Spire of Lloyd

This was a minor but welcome detour on our way back.

It’s a folly, designed to look like a lighthouse despite being miles from the sea.

A lovely park has been built around it, with extensive views of the plains all around.

The ‘Famine Graveyard’ on the hill has been documented, and a mass is still held annually there.

Kells

We were going to stop in Navan, but the traffic was so bad that we went on to Kells instead – a much smaller and nicer town.

Among other things, this has the famous Market Cross:

And a facsimile of the Book of Kells in the town hall:

There are other ancient crosses in the Churchyard.

Trim Castle

We’re touring the Boyne Valley today; first stop was Trim Castle, unsurprisingly in the (tidy) town of Trim.

Quite a lot of it left, especially considering its age.

We then explored the river and town.

Virginia

We are staying in a hotel overlooking Lough Ramor, just outside Virginia, for the next two nights.

A nice view from our room:

Though it’s a bit windy at the moment!

Killykeen Forest Park

This is an interesting park, set around Loughs near Cavan.

We went for a short walk before lunch

But due to the high water level, the path along the Lough shore was rather impassible – the green is duckweed!

Another route was found…

After lunch, we went for a longer walk in the forest.

Again noting that the high water level wasn’t ideal if you wanted a rest!

Mote Park

This used to be a large country estate near Roscommon and is now a forest with various trails, including an apparently famous bluebell walk, which we didn’t bother with for obvious reasons!

An interesting old gate with a lion on top.

I also saw a red squirrel, but not close enough to photograph.