Activities
There are no facilities for other recreational activities provided. The public are welcome to visit this forest on foot.
To arrange a special event or activity in this forest, such as sporting events or educational visits, contact the recreation manager at Garvagh Forest Office.
There may be restricted access to parts of the forest during forestry work. Pay attention to safety advice on forest signs.
About this forest
All of Portglenone Forest is classified as an ‘ancient woodland’, though records show that the forest was once part of a much larger woodland comprising Mountreivelen, Killetra, and Glenconkeyne Woods.
These woods formed one of the biggest oak forests in the country. In 1607 Sir John Davys, the Irish Attorney-General, described this area as “well nigh as large as the New Forest in Hampshire and stored with the best timber in Ireland”.
The ground flora contains extensive colonies of ancient woodland indicator species such as bluebell, wood anenome and wild garlic. These plants take centuries of woodland cover to grow. Observant walkers may enjoy these features which provide the wood with its important conservation and educational aspects.
How to get there
Travelling from Portglenone to Ballymena the forest entrance is on the right, about half a mile from the town centre.