Lough Key Forest & Activity Park is Coillte’s flagship visitor destination for fun activities with spectacular views, exuberant wildlife, historic buildings and multiple islands. After major re-development with the historic Rockingham estate as the backdrop, a landmark cluster of unique attractions has been opened to serve the needs of todays visitor with a new lakeside Centre providing an ideal base for gentle leisurely activities or more energetic pursuits in the Park.

MAJOR RE-DEVELOPMENT WORKS

Avondale Forest park is currently undergoing major re-development and works are scheduled to continue until April 2022.

The park remains open and diversions are in place on some routes.

Please observe all posted notices and exclusion zones to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip to the Park.

Avondale House is closed to the public.

Avondale Forest Park is the birthplace of Irish Forestry. Samuel Hayes built Avondale House in the 1770’s and he collected and planted a range of tree species from all over the world. The House moved into the ownership of the Parnell family in the 1800’s and was the birth-place of the great Irish statesman, Charles Stewart Parnell.

Cavan Burren Forest Park is a fascinating geological and archaeological forest landscape in north-west Cavan with new trails and interpretative centre to bring it to life for you!

With huge sinkholes where streams disappear, a sunken valley and the ‘Giant’s Leap’ among some of the amazing features found here (similar to those found in the Burren, Co. Clare). There are more than 80 archaeological monuments from the ‘Giant’s Grave and ‘Calf-House Dolmen’ to stone circles and rock art throughout the site.

All of this along with breathtaking views of Cuilcagh Mountain and the surrounding landscapes of Lough MacNean, Cavan and Fermanagh and the wider Global Geopark.

Ballyhoura Trail Centre has the largest mountain bike trail network of its kind in Ireland and provides many options for off-road cycling. Forest road climbs lead you into tight twisty singletrack with loads of ups and downs, tight turns and technical rocky bits. The trails range from the moderate 6 kilometre Greenwood loop to the demanding Castlepook loop, over 50 kilometres in length! Tough forest road climbs are rewarded with sweeping fast descents guaranteed to leave you smiling! The trail system, designed by Dafydd Davis, one of the world leaders in the sport, is an exciting network constructed to give a challenging and rewarding ride. Each of the loops here presents riders with a combination of narrow singletrack and boardwalk sections and also has sections of forest road climbs over short and long distances. For the walker there are a range of waymaked trails that allow you to explore the hills, valleys, glens of the Ballyhouras. Enjoy!

Car Parking: €5 fee in coins on entry

Park opening / closing hours: 08.00 – 22.00 sharp (Jan-Dec)

This designated wilderness site encompasses an area of circa 11,000 hectares, comprising lands owned by Coillte and the National parks and wildlife service (NPWS). The area was once described by Robert Lloyd Praeger as the “loneliest place in Ireland”. He qualified his comment by referring to it “not as depressing but inspiring. You are thrown at the same time back upon yourself and forward against the mystery and majesty of nature” The landscape can inspire and uplift the human spirit. Wild Nephin offers a sanctuary for plants and animals and will provide valuable biodiversity reserves in an otherwise increasingly managed landscape. There is a wide diversity of habitats within the wildness area. Habitats include upland grassland, wet and dry heath and numerous lakes and rivers and conifer plantation forestry. With a rainfall of circa 2000mm per year the non-forested lands are predominantly active blanket bog which covers much of the wilderness area.

Maps for the Wild Nephin are available from East-West Mapping: Wild Nephi

Welcome to the Coolaney Mountain Bike Trail Network. This is a network of purpose-built singletrack trails and forest roads that are designed for use by mountain bikes on waymarked circular routes of between 3km and 22km in length. This is the first phase of an extensive trail system being built in the Ox Mountains, near Coolaney.

The trails take riders through forest and heathland with incredible views northwards over Ballisodare and Sligo Bays and up to Slieve League in Donegal. Continue on to open up views across Co. Sligo, the Dartry Mountains and ‘Yeats Country’. Forest-road-climbs lead you into tight twisty singletrack with loads of fast descents, ups and downs, tight turns and technical rocky bits, guaranteed to leave you smiling! If you are new to MTB-ing, take your time, start with the blue trails but note that they are fast in places; the red trails are more challenging and are not for novices! The trails are waymarked in one direction; please follow the arrows.

The trails are developed in partnership with Sligo County Council and are funded by the Dept of Rural & Community Development and working in association with Coolaney Development Company and North-West MTB Club.

Direction:

Navigate to the forest entrance and park in the new car-park just up the forest road. Open from 8am to 9pm each day.

Please do not park at the forest entrance as access is always needed in case of emergencies.

If the car-park is full, there is more parking available in Coolaney village.