Downhill Forest

Downhill Forest is a small mixed woodland of 83 hectares just inland from the North coast of Northern Ireland, near Castlerock. The Forest was originally part of the estate of Frederick Harvey, the 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, which included Downhill Castle, now maintained by The National Trust.

A walk through Downhill Forest will allow you to view one of Northern Irelands fattest Sitka spruce (in 1962 the girth was approximately 6m), an Early Christian Promontory Fort and an old water powered sawmill with its lade running round the small lake in the middle of this woodland.

The lake was originally designed as a fishpond; it is now a home to a number of Mallard ducks that have taken up residence on the pond. Both the waymarked walks pass by this elongated pond.

There are two waymarked paths in the forest; one is just over a kilometre long while the other is two kilometres in length. The Ulster Way also runs through part of the forest. Part of Downhill Forest is linked into a province-wide cycling network called Sustrans (Route 93), running from the Mussenden Road down through mixed woodlands to Burrenmore Road. The North West Orienteering Club have also created a permanent orienteering course in the forest.

For a more sedate visit, picnic tables are situated on the grass to allow visitors to picnic in the wide variety of trees planted around Downhill Forest.

From Coleraine ~ Take the A2 through Articlave, Downhill Forest is on the left after approx. 1½ miles
From Limavady ~ Take the A2 towards Castlerock, Downhill Forest is on the right approx. 3½ miles after Benone.

When parking please do not block the gates as lorries, emergency vehicles and other official vehicles may need access to this entrance at anytime. Admission is free