Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Environment and the outdoors
  3. Forests and outdoor recreation
  4. Forests
  5. Public forests in Northern Ireland
  6. Forests in County Antrim

Breen Forest

This compact forest covers 600 hectares. It is distinctive in its combination of a National Nature Reserve of native oak within a mainly coniferous woodland of maturing spruce, larch and pine.

Activities

There are no facilities for recreational activities.

Occasionally, there may be restricted access to part of the forest due to forestry work so pay attention to safety signage.

About the forest

This native oak woodland is a small reserve with no clearly defined paths.

Opposite the National Nature Reserve entrance, to the left of the forest road, you may notice the standing stone in the field. Little is known about it but it stands as witness to human activity and involvement in this area far back in unrecorded history. There are also two other archaeological sites in the forest area:

  • a Souterrain which is located within the fields to the rear of the farm buildings - unfortunately it is not very visible on the ground
  • McQuillan’s Grave (chambered) which is situated to the eastern boundary of the forest

The road climbs up past young plantations of Christmas trees and ridges of the ancient oak wood. It then reaches the commercial high forest offering an excellent view directly across to Knocklayd mountain.

The Moyle Way cuts across the forest and is posted with the blue logo sign above a directional arrow. Watch out for the route marking that turns left off the forest road and follows a burn to the eastern edge of the forest.

How to get there

From Armoy, the forest is three miles east of the village on the B15 Glenshesk Road.

From Ballycastle, the forest is six miles south of the seaside town on the B15 Glenshesk Road.

Visitors should park in the small car park beside the B15 and walk up the road hedged with hawthorn and ash going into the forest. Care must be taken to make sure that no access points are blocked.

More useful links

  • Permits for vehicles and activities in forests 
  • Forests
  • Country parks
  • Nature reserves
  • Parks and green spaces
  • Wildlife reserves and designated landscapes
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Forests in County Antrim

  • Ballyboley Forest
  • Ballycastle Forest
  • Ballypatrick Forest
  • Bann Woods North Forest
  • Bann Woods South Forest
  • Breen Forest
  • Capanagh Forest
  • Clare Forest
  • Cleggan Forest
  • Craigs Forest
  • Garry Forest
  • Glenariff Forest Park
  • Glenarm Forest
  • Muckamore Forest, including Rea's Wood, Antrim town
  • Portglenone Forest
  • Randalstown Forest
  • Slieveanorra Forest
  • Tardree Forest
  • Woodburn Forest

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS