Days Out NI
Worth the drive Forest & woodland Newcastle

Tollymore Forest Park

Old stone bridges and gothic follies along the Shimna, giant trees and a Game of Thrones wood — at the foot of the Mournes.

5 photos
10am–sunsetOpen every day
Free to walk in£5 per car to park
NewcastleCounty Down
Get directionsOfficial website
2–3 hoursHow long
All agesBest for
OutdoorsForest walks
£5 per carParking
Free entryWalk in free

Northern Ireland's first forest park, right at the foot of the Mournes near Newcastle — a fast, clear river crossed by old stone bridges, gothic follies and a mossy grotto, giant exotic trees, and a castle-like gothic gateway that Game of Thrones fans will recognise.

  • What you'll see — the Shimna River running fast over the rocks and its famous stepping stones, a run of ornamental stone bridges, the ivy-clad Hermitage grotto, and an arboretum said to be one of the oldest in Ireland with a towering cedar avenue and a giant redwood. Look up through the trees and the Mourne Mountains rise straight out of the treetops.
  • The gothic gate & the follies — you come in under the Barbican, a grey castellated gateway that's pure theatre. It, the bridges and the grotto were built by the estate's landlords through the 1700s and 1800s to make the walk feel like a story unfolding.
  • Screen fame — the forest stood in as the haunted woods north of the Wall in Game of Thrones, and appeared in the film Dracula Untold.
  • Trails for any legs — waymarked routes all from the car park: a gentle half-mile arboretum path (smooth enough for a buggy), a three-mile riverside loop, or longer five-mile-plus mountain trails. Allow 2–3 hours for a good river-and-trees wander.
  • Cost & food — free to walk in, open every day 10am to sunset. The only charge is £5 per car to park (£2.50 a motorbike; free on foot or by bike). No café inside — usually a coffee van at the car park, but bring a flask to be sure; Newcastle is five minutes away.
  • Come ready and come early. Riverside and hill trails get muddy, so proper shoes or wellies win the day. The car park fills fast on bright weekends — an early start saves a queue. Toilets are at the car park only.
Plan your visit

Just turn up — it's open every day

The forest is open all year, 10am until sunset, so there's no booking and no ticket to walk in. Walking in is free; the charge is for parking — £5 per car for the day (£2.50 a motorbike), and it's free if you arrive on foot or by bike. Everything starts from the main car park: the trail maps, the toilets and a coffee van when it's out. There's no café inside the park itself, so pack what you fancy — Newcastle is only five minutes down the road when you're done, with plenty of cafés and chippers.

Toilets at the car park (wheelchair access) Colour-coded waymarked trails Coffee van at the car park (when out) Dogs welcome on leads
Good to note:

Tollymore is home to red squirrels, and the Forest Service has confirmed squirrel pox in the park — keep dogs on leads and don't feed the wildlife. The car park fills fast on bright weekends, so an earlier start pays off, and there can be short closures in severe winter weather, so it's worth a quick check before setting out in a storm.

