Discovering the Boyne Valley with Teens – A visit to the Battle of the Boyne Centre

Saucepan Kids visit Boyne Valley - Top things to do with teenagers in the Boyne Valley - Battle of the Boyne Centre - exterior

As you drive up the sweeping driveway to Oldbridge House, you can’t fail to be impressed with the grandeur of this recently renovated 18th century building.

This is the site of The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre which helps visitors understand what happened during the famous battle between King William III (William of Orange) and his father-in-law, the exiled, King James II in July 1690. The centre has significant historical importance and is definitely worth a visit alongside other locations like Knowth and Newgrange.

When you’re visiting the centre, there is plenty of free parking and access to public toilets. The entrance to car park closes at 5pm during the summer but the exit stays open till 7pm so there’s no rush.

Like all OPW sites, The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre is free to enter until the end of the year however it’s essential to prebook tickets on their website. Due to Covid, all tours are self guided and allow you to roam around the detailed displays and historical reenactments. There’s a particularly interesting laser battlefield model which explained how the battle progressed.

Saucepan Kids visit Boyne Valley - Top things to do with teenagers in the Boyne Valley - Battle of the Boyne Centre - exhibition

There is a 13 minute audiovisual video which is a little graphic for younger kids. Afterwards, we wandered around outside looking at the original and replica 17th Century weaponry displays.

Saucepan Kids visit Boyne Valley - Top things to do with teenagers in the Boyne Valley - Battle of the Boyne Centre - audio visual

Saucepan Kids visit Boyne Valley - Top things to do with teenagers in the Boyne Valley - Battle of the Boyne Centre - outdoors

After 35-40 minutes, we left the centre and wandered through the stunning grounds. It was so nice to see families playing ball games on the grass in between the showers.

Around the corner we had a tasty lunch at Brambles Cafe before enjoying a stroll around the gardens. If you have more time, I would recommend walking along the Boyne Greenway from the Visitor Centre all the way into Drogheda. I’ve heard it a fabulous walking trail.

Saucepan Kids visit Boyne Valley - Top things to do with teenagers in the Boyne Valley - Battle of the Boyne Centre - Brambles lunch

Overall, it was a lovely way to spend the morning. If you would like to visit The Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre then don’t forget to prebook your tickets online.

Discover Boyne Valley

To find out more about what there is to do in the area for families with teenagers, read our ’48 hours in the Boyne Valley with teenagers’ guide or head to Discover Boyne Valley for even more information and holiday inspiration.

The Boyne Valley, it’s time to enjoy…

Disclaimer

We visited Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre as guests of Discover Boyne Valley. All words and photos are our own and 100% honest.

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