Cairn Wood/ Ballysallagh
The wood offers a choice of 3 walks from the car park through the mixed woodland. A popular site for local dog walkers.
County
Down
Distance
2 miles
OS Map
Sheet 15
Nearest Town
Holywood
Route Shape
Circular
Route Type
Forest, Woodland
Terrain
Easy walking on forest tracks
Grid Reference (Start)
J448775
Grid Reference (End)
J448775
Point of Interest
Permanent orienteering course, conservation woodland with native broadleaves, red squirrels resident
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Other Area
Route Description
From the car park follow the waymarkers (choice of 3 routes) through the forest and woodland. The walking on forest roads (unsurfaced) is steep in places.
Rising to an altitude of 200m the woodland was once an outlier of the Clandeboye Estate and is important locally not only for its conservation value but also as a landscape feature in North Down.
The tree cover in the Forest Nature Reserve is mainly beech, with some oak, birch, alder, rowan and holly many of which are of scrub character. A few conifers occur, mostly Scots pine.
Open areas are predominantly grass/rush complex with bramble and at the highest elevations there is heathland with bilberry growing extensively.
There is a wide range of small song birds and many of the more common raptors frequent the area. Red squirrels are resident in the forest and may be seen in the wooded areas near the adjacent hill fort.
These walks are situated in a working forest environment and may be subject to diversion and closure from time to time.
Up to date information is available on the Forest Service web site - link below.
Getting to the Start (by Public Transport)
Translink - journeyplanner.translink.co.uk
Getting to the Start (by Car)
From Holywood: Take the Church Road to its junction with B170. Turn left onto the Ballymiscaw Road. At the end of the road turn right onto Whinney Hill. At the next junction turn left onto Craigantlet Road for approximately 0.75 mile to the forest car park.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed. Dogs must be kept under control and should not be allowed to foul on footpaths. Please use the dog foul bins provided at the trail head.
Facilities
Car parking and picnic facilities
Publication
None
Publication Availability
N/A
Links
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Walk Location
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