Image shared for Tollymore Forest Park: River Trail near Newcastle
Park / Green space Circular

Tollymore Forest Park: River Trail near Newcastle

Down

Distance
3.2 mi
Est. time
2h
Difficulty
Medium
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PaulWalkmates Route by PaulWalkmates

About this walk

Start at the information board in Tollymore Forest Park main car park near Bryansford, a short drive from Newcastle. Follow the red River Trail down the Azalea Walk to the Shimna River and the stone Hermitage, then continue upstream through mixed woodland to Parnell's Bridge. Cross the bridge and take the signed woodland trail towards the Spinkwee River. Follow its cascades downstream, cross Altavaddy Bridge at the Meeting of the Waters, and return past the duck pond over Old Bridge and up the Green Rig to the car park.

This follows the River Trail circuit without the optional White Fort spur, using the public east branch of the Azalea footpath on the descent from the car park. The river crossings use bridges; there is no need to use the stepping stones. Allow around two hours for the 5.2 km trail, including brief pauses at the rivers and Hermitage. There are steps, roots, gullies, broken surfaces and some quite steep short slopes. Wear walking shoes with good grip, take care beside the rivers and keep children close. Wet leaves, roots and stone can be slippery.

Use the park's public main car park, where there are toilets and trail information. Vehicle admission charges are displayed at the entrance. Check the posted gate closing time before setting off and leave enough time to return. Follow local red markers and any forestry notices. Forest Service continues to advise caution after storm damage: do not pass beneath or climb over fallen trees, and turn back if the trail is blocked.

Route and access information: Forest Service Tollymore trail map and nidirect Tollymore Forest Park and Forest news pages, checked 4 October 2026.

Cover photograph: The Shimna below Parnell's Bridge at Tollymore Park, by Eric Jones, taken 7 September 2021. Copyright Eric Jones. Source: https://www.geograph.ie/photo/6957504. Reused under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/. Original image, unchanged apart from display resizing.

Walk details

County
Down
Walk type
Circular
Category
Park / Green space
Distance
3.2 mi (5.2 km)
Est. time
2h
Explorer
Yes, off the beaten track

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