GALLERIES: Smiles better... Outdoor activities and attractions open again

There was plenty of colour, fun, noise and excitement across Meath over the weekend as many of the county's outdoor attractions opened for the first time this year.

Families enjoyed exciting days out at attractions such as Tayto Park's Zoo, Newgrange Farm, Navan Adventure Centre and Boyne Boats.

Saturday and Sunday were lovely bright sunny days and despite rougher weather on Monday, people were just delighted to be able to get out and enjoy themselves.

At Navan Adventure Centre, there was a real air of excitement and fun as families with children aged three to 12 enjoyed a mix of fun activities including football golf, pedal carting, inflatable bouncy castles, an adventure obstacle course, mini golf and designing and decorating fairy doors.

“It was fantastic to see families out enjoying themselves. You could see that there were cousins who hadn't seen each other in a while who were pleased to be able to meet up outdoors,” said proprietor Darren Nelson.

“It was a great weekend for us too. We had 20 staff and they were delighted to be back working and it was great to see everyone again.

“It was nice to be able to get back into the swing of things. We are looking forward to a good summer ahead. We have a lot of enquiries and bookings coming in and we are holding four different summer camps this year, as well as family fun sessions every weekend,” he said.

Ross Kenny of Boyne Boats who are based at Oldbridge also had a very busy weekend.

“It was fantastic. There was a lot of happy people delighted to be out and about. We were fully booked.”

Ross offers fully guided boat trips on the Boyne in Kerry-made currachs – which were used in filming 'Game of Thrones'.

Young and old were out to enjoy the experience.

“The youngest at the weekend was five and the oldest was in her 70s, and there was a good mix in between,” he said.

“There was a great atmosphere. People were delighted to be out and about.

“Even on the boardwalk along the Boyne there were so many people walking and running, delighted to be out.”

Newgrange Farm was booked out for the weekend, with delighted families enjoying the open air and animals.

“We are keeping it to small numbers, there are signs in each area limiting them to one family only and there are sanitizers all around the farm,” said owner, David Redhouse.

“We were delighted to be open again after last year.

“Even the animals were delighted. They missed meeting people,” he said.

Charles Coyle, General Manager of Tayto Park said they had been really looking forward to re-opening the gates of the zoo at the weekend.

“Our season finished earlier than expected last year due to restrictions, but we are hopeful for a busy and safe summer season ahead. We’ve had an overwhelming response for bookings for the long weekend. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were all booked out. “The safety of our staff, animals and our guests are of the upmost importance, with reduced capacity and with strict healthy and safety protocols in place we are confident that families will be able to enjoy a great day out in a safe environment,” he said.