Tollymore Forest Park Mourne
Tollymore Forest Park in County Down is the oldest forest park in Northern Ireland, a 630-hectare estate of mature woodland, rivers and dramatic glacial terrain in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains. The combination of the beautiful Shimna River, the Gothic and baroque follies of the original eighteenth-century demesne and the mountain backdrop of the Mournes creates one of the most atmospheric and most varied forest parks in Ireland. The remarkable series of bridges crossing the Shimna River within the park, each of different design and character, provide the most distinctive features of the forest walk and give the paths through the lower section an architectural interest unusual in a managed forest. The rivers are excellent habitat for dippers, kingfishers and otters, and the ancient woodland remnants within the park support the characteristic woodland birds of mature broadleaved trees. The forest park was one of the principal filming locations for Game of Thrones, the Haunted Forest sequences being shot in its ancient woodland. The access to the Mourne Mountains from the park's upper areas provides the starting point for walks to the summits above Newcastle, completing an outdoor experience that moves from riverside woodland through forest to mountain in a single day.