Woodland Walks
Now that we can venture further from home we're all desperately thinking of the places to visit that we haven't been to for months. Woodlands feature highly in our plans since they offer both headspace and space to ramble amongst nature's finest trees. Seeking places to escape from the house and finding places that are both calming and invigorating is probably high on every family's agenda.
Our Woodland Guide highlights 10 'Woody Places' to visit arranged by driving distance.
TIP: To view more pictures than we can host here check out the Google Map icon on each entry.
There aren't as many 'Woodlands' as we think
Although the Navan neighbourhood is blessed with many urban trees it is really surprising to note how few woodland parks County Meath actually has.
CLICK HERE to reveal a few interesting snippets about County Meath
6% Woodland
The Forest Statistics Ireland 2020 makes for interesting, albeit very very long, reading. It reveals that County Meath has approx 133 km2 of forest cover. Read that again because it's not a typo error! Nearly half of all of Ireland's woodlands are privately owned although some do offer public access.
County Meath ranks 21st, out of the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland, for woodland area. Considering that County Meath encompasses 2,342 km² the woodland area only equates to less than 6%!
Where are our local evergreen trees?
Conifers occupy nearly 480k ha while broadleaved species cover nearly 195k ha which is very surprising since when we look around Navan we barely see any! Where do the nesting birds and bats rest over winter? Perhaps the lack of evergreens in housing estates is one reason why our estate lawns are waterlogged over winter?
Some interesting Key Facts in the report:
Forest trees began recolonising Ireland following the end of the last glacial stage 10,000 years ago. Analysis of pollen from peat bogs illustrates the establishment of forests that once covered 80% of the land surface;
The area of forest in 2017 is estimated to be 7,700 km², or 11% of the total land area of Ireland, which is a 6,000 km² increase on the 1656 or 2.5% recording.
Of the total forest area, 3,913 km² or 50.8% is in public ownership, mainly Coillte;
The forest estate is comprised of 71.2% conifers and 28.7% broadleaves;
Nearly three-quarters of the stocked forest area is less than 30 years of age.
According to their 2020 report 'Sitka Spruce' is the most common species amounting to just over 51% of our forest area. Only 1/4 of the forest area contains broadleaves and of these the majority are Willows, followed by Birch, Ash, and Oaks.
Reference: Forest Statistics Ireland 2020
Woodland Venues
Arranged by driving time.
NOTE : Before you venture far from home you might want to investigate public toilet facilities before you commit to a day trip!
Practically On Our Doorstep
The River Boyne
Only a few minutes drive/walk/cycle to the nearest section of the River Boyne there are many features to see along the riverside trail and the seasons dramatically change the experience. The new path and improvements makes this a very popular weekend trail. For the adventureous it takes an hour to walk from Navan to Broadboyne bridge but don't forget the walk back too!
With access points at the Kilcarn Bridge, the Ramparts, Boyne Road, Broadboyne Bridge, and much further afield at Slane, you will find limited car parking at each point.
NOTE : We do not enjoy the same rambling rights in law as some other countries. The northern bank of the River Boyne is not generally accessible without landowner consent.
CLICK HERE to reveal more on this recent issue.
Stretching between Flower Hill and the Broadboyne (Stackallen) Bridge, and beyond, the north side riverbank has always has been Private Property. Most access points have 'Private Property / No Public Access' signage on display, hence we've not previously mentioned the existence of the trail.
In late April the access routes leading to the River Boyne north bank path, on the Blackcastle Demesne side, were fenced off which prevents local people from the opportunity during lockdown to exercise and experience the River's natural beauty. Rumour has circulated on social media that this could be due to public liability insurance. Fishermen retain certain rights to access the trail and hopefully, the Council will intervene to reach a deal with the landowner.
It is also hoped that either the latest 'Ruxton Close' housing development or plans for the Boyne Trail from Drogheda to Navan will create access to this magnificent natural feature in the near future.
10 Minutes
Dalgan Park
7.5km of trail will hopefully become accessible again to the public.
A very popular venue with over 7km of walks through woodland, fields and along the river.
We do hope to revisit it again when the time is right especially since it's so close.
Read our previous review here.
The Hill Of Tara
Most of the venue is open grassland but the small wooded area has some extremely old trees to explore.
A 10 minute drive south of Navan it was just outside the 5km lockdown radius for most people. The venue is extremely popular with walkers, sightseers, cyclists, and pretty much everyone.
During lockdown it became more of a place to get exercise than its intended purpose as a place of historical and spiritual interest.
Balrath Woods
Popular looped walk for families.
Reopened to the public in June but please note there is no parking on the road outside the official car park - new double yellow lines!!!
It has also been reported that with the recent reopening all the swings have been removed - perhaps for health reasons?
A 10 minute drive east of Navan and beyond Kentstown you'll discover Balrath forest walk. With free entry throughout the year, every season presents something new along its 2.5 km looped walk.
You can read our previous review here.
15 Minutes
Jamestown Bog
The wooded area is quite small but it looks like it could feature in movie scenes.
Bohermeen hosts a 5km perimeter loop walk around the bog or a shorter 45min forest loop walk. You will need sturdy shoes for the rough stone trail and you can get wet feet if you venture off the path.
Parking is on the road so be considerate, and there's usually a coffee van near the picnic area but there's no loo!
20 Minutes
Littlewood Forest
Pleasant child friendly short route.
Drive north to the far side of Slane and this venue certainly lives up to its name as being 'little'. However, it is perfect for a brief hour amble following the 'one-way' perimeter gravel trail at a leisurely pace.
Parking is at the entrance and if there's no spare space just wait a few minutes since visitors come and go fairly quickly.
Whilst visiting you might as well visit the Hill of Slane 5 minutes away for a great scenic view.
25 Minutes
Townley Hall Woods
A variety of trail steps and slopes to get the muscles working.
The 2km woodland nature trail is on the border of counties Meath and Louth.
There is a viewing point overlooking the Battle of the Boyne site which is also worth a visit - free entry to their gardens.
There are car parking areas on opposite sides of the trail with picnic areas.
30 Minutes
Girley Bog
A 30 minute drive west the eco trails are a really nice raised walkway feature. The path combines forest and bogland with 6Km and 1.5Km loop walks.
An excellent venue with parking, shop and picnic areas.
40 Minutes
Dún an Rí Forest Park
Located on the County Cavan-County Monaghan border it's well worth the drive. Originally part of the Cabre estate the forest hosts four signposted walks to keep you occupied.
Car parking is charged at €5 per day unless you purchase an Annual Access Card €40.00.
45 Minutes
Deerpark
Lovely forest walk, very peaceful with a wide spacious trail.
The river running through the Virginia park offers it a unique feature and with some trees being over 100 years old this is a very well presented forest walk. You can easily wander for an hour around the longest route or 30 min for the shortest. There are a few great spots to have a picnic or simply to take a seat and admire the view over the lake.
There's car parking at the Virginia RFC, but avoid days when rugby games are on, alternatively park at the Lake Viewing Spot to the south.
There are no toilet facilities but the town is only a short drive/walk away.
Related Articles
It's never good to hear of local trees being felled and it is a reminder to cherish those we see around us. Since no one really knows what we actually have In our neighborhood we seek Your Help to record and protect them.
Find out how you can Help Map Our Trees.