Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore Forest Park is a great place to go for a nice walk. Car parking is available, and there are facilities like toilets and even an ice-​cream van that also serves drinks etc.
The forest park is large and provides plenty of different routes to walk along, whether you want a long or short walk, a walk on the main path or through the trees, by the stream, across bridges or stepping stones, and so on.
The forest park was also used to film some scenes of Game of Thrones, so fans of the show will enjoy a stroll through it and some photos.
A lovely forest park that has a mystical feel to it, it’s somewhere I would go every so often for a lovely walk.

We recently took an impromptu drive from Bangor to Tollymore Forest Park. It took us about 1hour 30mins to get there, however I’m not convinced we took the quickest route. We went through Belfast, but later were told we should have gone through Comber & Downpatrick. Anyhoo… when we arrived it was definitely worth the drive!
It cost us £5 per car, paid on arrival to the car park attendant.
We packed a picnic and as we had 2 dogs with us tried to find a more secluded place away from the crowds so set down our blanket. This was easily done due to the vast scale of the place. You aren’t required to stick to the path so we ventured off and found some lovely grassy areas where our dogs could play and we didn’t have to worry about them approaching other walkers.
I didn’t see any signs saying to keep dogs on a lead, so we didn’t. We came across other walkers that did, and we seemed to get some funny looks. However we also saw other dogs off the lead so as far as we were concerned we were doing nothing wrong. I would recommend to keep your dog on the lead in the busier picnic areas if they aren’t well trained.
The scenery in Tollymore is simply stunning. There is a real medieval feel to the place. Big stone castle like walls with turrets… wide rivers, bridges, lakes, gardens… you name it! The backdrop of the Mourne Mountains just makes it even more perfect.
You can normally find a little ice cream van in the car park, selling crisps etc aswell. But from what I saw you can’t get any sort of substantial meal so definitely bring a picnic if you are planning on spending some time here. However there is always the option to take the short 5min drive into the centre of Newcastle town for a sit down meal if that’s what you are after.
There is also a large public toilet block in the carpark. Not much to say about them… they are public afterall, you shouldn’t expect anything gleaming.
I will definitely be visiting Tollymore alot more over the coming summer months. It’s a treat!

Beautiful forest park in Co. Down and one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones which is filmed all over NI. Fans will recognise scenes from the show. Lots of routes for walking alongside the river and camping is also available on site. Spectacular views of the Mourne Mountains and near the town of Newcastle.

Great place to camp!
Tollymore is absolutely beautiful.
We camped there for one night at the spur of the moment, and we couldn’t have ended up in a better spot. Our only regret was not being able to stay longer! There are plenty of great trails in the park.
The camping is ideal, you can pick where to pitch your tent. The facilities are decent. A large field in front of the camping grounds is perfect for ball games or kids running about. The whole place seemed really clean and well looked after.
A really fantastic spot!
Would give 4 ½ if I could! Only drawback was it was a bit noisy at night.

Tollymore is one of my favourite places on the face of this planet. Well worth whatever the 40 minute drive from Belfast and entrance fee (£4 per car), Tollymore has everything for casual picnics, leisurely walks in beautiful surroundings, more strenuous hikes for serious walkers who fancy heading up into the Mournes.
If you make it up to the Drinns viewpoint that looks north, head up into the trees directly behind and you’ll find a lookout post on stilts. At this time of year, if you climb up into the hut and keep quiet for ten minutes, you’ll end up enjoying the spectacle of deer wandering around beneath you. Back down in the forest, you’ll find a couple of sets of stepping stones that I’d be happy to live by in a tent.
There’s one forest ranger that works here all year round, plus helpers during the summer months. I’m sure he works hard but he must have the best job in the world. A beautiful forest park, even in the darkest depths of winter.

Tollymore Forest park is located in Newcastle County Down, it is one of those places in Northern Ireland that everyone has been to at one point or another. If you haven’t been, then you should definitely go.
Tollymore covers an area of over 630 hectares, I do not really know how big a hectare is but take it from me it is massive. It sits at the foot of Northern Irelands tallest mountain, Slieve Donard and provides panoramic views of the Irish sea. The thing that makes Tollymore special is its deep dark woods that make you feel as if you are miles from civilisation. If you have an urge to get back to nature then Tollymore is the ideal destination for a daytrip. It is not just woods there is also history associated with the country park. For Instance the oak used for the interior of the famous Titanic was grown at Tollymore. This may just be a tedious link with Tollymore attempting to lure tourists by name dropping the infamous ship, but it is none the less very interesting stuff.
Tollymore Forest park is fully equipped with information kiosks that provide more interesting and useless facts about the forest and the surrounding area.
One word of advice, if you are visiting Tollymore Forest Park there is a small charge, we paid £4.50 to park a car but if you park in Newcastle it is only a short scenic walk and you will save yourself the entrance fee.
It has something for everyone, history and interesting facts for the older generation, mythical woods and ravines for the younger crowd and mountain climbs and trails for those interested in outdoor pursuits.