Newgrange, Knowth & Trim Castle (Ireland)

Notes - click on the links to the right in 'blog archive' for our other 25+ blogs. We are writing this for our family & friends and to have a record of our trip but if it helps anyone plan their trip or bring back memories that's great too.

Newgrange, Knowth & Trim Castle 1st August 2014
Headed out of Dublin early for the hour or so drive to the Bru na Boinne Visitors Centre to get early tours for Newgrange and Knowth before they get too busy. Our English Heritage card saved us 11 Euros each and we were able to get booked on the 9:45 tour of Knowth and the 11:15 tour of Newgrange. Both tours were fantastic and really interesting.

Knowth

The bus to Knowth had us there to meet our guide and the size of the mound hits home and the work that three generations committed to build it 4500 years ago is amazing. There are also 17 satellite mounds. They moved the 127 kerbstone boulders that are around the bottom of the main mound on boats and then 20km overland with just manpower on logs (the wheel wasn't invented). The main mound covers 1 hectare and is 12m high. Knowth has 2 tunnels one on each side that line up with the equinoxes. Then they built the mound with various layers of drainage materials etc.

Newgrange is a similar construction but aligns with the Winter solstice. You are able to go right in through the tunnel to the centre chamber and then they do a simulation of what it is like at the Winter solstice. For 17 minutes the sun comes right down the tunnel into the centre to the burial chamber. The visitors centre was also great.

We drove to Trim for lunch and then visited the Trim Castle which was also used in the movie Braveheart (the castle wasn't as spectacular as we thought it may be). Then we headed to our B&B which was about 5km out of Trim called Boyneview. A magnificent property and a super B&B for 90 Euros. Drove back to Trim for dinner at a great Indian Restaurant but got soaked getting back to the car even with umbrellas.

Knowth entry chamber - note the vertical rock aligned with the sun's equinox - also note the bowl shape designed to fill with water and reflect light

Knowth tunnel

View from the top of Knowth

Knowth other side entry to chamber

Newgrange entry to the chamber

Newgrange art

Newgrange

Some kids busking at the bus stop back from Newgrange. The guy on the right didn't crack a smile the whole 15 minutes we were there.

The grooving bus stop

Crossing the Boyne River on the way back from walking to the bus

How they moved the kerb stones

Exhibition of what the people at the time might have lived in

Photo in the visitors centre 

Trim Castle

A fellow tourist with a drone to take some aerial shots - he uses his phone to see what the camera is looking at and to take the photo. The drone holds itself in position once it is up from GPS satellites.