Tollymore Forest Park Campsite
County Down
Camping among stone bridges and follies at the foot of the Mournes
About Tollymore Forest Park Campsite
Tollymore Forest Park covers 630 hectares of mixed woodland directly beneath the northern Mournes, and its campsite sits inside the park boundary a short walk from the River Shimna. The park was laid out as a private estate in the eighteenth century, and the campsite is scattered among the same stone bridges, gate lodges and follies that make Tollymore one of the best-known forest parks in Northern Ireland, with sections also recognisable from television and film location work carried out here in recent years.
Pitches take tents, caravans, motorhomes and trailer tents, with a mix of hardstanding and grass options and electric hookups available on the serviced pitches. Toilet and shower blocks are maintained to a good standard for a forest park site, and the surrounding woodland gives shelter from wind that more exposed mountain campsites lack. Dogs are welcome on leads throughout the park, and the site works well as a base for families as well as walkers, since Tollymore's own network of waymarked trails, an arboretum and playground areas are reachable on foot without leaving the park.
The campsite is run through the official Mourne forest parks booking system and gives direct access to routes up into the mountains proper, including the popular approach to Hare's Gap and Slieve Bearnagh, as well as gentler riverside walks suited to an evening after arriving. Newcastle is a ten-minute drive away for shops, restaurants and the beach, making this one of the most convenient sites in the range for visitors who want mountains on the doorstep without sacrificing easy access to a town.