Donegal · Easy · Circular

Ards Forest Park: the Yellow and Green walks

A waymarked loop in Ards Forest Park that joins the Yellow and Green walks through the woods above Sheephaven Bay.

Distance
3.7 km (2.3 mi)
Ascent
89 m
Time
About 1 h 15 min
High point
112 m
Grade
Easy
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Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.

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Ards Forest Park: the Yellow and Green walks
Alistair Cunningham · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the car park beside the café and toilets, take the Yellow Walk north-west through the forest, round its western loop, then join the Green Walk and follow it east through the woods, past a viewpoint, and back to the car park. The walks are waymarked in yellow and green, and the park, run by Coillte, spreads over about 480 hectares of woodland, shore and estuary on Sheephaven Bay.

It is 3.7 km round with 89 m of ascent; allow about 1¼ hours. The grade is Easy: forest paths and tracks, with a few short climbs.

The paths can be wet and muddy after rain; keep to the waymarked trails. Be back before the car park closes: it shuts at 5pm from October to March.

The car park is Coillte's: it now takes card or app payment only, and Coillte's page gives no charge. It opens from 8am to 9pm from April to September and from 8am to 5pm from October to March. No railway station is within reach.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Ards Forest Park covers about 480 ha on the shore of Sheephaven Bay, between Creeslough and Dunfanaghy, and is managed by Coillte.
  • The park was part of the Ards Estate, bought by Alexander Stewart in the 1780s and owned by the Stewart family until the early 1930s.
  • Within the park are the remains of four ringforts and several megalithic tombs, as well as a salt marsh trail with a bird hide.
  • Coillte lists nine waymarked trails here, from a 0.5 km salt marsh trail to the 13 km Red Trail.

Getting there

Start: Ards Forest Park car park · Pay and display. 55.15878, -7.88878

Directions to the start

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Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Donegal: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.

Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.