Valley of the Kings and beyond..
Long before the Pharaohs founded their incredible tombs in the Valley of the Kings, on the bank of the River Nile, another Valley of the Kings was in existence for thousands of years beforehand along the bank of the River Boyne! I set out today to explore the area on my bike starting at an equally enchanting Passage Tomb roughly 20 kms south east of Newgrange.
‘Fuair Cnoic’ tells you more about the place than the Anglicised version of the name. It translates as ‘Cold Hills’ – it was certainly true today with the temperature just 3.5 degrees; the wind chill made it more like -3.5. The last time I visited Fourknocks was about 25 years ago when the lads were kids and they played an awful trick on me! They locked the entrance door and it was pitch black inside. They were outside on the grassy mound having a great laugh and thought it was a great idea to drop the key in through the tiny vent in the roof of the chamber. I had no way out and the joke backfired on them as they panicked!! It took a bit of searching to locate the key and ensure they had a lift home!
The beauty of Fourknocks is that it is off the beaten track with very few visitors compared to the sites at Newgrange. The Chamber is locked but the key is available from the White Family home about 2kms away. Leave a deposit and you can have a free ramble around an amazing Passage Tomb, one that is actually larger than the Chamber in Newgrange. There are some incredible 5,000 year old carvings above the side chambers which are really well preserved because they are protected from the elements.
I bade farewell to Fourknocks and turned my bike towards Ard Cath and Duleek heading for the Newgrange Visitor Centre. The helpful staff from the OPW directed me to the service entrance which enabled me to access the pedestrian bridge across Ireland’s most fabled stretch of water, the River Boyne, otherwise I would have had a long cycle to get over to the other side. It was here that Finn, son of Cumhal, went to learn poetry from Finegas, a poet that was living at the Boinn, ‘for the poets always thought it was aways on the brink of water poetry was revealed to them’. Finegas was there seven years for it was prophesied that he would eat the Salmon of Knowledge and that he would have all the knowledge after that. Finally he caught it while Finn was there and bade hime to roast it – but not to eat it. When he had cooked it he Brough it to Finegas who asked had he ate any of it. Finn said no but that he had burnt his thumb which blistered and he put his thumb in his mouth. And that was how Finn gained all the knowledge that came from the nuts of the none hazels of wisdom that grow beside the well that is below the sea.. from Gods and Fighting Men. I’ve alway loved the old folklore..
I crossed over the Boyne and headed for Knowth, Dowth and Newgrange knowing that I wouldn’t be able to go inside as I had my bike with me and I wouldn’t leave it unattended. But I wanted to do this cycle in our Valley of Kings for a long time. It’s a beautiful place, best experienced on foot or on the bike and not on the tour buses that ferry visitors to the sites!
The weather took a turn for the worst but the heavy shower failed to dampen the spirits and I enjoyed the atmosphere cycling between the sites and looking down at the Boyne below. It was time to head back and retrace my steps, another good day’s cycle touring completed.
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