solve, not one.
What actually trips people up on the Dublin end
Parking is the single biggest cause of a slow, stressful moving day in Dublin. If you’re on a residential permit street, a pay and display road, or anywhere with clamping, you need to sort a parking suspension or cone off a space well in advance. Leave it until the morning of the move and you’ll lose an hour of the crew’s time just finding somewhere legal to park the van, and that hour gets added to the job.
Apartments bring their own version of the same problem. Management companies often require you to book the lift and the loading bay, and some restrict moves to certain hours or certain days of the week. If there’s no lift, or it’s out of service that day, everything has to come down the stairs by hand, which changes how long the job takes and how many people you need on site.
Our advice is always the same: ring the management company or check with Dublin City Council (or the relevant local authority) about parking suspensions at least a week out, not the night before.
What catches people out at the Wicklow end
This is the one Dublin-based removals firms sometimes miss, because they don’t do enough runs out here to know the roads. A lot of the nicer properties around Roundwood, Kilmacanogue, Enniskerry and the hills above Blessington are down narrow lanes with no passing space and nowhere to turn a long truck. We’ve seen jobs where a crew turns up with the wrong size vehicle and has to shuttle everything the last few hundred metres by hand, which nobody wants on a day that’s already long enough.
Weather matters more here too. Those same rural lanes get slick and awkward after rain, and anywhere with an incline can be genuinely tricky in winter. If your move is happening between November and February, it’s worth asking whoever you book to confirm they know the specific road, not just the townland.
Timing it around school terms and the commute
Most of the commuter families we move are trying to land the move either at the end of a school term or well before the next one starts, so kids aren’t changing schools mid-year if they can avoid it. That tends to bunch demand around June, August and the days either side of Christmas, so if you want a specific date in those windows, book earlier rather than later.
The other timing factor is traffic. The N11/M11 corridor and the Bray bypass and Glen of the Downs stretch can be slow at commuter hours. If your move involves two trips, or a Dublin collection followed by a Wicklow drop and a return for a second load, starting early in the day avoids a lot of that.
What pushes the cost of a Dublin to Wicklow move up or down
We don’t quote prices without seeing the job, because the same “two-bed to three-bed” move can vary hugely depending on the details below. These are the things that actually move the number:
- Access at both ends: stairs, lifts, parking restrictions in Dublin and lane width or turning space in Wicklow.
- Volume and furniture size: large items like wardrobes, sofas or a piano usually need extra hands or disassembly.
- Distance and route: Bray and Greystones are a short run from most of Dublin; Arklow or Rathdrum add real driving time.
- Date flexibility: midweek and off-peak dates are generally easier to schedule than weekends at term changeovers.
- Packing: doing your own packing versus asking the crew to pack fragile and kitchen items for you.
- Clearance needs: whether you also need an old house cleared, an attic emptied, or bulky items removed separately before the move.
Getting settled once you’re in Wicklow
A lot of commuter families moving into an older Wicklow house inherit someone else’s clutter along with the keys, an attic full of the previous owners’ belongings, a shed nobody’s touched in years, or furniture too big for the new layout. If that’s the case for you, it’s worth sorting an attic clearance or a full house clearance before you start unpacking properly, rather than working around boxes that aren’t even yours.
If you’re leaving a rented place in Dublin, most landlords expect the property handed back cleared and clean, and an end of tenancy clearance takes that whole job off your plate on top of the move itself. And if your sale or purchase date moves (which happens constantly with chains), we also run same day removals for exactly that kind of last-minute situation.
We’ve been covering removals across Wicklow, from Bray and Greystones down to Arklow, Rathdrum and Blessington, for years, and Dublin-to-Wicklow is one of the most common jobs we do. If you’re planning this move, get in touch through our removals and moving services page and tell us a bit about both properties, Dublin end and Wicklow end, and we’ll give you a straight answer on what it’ll take.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I book a Dublin to Wicklow removal?
For most dates, two to three weeks’ notice is plenty. If you’re moving at the end of June, in August, or around the Christmas school break, book earlier, because those windows get busy with other commuter families doing the same thing.
Do I need to arrange parking suspension in Dublin myself?
Usually yes. If you’re on a permit street, pay and display road, or anywhere liable to clamping, contact the local authority about a parking suspension or cone off a space well before the move. It’s the single biggest cause of delays on moving day.
Will a big removals truck fit down rural lanes in Wicklow?
Not always. A lot of properties around Roundwood, Enniskerry and the hills near Blessington are on narrow lanes with no turning space. Tell whoever you book the exact location in advance so they can send the right size vehicle rather than discovering the problem on the day.
Can you help if I also need to clear out an attic or garage after the move?
Yes, that’s a common follow-on job. We handle attic clearances and full house clearances separately from the removal itself, so you’re not stuck living around boxes and old furniture that aren’t even yours.
What if my moving date changes at short notice?
That happens a lot with chain sales. We run same day removals for exactly this situation, so a last-minute date change doesn’t leave you stuck without a van.
