For the past few months we have all been laying low across the country and the world, retreating to our homes and cocooning within our family units due to Covid-19. This has been a very different time for us all and it has been amazing to see how some of our local businesses in the Boyne Valley have diversified to provide goods and services to their customers throughout. Local businesses and their employees now need our help and we thought we would bring you some news from our tourism industry across the Boyne Valley who have worked away to bring food and other products to you during the past weeks of lockdown. Now that restrictions have eased so that we can all travel throughout our home counties, here’s some inspiration as to what’s on offer in the Boyne Valley this summer.
- The Olive Tree café in Trim is open for takeaway. Treat yourself to some great coffee, a breakfast box or dessert or make the most of this great weather and try something from their vintage-style ice-cream cart.
- Harvest Home Bakery is now open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Check out their new hot chocolate kits. Pure indulgence!
- Trim n Healthy has lots of lovely healthy food and supplements and is open daily 11-5pm and for your convenience, they will also deliver straight to your door in the area. Check out their facebook page for tasty recipes.
- Call by An Stór in Baile Ghib for all your food needs especially for their homebaked goodies.
- Maguires at the Hill of Tara are offering delicious, fresh takeaway daily from 9.30am to 6pm. Strawberries and cream to go....who could resist?? Their gift shop has also reopened.
- The beautiful Lime Kiln the Pantry Shop in Julianstown is doing wonderful home cooked meals, lots of delicious local produce and freshly baked bread and scones each day. Or buy a Restaurant gift voucher and enjoy your meal at a later time when restrictions ease.
- If you need a break from the kitchen, check out the restaurants doing a new take away service including the Vanilla Pod/Headfort Arms Hotel, Stockhouse Restaurant, Trim, Franzinis, Trim, Khan Spice Restaurant, Trim, Brogans of Trim, the Oldcastle House Hotel, Scholars Townhouse Hotel Drogheda , The Hamlet Court Hotel in Johnstownbridge, Henry’s Restaurant at the Glenside Hotel and Teach na Teamhrach in Navan.
- And to challenge your taste buds with a little local craft drink, you can buy online – Dan Kelly Cider, Boann Distillery, Slane Distillery and Listoke Gin who also supply their lovely hand sanitiser full of botanicals.
- Boyne Valley Flavours Food Producers have come together to provide food in a box with an array of fresh and delicious local Boyne Valley produce and can be purchased online and delivered directly to your door.
- Bee Wise Gardens in Kilmessan will reopen on 18th July for self-guided tours of their nature trail. Tours are available from 10 til 4 on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Pre-booking is essential.
- For those with green-fingers or even just for those of us who have more time to spend in our gardens, the recent good weather has provided us with a great excuse to get back to nature. The Boyne Garden Centre, Slane, Ratoath Garden Centre and Riverlane Nurseries in Trim have all re-opened and offer a stunning array of plants, shrubs and trees to make you the envy of your neighbourhood.
- If you are considering taking up a new hobby during these restrictive times, golf is an ideal outdoor pursuit. The Boyne Valley is the home to a great variety of courses in a number of beautiful locations. More information is available here.
- Or for a light-hearted take on this why not try out some footgolf at Navan Adventure Centre. Suitable for the whole family, it’s a great way to spend some time in the fresh air.
- Causey Farm's Ice-Cream Adventure will run from 1st July to 30th August and bookings will be taken from mid-June. This fun day out for families centres around a socially distanced Ice Cream Trail where there’ll be games to play, puzzles to solve and characters to meet.
As many hotels prepare to open on 29th June, take a look at their social media and websites for special offers and amazing deals on gift vouchers. It may just be the year to discover what’s on your doorstep and plan a staycation in the beautiful Boyne Valley. A full list of our recommended hotels is available here.
The Boyne Valley is noted for its wealth of historical monuments, many of which are looked after by the Office of Public Works. After many weeks of closed gates, it is heartening to see that Bective Abbey, the Hill of Slane (graveyard and grasslands), the Hill of Tara, Oldbridge Gardens & Parklands (and carpark) along with the grounds of Old Mellifont Abbey and Trim Castle grounds have all been re-opened to visitors. It is planned that the grounds of the monuments at Brú na Bóinne will re-open in the next phase of Ireland’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business.
With the school holidays approaching and the fantastic weather that we have been having, it is an ideal time to enjoy some outdoor adventures as a family. Explore the “Wonderful Walks and Waterways” of the Boyne Valley, you may find a hidden gem right on your doorstep.
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