Northern Tour: A one-day tour of approx. 190 miles (300 km).

Spend the night in the Aberdeen Lodge and the following morning take the Navan road out of Dublin for Tara - site of a former royal acropolis, situated in an area rich in ancient monuments and history. Continue north to Navan, where you will see the hill of Tara, home of the ancient High Kings of Ireland. and then on towards Donaghmore and Slane. The pleasant village of Slane is situated in one of the loveliest parts of the Boyne Valley. A mile to the north is the Hill of Slane; the fine view from the hill embraces much beautiful countryside, including the whole of the Boyne Valley.

Along the river, a few miles to the east are the remarkable Bronze Age cemeteries at Brugh na Boinne. It is a series of neolithic tumuli of which Newgrange is the biggest. Newgrange has a passageway leading to a central chamber with side recesses for burials. During the winter solstice the rays of the sun reach the central chamber. The ecclesiastical ruins of Mellifont Abbey, and Monasterboice are also worth seeing, before heading for Dunleer, Castlebellingham and Dundalk - an ideal base for exploring the surrounding countryside.

If you wish, you can travel further north to see the delightfully rugged Carlingford Peninsula, taking you through Ballymascanlon, Carlingford, Omeath and back into Dundalk. This peninsula is one of the finest scenic areas on the east coast. Carlingford Lough is particularly beautiful, with the Cooley Mountains on its south side and the Mourne Mountains rising steeply from the northern shore. Heading south you reach Castlebellingham, Clogher, Termonfeckin, Baltray, with its fine beach and golf course and on into Drogheda, on the river Boyne. In Bettystown, further south, there's a long sandy beach linking up with Laytown, while further on is Julianstown. Following the coast enjoy a pleasant drive through Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk, make a detour at Newbridge House in Donabate, Swords and Howth, stopping to admire the magnificent views from the rocky Hill of Howth. Return to Dublin and the Aberdeen Lodge via Sutton.