I never heard of Gilltown before. This route didn’t look promising at first as we followed a dead straight road eastwards. I’m not fond of straight roads. High hedges and tillage fields lay on either side. In a gap in the hedge, I caught a glimpse of the Knowth Passage Mound as it sat on the skyline above the Boyne. I was eager to get walking and “oil the machine” so I didn’t stop to take a photo. That is why this is not an archaeology blog.
Turning right, the road threw up some gentle curves ahead. To the left of us were pasture fields to break the monotony of the grains. Rusty gates told us that we were now in Rossnaree Gun Club territory. The hedgerows here were wilder and trees arched overhead until we finally left the tillage area.
The road gradually got more wooded and we began to see and hear more birds. Startled pigeons (which is a good name for an 80s indie rock band) exploded on each side of us.
A buzzard flew straight in front of me and I got to see the row of white and brown feathers under its wing as it swooped up to join two others in the sky above. They seemed to be enjoying the warm updrafts and two of them spent their time calling to each other.

We strolled along here following the road as it dipped through woodland areas on bridges across streams until we found one to have lunch at.

We came out onto the Duleek road and turned right towards the railway bridge. We were expecting the road to be busy but we were not expecting the noise and traffic to come from birds.
The video above only captures a brief snippet of the starlings as they surrounded us on all sides. They moved as we moved for about 100m along the road and stopped when we stopped. The CEO thought it was very Hitchcockian but I just thought wow!
We crossed a railway bridge and carried on down some straight stretches. We passed the woodcarving studio of Seamus Cassidy and later on the Shaolin Kung Fu Temple of Rossnaree. Both demonstrate stunning architecture and both offer natural ways of experiencing the world. We have heard good things about both but they were closed on the day.
Google Maps: 53.680073, -6.497485
Type of walk: Country roads
Distance: 6.3 km
Time: 3 – 5.30 pm
Scenery: The road cuts through tillage farmland, green pastures, wooded areas and over the Navan – Drogheda train-track.
Walking surfaces: 50% back roads with a green strip down the middle and 50% quiet country roads with the odd car.
Animals: Cows, sheep, horses, butterflies, buzzards, swifts, swallows and flocks of starlings.
Plant of the Day: Meadowsweet

Humans: An elderly lady out walking with her grandchild and a lot of people mowing their lawns as we passed.
Traffic: Two cars on the back road and about five on the larger section.
Negatives: We are still not very good at telling the difference between swifts and swallows.
Memorable: Someone took the time to mow the words “Leeds” onto their front lawn after the English football club returned to the top division after 16 years. Always nice to see how passion and imagination pop up everywhere.

Score: 8/10
Let me know if you have ever rambled through a place like Gilltown before.