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The 2022 Bucket List Road Trip: 4 Weeks Exploring Ireland (Full Route + Itinerary)

The 2022 Bucket List Road Trip: 4 Weeks Exploring Ireland (Full Route + Itinerary)

Day 27 (Meath) – Newgrange, Knowth, Trim Castle and more

As crazy as it feels to type it, we’re onto the very last day of our Ireland road trip.

Mad.

If you’ve managed to get this far, let me know in the comments at the end of this page!

We’re going to explore a good of chunk of Meath today.

1 – Newgrange

// Drogheda to Newgrange – 20-minute drive (arrive for 10:00) //

We’re going to leave Louth and head on to Meath.

Point your car in the direction of Newgrange.

Our next stop takes us to Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, which is where we’ll be accessing Newgrange and Knowth.

Things to know about the tour

  • It takes 3 hours (you need to book it well in advance)
  • Knowth is open from 30th March to 7th November
  • Adult admission is €13.00

Built over 5,200 years ago by Stone Age farmers, Newgrange is an old passage tomb that has a clear astronomical alignment.

Newgrange meath

Photo by Brian Morrison

Newgrange is known globally for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. An event that is so sought after that a yearly lottery takes place for tickets.

For those of you who take the tour, you’ll be given an in-depth insight into its history.

knowth county meath

Photo by Tony Pleavin

Knowth was also constructed over 5,000 years ago – likely after the construction of Newgrange and before the construction of nearby Dowth.

The Great Mound at Knowth is a similar size to Newgrange and is surrounded by 18 smaller satellite mounds.

The Great Mound has two passages, one of which ends with a cruciform chamber.

Take your time and enjoy the tour.

2 – Trim Castle

// Newgrange to Trim Castle – 35-minute drive //

We’re going to round off the final day of our trip with a stroll around Trim Castle.

If you’re looking at the picture below and thinking that it looks like something from a movie, you’re spot on.

ireland road trip castles

Photo by Tony Pleavin

Trim Castle was used during the filming of Braveheart starring Mel Gibson.

Here’s a scene from the movie where it featured.

Some good-to-know stuff about Trim Castle

  • Trim Castle was built In 1172, shortly after the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in Ireland
  • It’s the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland
  • It was built over a 30-year period by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter
  • Trim Castle was used to depict York Castle in the filming of the 1990’s Mel Gibson movie Braveheart

3 – A bed for the night

trim castle hotel meath

I’m going to recommend that you spend the night in the Trim Castle Hotel.

You’ll have a fine view of Trim castle and you can grab a bite to eat here before we head out for a few pints.

Read more: Check out our guide to the best castle hotels in Ireland to spend a night.

4 – Rounding off our Ireland road trip in style

// Trim Castle Hotel to James Griffin Pub – 5-minute walk //

James Griffin Pub pub Trim

Photo via the James Griffin Pub

We’re going to head to the James Griffin Pub and finish off our road trip in style.

It’s a traditional Irish pub that’s been on Trim High Street since the 1800s.

If you visit on a Thursday, you’ll have a Trad Session to accompany your pint. Those visiting on a Friday or Sunday will be treated to Acoustic Sessions, while a DJ will be rocking away on Saturdays.

Ireland road trip wrap up

And that my friends is a wrap.

You’re 25 day Ireland road trip comes to an end in Meath. You’ve conquered 20+ counties, visited hundreds of different places, sampled many a local pub, and experienced a good chunk of what Ireland has to offer.

I won’t lie – this guide took a long ass time to write.

The reason it took so long was because I spent a good chunk of time researching it before I ever started to type.

I want to make planning a trip to Ireland as hassle-free as possible, and I hope this Ireland road trip guide saves those of you reading it a lot of time.

If you loved it, let me know below. If you hated it, let me know. If you have any points to make, questions to ask or whatever else, let me know in the comments below!

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Lorraine

Monday 13th of March 2023

Keith, this is an extraordinary itinerary and so detailed. Thank you

jean

Thursday 9th of March 2023

the link to the mailing list sign up isnt working...can I have you send me the document by email? it sounds amazing through quick page hopping! thought this morning that we might go this late Sept/early October for 3ish weeks.

Denise

Monday 6th of March 2023

Hi Keith, we’re looking at visiting Ireland September 2023, for four weeks, coming from Canada. Thankfully I found your guide, it is fantastic, you put in a great deal of work organizing this. Thank you. I have a couple tours books to cipher through as well, but it is painstaking slow. I need to get an itinerary put together fast, I see accommodations are filling up quickly for September. One question I have is, is it possible or wise to do your road trip in reverse? We’re not used to driving on the left side, haha, will it be safer doing the trip in reverse?

Suzanne Sullivan

Saturday 18th of February 2023

Do you have a PDF of the whole list that we could buy/download with links? We were planning to do the reverse of this in October 2023 (34 days)---but, rethinking after seeing yours!

David Ward

Wednesday 18th of January 2023

This itinerary will be the basis of our upcoming trip this year. We prefer to base ourselves in a place for maybe a week and explore the surrounding areas. We will be picking up a car in Belfast on 26 May and have it for almost 6 weeks. We are unsure of our direction of travel, but leaning towards anti-clockwise. Excluding Dublin, can you suggest 5 or 6 "bases" for exploration. Small towns with a bit of character ideally.

Keep up the good work.

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