Peatlands Woodland Walk
One of five lovely walks through Peatlands Park in County Armagh.
County Armagh
Distance 3.9 miles
OS Map Sheet 19
Terrain Tarmac and gravel roads, boardwa
Nearest Town Loughgall
Route Shape Circular
Grid Reference H897603
Route Type Parkland & Grassland, Woodland
Follow the path marked with yellow arrows. Watch out for Cuckoos and birds of prey using the dead pines as lookout posts. Jays are abundant in the woods. Annagarriff Wood is a National Nature Reserve with unique flora and fauna species, many of which are found nowhere else in Northern Ireland. One of the most interesting sites in Annagarriff must be the huge mounds of plant debris up to 1m high and 2-3m across. These hills have been built by Wood Ants and are the only Irish site for this species.
The main park gates and the gates at Derryadd Lough are open daily from 9.00am to 9.00pm Easter Sunday until the end of September and from 9.00am to 5.00pm during the winter months. Please check the signs for closing times on your arrival. Admission into the park is FREE all year round.
A free Waymarked Route map is available from the Visitor Centre or General Office.
Wood Ant hills in Annagarriff Wood.
Peatlands Park is located at Junction 13 off the M1.
You can also get to Peatlands Park via the national cycling network however, please note that cycling/mountainbiking is not permitted in the park except for on vehicular roads.
All Waymarked walks start at the Information Triangle adjacent to the main car park.
Translink – journeyplanner.translink.co.uk
Dogs must be kept under control at all times. Please clean up after your dog.
Free parking is available for 200 cars or 20 coaches including 12 disabled parking bays. There is also a smaller Car Park at Derryadd Lough on the eastern margin of the park.FACILITIES INCLUDEVisitor Centre Education Centre (school groups) Toilets Access for disabled visitors Railway (carriages adapted for wheelchairs) Scooters for Shopmobility members Car/bus parking Souvenir shop Picnic areas The following facilities are available for users with limited mobility: – Café (wheelchair accessible) – Disabled toilets – Disabled parking – Mobility vehicle available – Hearing loop system – Visitors Centre
Grade 5
- There may not be a formalised path, and variable, single file trails are to be expected.
- Gradients and cross slope could be expected to be steep and not limited.
- Obstacles and surface breaks of greater than 75mm measured across the line of the path to be expected.
- Overhanging branches are possible. Passing places and rest areas may not be formalised or provided.
Comments will be reviewed and those that cause offence will be removed. This is at the discretion of WalkNI.
We want everyone to be able to enjoy the walking routes listed on WalkNI safely and easily.
If you have come across any problems whilst walking a route, please let us so we can pass on any issues to the appropriate management body responsible for maintaining the walk.
Walk Route
Peatlands Woodland Walk
Peatlands Park offers plenty of walking routes from a short stroll up to A 10km circular route without retracing your steps. The Woodland walk mapped route above can easily be extended to 5 miles by adding a loop around Derryadd lake.
This walk is through woodland and lowland peat bogs that have an otherworldly feel. Beautiful isolated Scots pine sit in open peatland. The park contains two National Nature Reserves so keep your eyes and ears open for a wide variety of birds and plantlife.
The route is flat and the paths are a mix of tarmac (near the carp park) boardwalk, and wood chippings. Parts of it can be quite muddy in wet weather so bring good footwear.
Routes are colour coded and signposts around the park indicate which path to follow. Information signs on wildlife and the history of peat extraction add real interest to a walk.
Facilities are good with plenty of parking, picnic tables, a play park, and a toilet block. A restored narrow gauge railway offers tickets for trips around the park during the summer months (check its operating before you go).
This is one of the best places to walk close to nature in Co Armagh.
I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars out of 5.