Before you set off

What to wear & bring

  • 👟Good shoes or welliesThe main drive is firm, but the riverside and hill trails get rooty and muddy, especially after rain.
  • 🧥A coat, whatever the skyRain here just means the Shimna runs full and the whole forest smells green — it's gorgeous under the trees.
  • 🥪A flask and a picnicNo café inside, so pack your own — there are lovely spots by the water and by the bridges to stop.
  • 💷£5 for the car parkBring the parking charge for the day; it's free if you come on foot or by bike.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to walk in. Parking is £5 per car for the day, £2.50 per motorcycle; free on foot or by bicycle. Minibuses £13 and coaches £35. An annual car permit is £40 (£25 concession). Confirm current rates on the day.
Hours
Open every day of the year, 10am until sunset. There can be short closures in severe winter weather — worth a quick check before setting off in a storm.
Trails
Colour-coded routes, all starting and ending at the car park: the Blue arboretum path (about half a mile, smooth and mostly flat), the Red rivers trail (around three miles), and longer Black mountain trails (up to about five and a half miles) for stronger walkers. Maps at the car park.
What you'll see
The Shimna River, its stepping stones and a run of ornamental stone bridges; the gothic Barbican gateway; the ivy-clad Hermitage grotto and Clanbrassil Barn; an arboretum with a cedar avenue, a cork tree and a giant redwood; and Mourne Mountain views. Game of Thrones filmed here.
Food
No café inside the park. A coffee van is often at the car park — handy for a hot drink, but bring a flask and picnic to be sure it's there. Newcastle, five minutes away, has cafés, chippers and shops.
Toilets
At the main car park, with wheelchair access. None out on the trails, so go before you set off.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs are welcome. Keep them on a lead — the forest is home to red squirrels the Forest Service is protecting, and there are other walkers about.
Prams & buggies
The half-mile arboretum path is smooth and mostly flat — fine for a buggy and good for the big trees. The main forest drive is firm too, but the riverside and mountain trails are natural and uneven, better for an all-terrain buggy or a carrier.
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible toilets at the car park, and the smooth arboretum path suits wheels and strollers. The deeper river and mountain trails have steps, roots and steep stretches.
How long
Allow two to three hours for a good river-and-trees loop; longer if you take on a mountain trail or bring a picnic.
Address
Tollymore Forest Park, Bryansford Road, Newcastle, County Down, BT33 0PW
Questions

Before you go

Is Tollymore free?
Walking in is free — the only charge is for parking, £5 per car for the day (£2.50 a motorbike). If you arrive on foot or by bike, there's nothing to pay at all.
Do I need to book?
No. It's open every day, 10am to sunset, and you just turn up and walk in.
Is there a café or food?
There's no café inside the park. A coffee van is often at the car park for a hot drink, but it's worth bringing a flask and picnic to be sure — Newcastle is only five minutes away for after.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Keep them close, as the forest is home to red squirrels the Forest Service is protecting.
Is it good with a pram?
The half-mile arboretum path is smooth and mostly flat, great for a buggy and the big trees, and the main drive is firm too. The riverside and mountain trails are natural and uneven — an all-terrain buggy or a carrier copes far better there.
Did they really film Game of Thrones here?
Yes — Tollymore stood in as the haunted woods north of the Wall in the early seasons, and the forest also featured in the film Dracula Untold. The gothic bridges and the Barbican gate give it that on-screen atmosphere in real life.
Getting there

Bryansford Road, Newcastle, County Down, BT33 0PW — a couple of miles from Newcastle toward Bryansford village, at the foot of the Mournes. Pay-and-park on site.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website

Forest Service (permits & enquiries): 028 6634 3165

See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

NewcastleSeafront & promenade · 2 miles Murlough BeachDundrum · 5 miles Mourne MountainsNewcastle · on the doorstep Castlewellan Forest ParkCastlewellan · 4 miles
The story

Northern Ireland's first forest park

Tollymore opened as a forest park in 1955 — the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. But the estate is far older than that. The arboretum was begun in 1752, which is said to make it one of the oldest in Ireland, and the ornamental bridges, follies and gateways along the Shimna were built by the estate's landlords through the 1700s and 1800s to turn a walk through their grounds into a kind of theatre.

That taste for the dramatic is everywhere once you start looking. The Barbican gate, all battlements and pointed arch, could belong to a castle. The Hermitage is a little stone grotto perched over a pool in the river, ivy hanging off it. Clanbrassil Barn, built in 1757, was dressed up to look like a church. And a whole string of stone bridges steps you back and forth across the water — one of them, the Old Bridge, is said to date to 1726, and Foley's Bridge with its single high arch is the one every photographer stops for.

In more recent years the forest found a new audience. It stood in as the haunted woods north of the Wall in Game of Thrones, and featured in the film Dracula Untold — the gothic follies and dark stands of conifer doing on screen exactly what the old landlords wanted them to do in life. Today the whole demesne belongs to everyone, cared for by the Forest Service, open dawn to dusk at the foot of the Mournes: a rich, full day out, the kind you'll be glad you made the time for.