The narrow roads around Donore, at the heart of the Boyne Valley trail, are dotted with signs for B&Bs and various tourist attractions, including Newgrange. These are well-trodden tourist paths, although in some cases they are in poor repair and badly lit.
It is on one of these roads, from Drogheda, that Bettina Poeschel, if indeed the woman's body discovered yesterday turns out to be that of the 28-year-old German tourist, may have met her death.
Members of Ms Poeschel's family were travelling from their home in Munich yesterday evening, after the Garda contacted them to inform them of the find, by a member of the Garda search team, shortly after noon. The Garda last night appealed for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area on Tuesday, September 25th, the date Ms Poeschel was last seen, to come forward. Things which might not seem important might prove very important to the investigation, said Insp Ray McHugh of the Garda press office.
The discovery of the body is being treated as "suspicious", but Insp McHugh would not go so far as to say it was a murder inquiry. He would give no further information on the condition of the woman's body.
There was obviously "fevered speculation" about the identity of the woman, but the garda∅ would could not rule anything in or out at this stage. However, when asked about the possibility the woman was a victim of a hit-and-run accident, Insp McHugh said this was not a possibility being considered.
The partly decomposed female body discovered yesterday lay only about 10 feet off the main road from Drogheda to Donore, but was covered in heavy undergrowth, making examination difficult, according to the Garda.
No one but the garda who discovered the body was allowed near it until the arrival of the State pathologist, Prof John Harbison, at 4.40 p.m. The body was taken to Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, last night, where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.
On the day Ms Poeschel was last seen, she was understood to be making her way to Newgrange, but it is not known whether she arrived. Staff at the busy centre are understood to have said they would always take note of a woman travelling alone.
Ms Mary Condra, who lives not far from where the body was found, said tourists flocked to Newgrange and to the Boyne Heritage Centre, opened just a few years ago. Many of them would make their way on foot from Drogheda. "A lot of young people walk to Newgrange, it's only about three miles from here."
Ms Condra was shocked that a woman could go missing almost on her own doorstep. "The garda∅ have been around the houses umpteen times," she said. Neighbours, including her sons, had assisted in the search of the area.
"We've all been so upset since it happened. Every morning I kept praying she would be found alive. There's a terrible fear around here. A man who lives up the road has three daughters and he's afraid to let them out. Nothing like this has ever happened here before."
Ms Condra said she would be "glad in one way" if the body does turn out to be Ms Poeschel's. "At least for her family's sake. There's so many missing that haven't been found." A young man passing on a bicycle, Mr Tony Leddy, said he had recently returned from travelling abroad.
"I can't believe this has happened here." He and his friends would now think twice about walking alone. "You would be fearful just in case. Over the last few weeks it would creep into people's minds that perhaps this lady was not going to turn up alive and you'd find yourself looking towards ditches."
The traffic along the road was busy as local people were diverted around the large area cordoned off with Garda tape. School buses bringing children home passed by. The media were kept at least a half mile away.
In Donore village, customers of Madge's supermarket discussed the news. Ms Collette Collard, working in the shop, said she did not keep a radio on and had heard the news late.
A woman who would give her name only as SinΘad, said she was a regular walker in the area. "I walked past the spot on the night she went missing," she said. She was now very wary of walking alone.
She always felt Ms Poeschel was "in and about the area, but I thought she would probably never be found". She understood Ms Poeschel had been seen locally on the day she went missing. "Someone told me I must have served her. I remember a tourist came in that day to buy water, but I couldn't pinpoint if it was her."
On the quiet, winding roads from Donore back towards Navan, it was still possible to see women walking alone last night.