Mayo woodland named in top 20 Coillte recreational forests in Ireland

Belleek Wood was named among the top 20 most visited Coillte recreational forests in Ireland according to visitor statistics recorded in 2024. Belleek had over 82,200 visits last year, placing it thirteenth overall in the Top 20 most visited Coillte recreational sites nationwide.

Adjacent to Ballina, Belleek is a historic area of the county and brings visitors through a picturesque riverside and forest walkway. The recreational park also offers a family cycle trail from Ballina town throughout the forest and along the edge of the River Moy.

Formerly owned by the Knox Gore family in the 1700s, monuments about the family in the recreational forest offer a glimpse into history.

In first place with almost 350,000 visits, is Avondale Forest Park, Co Wicklow, and is home to the visitor destination Beyond the Trees Avondale, which officially opened in July 2022.

In addition to Avondale House, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell, it now boasts a unique treetop walk and viewing tower, Ireland’s longest slide, and for the Halloween season will offer a Spooktacular Halloween Twilight Trail and family fun activities.

Rossmore Forest Park in Co Monaghan, secured second place and boasts a variety of walking trails around Rossmore Castle, and has surrounding lakes where fishing is available. Rossmore Forest Park has family cycling trails, and nature tracks, and attracted the second highest number of visits in 2024, with over 340,000 recorded.

Ticknock in Co Dublin, which offers several walking and hiking trails, as well as mountain-bike tracks and orienteering courses, followed in third place with over 260,000 visits last year.

Over three million people visited Coillte’s top 50 most popular recreational woodlands and parks in 2024. The data indicates a growing interest from the public in local outdoor recreation, with many visitors to Coillte sites enjoying walks through recreational parks and woodlands, where they can explore nature and biodiversity.

There are also a host of activities available at various locations including cycling, fishing, orienteering, horse-riding and ziplining.

Coillte is the largest provider of outdoor recreation in Ireland with a total of 260 forest recreational areas, twelve forest parks, and six mountain bike centres nationwide, and offers the perfect family day out this Halloween mid-term break.

For more information on Coillte recreation sites and forests visit here.