Happy New Year!
Our first walk of the year takes place in the beautiful Tollymore Forest Park located in Byransford close to Newcastle within the Mourne and Slieve Croob Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a beautiful place for a walk as it is located at the foot of the Mourne Mountains. Although you may not be climbing them on this walk, you can still get your mountain fix!
There is a great choice of walking options at Tollymore, from a stroll to a good long-haul walk. We took the Mountain Trail which was approximately 8.8km, this walk consisted of all different types of terrain and was very hilly in places so make sure you have suitable footwear for this walk. We also took some snacks too as it took us a good few hours to complete this walk.
The walk starts in the car park of Tollymore Forest Park, it a couple of pounds to park so make sure you have change. This is a good opportunity to use the facilities before embarking on any walks at Tollymore. The trail runs parallel to the Shinma River and there is a good mixture of paths throughout the woodland. As you reach the boundary wall of Tollymore Forest Park there are amazing views over the mountains, and on a clear day, you can see Luke’s Mountain. As you carry on the walk you will reach a crossroads, where you have the option to extend your walk onto the Drinns Trail or heading straight on will loop you back towards the car park.
Tollymore Forest Park is a fantastic place for a walk, it offers a wide variety of walks and most of the trails are looped so it is easy to navigate your way around the forest park.
Highly recommended for a starting point if you are looking to start walking in 2020, which of course we would totally recommend.
Happy Walking!