Park in the public carpark at N96420 75180 A, room for 20 plus cars.
Go through the access gate and uphill for a short distance to the abbey ruins.
Beyond the ruins lies the summit which is on top of a motte, thought to be possibly much older than others of Anglo-Norman vintage.
The motte is quite steep and surrounded by a deep dyke.On top the motte as of 2014 someone has cast a concrete cross with the legend "2011 Japan " made out in pebbles.
Though the Abbey is a public site maintained by the OPW, the motte is on private land and permission may be required to visit. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/15304/

Slane won't attract the column inches on here that it's fellow Meath hills of Tara or Loughcrew will, but for me it has a great charm and in some ways I far prefer visiting it than it's more famous big brother! It's great for a cold evening walk or a summer day outing with the kids.

Most of the summit area is easily accessible. There is ample car parking nearby and from here you can explore the Christian buildings and graveyard. The 16th century friary building is the most interesting and children (big and small) will love exploring it. The most legendary story about Slane is that St Pat himself lit a paschal fire here in defiance of the high king on Tara, a tradition that is kept up till this day on Easter Saturday. However, you will need to go past all the buildings to reach the true top. The highest point (or certainly for several hundred years) is the well preserved 12th century motte. You need to negotiate two electric fences and two gates to reach this point, as it is on the private land of the Conyngham estate. Now you can rock up to his nearby castle and ask Henry for permission if you want, but as far as I am aware he has no major problem with access. (Note: he actually resides in Beauparc house on the other side of the Boyne and not the well known castle).

Personally, I enjoy parking all the way down at the river Boyne and enjoying the walk the whole way up the hill through the historic village and it's architecture. This will give you height gain of 120 metres and cover a distance of over 2km river to motte.

It's a great wee historic hill and if you are passing through Slane on the N2 at night keep an eye out for it's light's that burn to this day and can be seen from a couple of miles south of the river! Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/15819/

The summit motte and surrounding bailey has been the subject of research recently, for example:

http://hillofslane.wordpress.com/2010-research-background/

It appears that the motte may not be the common or garden Anglo-Norman motte and bailey, but may be older, Iron Age (400-600 CE) or even Bronze Age (2500 to 600 BCE).

If you are visiting, look out for a smaller, secondary enclosure to the SE of the Motte and summit, just touching the enclosure around the bailey. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/16046/

Just a picture. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/15838/

Wed 12th Feb, in the middle of the motte on the Hill of Slane, I spotted this curiosity. Can anyone enlighten me as to its origin. Is Slane twinned with Japan? Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/15854/

This is more of a leisurely stroll than a hike. Nothing to add to simon3's comment but worth a visit if in the area. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/1060/comment/20221/