Boyne valley to lakelands county greenway

Boyne Valley to Lakelands County Greenway

This greenway is in development but some parts are open, for instance Nobber to Castletown. This 4k stretch is proof of commitment and a taste of future enjoyment of the proposed 30 km greenway.

The Midland Great Western for the most part ran to line at Nobber, this line ran from Kingscourt to Navan and was independently built. The station at Nobber survives today but in ruins. This line was disconnect at Tara Junction.

Boyne valley to lakelands county greenway

This is a Motte, which is a large mound of earth, it had a flat platform on which a wodden tower was erected and Nobber has this one at the north end of the town. Nobber derives from “an Obair” the Irish for”the work”.

This route will use the old trackbed of the Navan to Kingscourt line. Navan will start the greenway and it will pass through Bilberry, Wilkinson, Castletown, Kilpatrick, Nobber and Kilmainhamwood finally arriving in Kingscourt. It’s also possible to walk or cycle between Wilkinson and the tailings pond, but much work needs to progress before all are joined.

This area is an ancient settlement dating back to c.6000 BCE which was the Mesolithic Ireland.

Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway Ireland

Work it progressing on this greenway with removal of track that was unused for over 20 years.

This line was used primarily for freight moving Gypsum to Drogheda from Kingscourt, as passenger services ended in 1947, but a rail strike in 2001 was the death nail for this line, when the mining company switched to road. This line started its life in 1872 and was ultimately to join the Great Northern Railway and then forward to Cookstown. When completed coal transportation from the mines around Coalisland to Dublin via Navan would be possible, but this never materialised.

This part of the country had a small population, so freight was its lifeblood. As rail lines go it was basic enough, train crews opened road crossing gates and after loosing its Gypsum freight the line closed, and the tracks are only now being lifted to create this greenway, very sad for train lovers but all’s not lost because a walking and cycling trail awaits.