Bective Abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Mellifont, the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland. It has an early 13th-century church, a 15th-century cloister and a 16th-century tower, and after the Dissolution parts of it were converted into a manor house in the 17th century, which gives the ruin its odd mix of monastery and home. The state bought the site in 2012 and the Office of Public Works now manages it.
It stands in fields by the Boyne between Trim and Navan, free to wander at any time. It is quiet, atmospheric and a natural stop on the way from Trim to the Hill of Tara.