Glenariff Forest Park

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98 Glenariffe Road, Glenariffe, Northern Ireland BT44 0QX+44 28 2175 8232

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Scenic trail Photo - Glenariff Forest Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland

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Glenariff Forest Park

by Joy S

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

July 19, 2012

Best of IgoUgo Glenariff Forest Park is right in the heart of the famous Glens of Antrim. This whole area is a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" and if you come to Glenariff, you can easily see why.The forest park is very well sign-posted and easy ...Read more Glenariff Forest Park is right in the heart of the famous Glens of Antrim. This whole area is a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" and if you come to Glenariff, you can easily see why.

The forest park is very well sign-posted and easy to find. It is on the A43 Ballymena Road, 22 km north-east of the town of Ballymena and close to a place called Waterfoot. It is open every day from 10am until about sunset.

Glenariff is known as the "Queen of the Glens" and is considered by many people to be the most beautiful of the 9 Glens of Antrim. The forest park is very large, planted with lots of trees with small lakes, recreation areas and open space left for landscape and conservation reasons.

We drove here from our base in County Armagh, it took about an hour and three quarters to reach the park. There is plenty of car-parking available - you pay a small charge for all day parking at a Pay and Display machine - about £4, but entrance to the park and its natural wonders is otherwise free.

We had a picnic in the car park area before we set off. There are lots of picnic tables around. There is also a lovely little shop and cafe/restaurant, where we had refreshments later in the afternoon.

The River Inver and the River Glenariff bisect the park and have spectacular waterfalls, pools and stretches of fast flowing water which pour down through gorges which are rocky and very steep-sided. There are 3 trails signposted in the park - the first one we did was the Waterfall Trail. It is about 3 miles long and was described as a "spectacular" walk. This was certainly true.

You descend very steeply into the valley, until you come to a wooden boardwalk. This boardwalk or Waterfall Walkway opened 80 years ago, but has been significantly upgraded. It is about a mile in length and goes through a National Nature Reserve. It is really beautiful. There are stairways, paths cut into the sides of the gorge and the boardwalk on stilts in the river. We really enjoyed walking along this, listening to the water gushing into the gorge and having our breath taken away by the stunning beauty of the waterfalls.

There is an optional detour on this trail - the Rainbow Trail. It is only about half a mile and takes you to a lovely little bridge - the Rainbow Bridge, right by a waterfall.

After the boardwalk section, there is a really intense and steep climb back up to the cafe area. This is not for the faint-hearted, you need to be relatively fit, but there are benches along the way where you can stop and catch your breath.

After some refreshments, we decided to embark on the Scenic Trail. This is listed as an 8 mile hike, with what they describe as a very intense and steep climb. This starts off where you hike (on a different route) back down to the waterfalls, and then an exceedingly difficult and steep climb up 300 metres. Be aware, you do need to be very fit to do this - we found it hard going, and my calves ached for days afterwards.

The walk carries on through forest area, then more climbing, but the views at the top are wonderful. You can see all the way to the sea with Scotland and the Mull of Kintyre in the distance on a clear day. The remainder of the walk is fairly easy - along the top of the hillside, across a little ford and back towards the parking area. It is a lovely walk, you feel invigorated (but exhausted) afterwards but if you are fit, definitely try it. Close

From journal A Week in Ireland

Waterfalls, Nature Reserves, Scenic Trails Make a Great Day Out!

by karly07

Belfast, United Kingdom

December 10, 2009

Best of IgoUgo My husband and I love to take a day out walking and in Northern Ireland, you are somewhat spoilt for choice, the only thing that can get in the way is the weather - but if you come armed with a good waterproof, the weather shouldn't stop you from ...Read more

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Glenariff Forest Park

Waterfalls, Nature Reserves, Scenic Trails Make a Great Day Out!