Killynether Forest Park

On the inactive «thankfully» volcanic scrabo hillside this park has some steap slopes and steps and much of it isn’t accessible by wheelchair except for the lower park which can still be enjoyed by everyone.
In the higher parts of the woodland you can see some of the old seabed floor fossilized on the rocks and deeply scored by the ice of the last ice age.
The views at the top are worth the climb to see. There’s picnic tables at the lower part near the car park ideall for bbqs and picnics as well as a walled garden.
You can see grey squirrels and sometimes buzzards in the spring and summer. Toilets are five minutes drive away at the car park by scrabo tower.

Killynether is a little hidden gem in County Down, protected from hordes of tourists by the nearby (and more prominent) Scrabo Tower.
Whilst I’m an enthusiastic hiker, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the misery of a day out with the tribe taking on one of Northern Ireland’s highest peaks. It would never happen. Killynether is perfect for the family — there is a path that loops right round the park, only climbing enough to afford spectacular views looking back towards Belfast, but not knackering young kids enough to incite them to whinge at their beleaguered dads.
It’s a beautiful spot all round. Fantastic views when you get a bit higher, but there are some really gorgeous areas for picnics down below. Bring a load of food and amusements for the children and you’ve got a pretty serene afternoon. If you keep an eye out for the toadstools, that is.

Although this is only a few miles form us, we only discovered it about a year ago when we took a wrong turning. Killynether is a beautiful forest park which is carefully managed and upkept so that it remains well stocked with tress, plants and wildlife and free (most of the time) from litter. Just who on earth would leave their rubbish behind in such a beautiful place anyway?
I am practically allergic to walking but even I enjoy a walk through the forest here — the views are amazing out across the fields towards Strangford and the dogs and kids have a ball climbing trees (the kids) and eating sticks (the dogs). Some of the path is pretty steep, but you don’t have to go that way, there’s plenty of space on the flatter ground to enjoy.
Even city slickers like me can’t help but get excited by the blackberries and conkers in autumn and the bluebells in spring. I’ve come over all Enid Blyton. You can hear plenty of birds, and you can even feed the squirrels if you can be quiet enough.
There is a really pretty walled garden which is off limits to dogs and makes a nice place to sit and contemplate the meaning of life and count your blessings. See? Even writing about Killynether makes me more serene.
Take along a portable BBQ as there are some picnic tables with those bits for putting your BBQ on and you have all the ingredients for that rarest of things — a venue for a day out which will cost you nothing.