I'd like to take my boyfriend away for a quiet & romantic weekend in April. We are living in Dublin so a place within an hour of Dublin would be ideal. I'll rent a car if I have to but would prefer public transportation.

A small town near Newgrange would be ideal - 1 day at Newgrange and the 2nd spent doing nothing but relax. I'm looking for a quaint town in which we can window shop, sit in cafes for a leasurely lunch, possibly take a stroll to a beach and having pubs within walking distance to the hotel/B&B - and of course within a reasonable distance to Newgrange.

Any suggestions for a town that fits this description?

Slane perhaps. Set in the rolling Hills just west of Bru na BoinneIt's got a castle, at least one quaint pub (The Poet's Rest) and the walk up to the Hill of Slane is quite nice on a clear night. http://www.slane.com/index.htm

Bill

Hi, make sure you pre book Newgrange. The tombs are only accessible by guided tour and the tours get booked up very quickly all year round. If you want to stay in Meath, Trim, Slane, Kells and Navan are nice towns. As Meath isn't on the coast you'd have to go Louth for the walk on the beach, not sure why you'd want to do this in April, as the weather will probably not be so good. Carlingford is a nice town beside the beach about 1.5hrs from Newgrange. Check out the usual sites for public transport www.cie.ie

It would be bothersome to try to manage Slane and Newgrange by public transport, but apart from that it meets the specification. It also offers a good riverside walk and a little bit of industrial history. It's not a good town for dining, but if you hire a car for your weekend it is easy to get to Collon (6 miles) to the Forge Gallery Restaurant, which is very good (but not cheap).

I don't rate the Poet's Rest.

OH, she wants a nice meal?

What about Skerries Patraig? I've only done a brief stop there. Not terribly close to Bru Na Boinne. I have no idea what the dining scene is.

Bill

Okay, I was presumptious to think ljane might like a nice meal. There is a chipper in Slane. Going a little upmarket, I suppose the Conyngham Arms in the town centre would provide an evening meal; they used to do decent bar lunches, but I haven't been there recently, so don't know their current form.

I haven't been much in Skerries recently. Good windy beaches and a nice small harbour. Borderline on quaint.

Meath does have a coast, about eight miles of it between Gormanstown and Drogheda. No good towns there.

Drogheda, easily reachable from Dublin Airport and good for access to Newgrange, has some points of interest but I do not think it pretty or quaint -- not my idea of a candidate for a romantic weekend.

How about Bettystown?

What I said: no good towns there.

ljane, You have a nice fantasy going but often fantasies only exist in the imagination. Like that Irish pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Since Newgrange is inland it has no beach. None of us can think of a quaint, lovely, romantic town near Newgrange accessible by public transportation from Dublin in one hour. I think you will have to go elsewhere or settle for less.

Why not book into a B&B in Malahide. Good food good walks and nice pubs. If that is too close to Dublin why not wicklow? Slane is closest to Newgrange but not my Idea of a Romantic weekend. Castle leslie is meant to be nice in Monaghan. http://www.castleleslie.com/