Ballypatrick Forest

In the Ballypatrick Forest

The Ballypatrick Forest is a forestry plantation in the Antrim Hills, in the northwest of County Antrim. The Glenmakeeran River rises deep within the forest and runs extensively through it northwards. The Carey River rises in the eastern edges of the forest.

This is a well-established, mature forest now: the oldest woodland is that by the entrance and was planted in 1948. It is a working forest and lorries laden with timber trundle its tracks and down to the main road, affrighting casual visitors.

The forest overspreads the hills to the north of Glendun and east of Glenshesk, with Knocklayd standing bold beyond the latter. It is a pleasant visitor attraction, with a car park, facilities a picnic site and a waymarked walk through the forest, past deer lawns and fenced wildlife ponds. The A2 road, known as the Causeway Coastal Route, passes through the eastern bounds of the forest, and through the heart of the forest there is a five-mile drive, open all summer and weekends from Easter to October, meandering through upland forest and open areas.

Views extend north to Knocklayd Mountain, the Causeway Coast, to Ballycastle and beyond to Rathlin Island.

Forest drive

The forest drive is opened to traffic in the summer months, which wanders through the forest leading up to its viewpoints and picnic spots and down through the wooded areas.

The Irish ford

The drive has an 'Irish ford', said to be unique to the forest, where the roadway enters a stream, the Corratavey Burn, and instead of crossing it like a normal ford, the road runs along the streambed.

As the forest road turns towards Ballycastle it passes an extensive area of open bog land which is still used for cutting turf to heat many local farm houses in winter.

Beside the route of the forest drive is a dual court or double-horned tomb, a form more frequent in Ulster than elsewhere, which dates from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago.

Wildlife

A Wildlife Trail is waymarked through the forest from the Horseshoe car park. Whether any of the forest's wildlife is seen before it flees the sound of approaching feet cannot be told for certain.

The forest contains deer, while its waters have ducks, geese and dippers. Otters are found along the Glenmakeeran River.

Much of the woodland is of broadleaved trees, including a flourishing eucalyptus which is a native of Australia.

Nearby

Just each of the forest edge lies the intriguing Vanishing Lake, Loughareema.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ballypatrick Forest)

References

• NI Direct: Ballypatrick Forest
• Ballypatrick Forest on 'Discover Northern Ireland'