The walk
The reason to come to Stackallen is the Boyne Ramparts Walk, a way-marked line along the old towpath of the Boyne Navigation. It runs 8 km from Stackallen Bridge to the Ramparts at Navan, 16 km if you walk it both ways, and it is flat for every one of them. That makes it one of the more forgiving riverside walks in the Boyne Valley: manageable at a stroll, fine for children and buggies on the drier stretches, and easily broken into an out-and-back of whatever length suits.
Three things are worth walking to. Babe’s Bridge is the standout, a battered medieval crossing that dates to the 12th century and was the only bridge in Meath to survive the great flood of 1330. A little further on, the ruins of Dunmoe Castle sit above the water, a Norman stronghold now open to the sky. And along the way the old canal shows itself in half-drowned locks and weirs, the bones of a navigation that never really paid its way. Ardmulchan church, a modest ruin, marks the old ecclesiastical grain of the valley.
If you only have an hour, start at the Stackallen end and walk down to Dunmoe Castle and back. That takes in the quietest, prettiest stretch and the best of the ruins.
Stackallan House
Stackallan House was built around 1712 for Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Viscount Boyne, who had commanded a regiment at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. It is one of the very few classical Irish country houses to survive from before the Palladian style took hold later in the century, which is what makes it matter to architectural historians more than to passing walkers. The design is usually credited to John Curle, with Thomas Burgh sometimes named alongside him. It is a tall, three-storey block on a square plan, with pedimented breakfronts and a steep pitched roof in the French manner.
Fair warning: it is a private dwelling and always has been. You see it from the public road, not up close, and the interior is not open. Over three centuries it has passed from the Hamiltons (who held it until 1920) through a run of owners including the Irish army, who were based there during the Second World War, and later the business figures Margaret Heffernan and Martin Naughton.
The old church
Stackallen’s old parish church was demolished in 1959 as the congregation dwindled. Some of it survives at a remove: a 15th-century south doorway and a handful of medieval tombstones were lifted out and re-set at Slane church. A memorial to Gustavus Hamilton, interred here in 1723, went with the fabric that was saved.
Wildlife and the seasons
The Boyne here is a Special Area of Conservation, and the towpath corridor carries the birdlife you would hope for on a slow lowland river. Herons stand sentry at the edge, moorhens work the reeds near the old locks, and a kingfisher is a real possibility on a bright morning. Otters use the river too, though you will need luck and an early start to see one. Autumn is the photogenic season along the towpath; winter is walkable but the ground near the bridges and floodplain turns muddy, so bring boots.
Practical information
- Parking: Free on-site parking at the Stackallen trailhead. If you start from Navan instead, the R153 trailhead car park is pay-and-display.
- Distance and time: 8 km one-way, roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, or 16 km there and back.
- Surface: Mostly compacted gravel and towpath, with the odd boardwalk over wetter ground.
- Facilities: Stackallen is a quiet village. Beyond the walk it has a well-used sports club with floodlit tennis courts and a pitch-and-putt course, and a national school, but for cafés and public toilets you want Navan.
- Waymarking: The route is clearly marked in orange and white; a map is downloadable from Meath County Council.
Getting there and nearby
Stackallen is on the R153 between Navan and Slane, about 45 minutes from Dublin via the M3 and Navan. There is little public transport to the village itself, though Navan is well served by bus.
If you are making a day of the Boyne Valley:
- Slane Castle and its famous concert lawn, in parkland a short drive east along the river.
Start from the Stackallen trailhead, where the parking is free, rather than the Navan end, which is pay-and-display.