Medium Walks
The Poet’s Trail – The Urney Loop (6 miles)
| Start grid reference | End grid reference | Terrain | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| J014158 | J014158 | Mix of unsurfaced laneways and public roads. | Begins and ends in Forkhill village. |
Description:
A circular trail which follows a Public Footpath from Forkhill to Urney Graveyard then onto quiet country lanes through Glendesha Forest and around the mountains of Croslieve and Sliebrack back to Forkhill.
The Poet’s Trail – The Ballykeel Loop (8 miles)
| Start grid reference | End grid reference | Terrain | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| H996160 | H996160 | Largely on public roads. | Starts and finishes at the Ti Chulainn Centre, Mullaghbane |
Description:
A circular route leaving the Ti Chulainn Centre, this walk takes in a disused flax mill the last working one of the area, and Cloverhill Golf Course.
The Poet’s Trail – The O’Neill Loop (8 miles)
| Start grid reference | End grid reference | Terrain | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| H934159 | H934159 | Public road. | Starts and ends at Creggan Parish Church, Creggan |
Description:
Follow quiet country lanes from Creggan Parish Church on this circular route past Glassdrummond Lake, Roche Castle and Hearty’s Folk Cottage before arriving back at your starting point.
Slieve Gullion (9.5 miles)
| Start grid reference | End grid reference | Terrain | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| J042196 | J042196 | Minor roads and forest tracks. Varies from flat to steep mountain paths. Take care on a busy section of road from Killeavy Old Churches back to Slieve Gullion Courtyard.From the summit of Slieve Gullion to the Ballard Road is for experienced mountain walkers only. | Starts and ends at Slieve Gullion Forest Park car park. |
Description:
This circular route works its way uphill through deciduous woodland for about 1km before joining forest drive along the southern slopes of Slieve Gullion. The path becomes steeper as you climb for about 2km, traversing areas of peaty and rocky ground. As the path reaches the summit of Slieve Gullion it takes in the Neolithic South Cairn Passage Grave before continuing North-West along the summit plateau arriving at Calliagh Berras Lough. only complete this section if you are an experienced mountain walker. The path continues past the lough to the North Cairn ( a Bronze Age burial chamber) and then descends back down the mountain, continuing on to take in Killevy Old Churches, Clonlum South Cairn Portal Tomb and Killevy Castle before retuning to the starting point. This walk is situated in a working forest environment and may be subject to diversion and closure from time to time.
Camlough Mountain (7 miles)
| Start grid reference | End grid reference | Terrain | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| J 03826 26931 | J 03826 26931 | Public roads and Forest Roads. Take care on a busy section on the Keggal Road. | Starts and ends on the village of Camough |
Description:
The walk starts and finishes in the Village of Camlough. Follow the Quarter Road to the right of Doyle’s Pub. Continue along this road for about 50m then turn left onto the Church Road. Continue along this narrow country road for about 2.5km until you reach a road on your right opposite large green gates. Turn uphill and continue past the house on your right. After about 200m keep right and continue along this road for about 1km.
Enter through the Forest Service gate and keep almost immediately to your left. This Forest Service track continues for roughly 3km through dense pine and heather along the summit and plunges back into pine before exiting into open fields. At the junction turn right onto the Tamnaghbane Road. Continue for about 2km before turning right again onto the Keggal Road where you can have a picnic overlooking Camlough lake at the amenity site. The Keggal Road can be busy, please exercise caution here.
After roughly 1km Camlough Quarry will rise out of the mountain on the right. The rocks of the Camlough area were born from fire. Over 400 million years ago molten rock cooled under ground to form granadiorite. Then again 58 million years ago molten rock was present in this area and as it cooled it became dolerite. You can see the darker coloured dolerite intruding into the much older lighter coloured grandiorite.
After 200m keep to the right onto the Mountain Road. Continue on this route for roughly 1.5km before turning left down towards Camlough. At the junction turn right and after 300m the trail comes to an end where you should recognise your surroundings from the start. Camlough Village is the perfect place to stop off and have lunch or dinner after a day’s walking.