Longwood is a village in the heart of Meath that experienced sudden growth in the early 2000s. The 2002 census recorded 480 people. By 2016, it was 1,581. The village expanded rapidly, and most of that growth came because of proximity to the Royal Canal Greenway and new housing developments for people commuting to Dublin.
The Royal Canal does not run directly through Longwood; it passes a bit to the east. But the village has developed a new lane way linking directly to the towpath. Walk ten minutes and you are on the canal path. The Boyne Aqueduct — a stone structure completed in 1804 that carries the canal over the River Boyne — sits three kilometres east of the village. It is a modest marvel of Georgian engineering.
Longwood is honest about what it is: a residential village for commuters, with the Royal Canal as its compensation and its reason for being. There are no tourist trappings. There is a village that works for the people who live in it.
There is no bad time. There are different times.
The canal walk is the point. Mild weather makes it pleasant.
Good weather. The towpath is busy at weekends.
The best season. Clear days, the light is right, the towpath is quieter.
Cold and wet. The towpath is muddy. The village itself is dormant.
If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.
The village exists for the people who live here and for those walking the canal. Without one of those reasons, there is nothing to do.
Dublin to Longwood is 75 minutes west on the M4 and M6. The village is not well signposted.
Bus services along the M4 corridor. Infrequent.
No train station. Maynooth is the nearest significant rail hub, 45 minutes away.