Lough Key Forest Park, Nature park near Boyle, Ireland.
Lough Key Forest Park is a large park on the southern shore of Lough Key in County Roscommon, Ireland, with walking trails through native woodlands and cedar trees. A network of waterways runs through the grounds, and several islands on the lake can be reached from within the park.
The land was part of the Rockingham Estate and remained in private hands until 1959, when the family sold it to the Irish Land Commission after the main house burned down. Since then, the grounds have been managed as a public park open to all visitors.
Walking through the park, visitors come across old estate structures like stone bridges and an ice house that were once part of a working country estate. The underground servant tunnels from the 19th century are still accessible and give a direct sense of how the property once functioned.
The park offers a wide range of activities including boating, fishing, camping, cycling, and orienteering, so it is worth deciding in advance what you want to do. A visitor center inside the grounds has restaurants and equipment rentals and works well as a starting point.
The park has Ireland's first tree canopy walk, a raised steel and timber path that runs through the tops of the trees. The view from up there is completely different from what you see at ground level, making it one of the more memorable parts of a visit.
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