Come Explore The Stunning Castlewellan Forest Park! Walks, Mountain Biking, Fishing, Camping & more

Castlewellan Forest Park is only a small part of the original estate acquired in 1741 by Lord William Annesley from the Magennis family. This estate stretched from Slieve Croobe to Slieve Donard taking in Castlewellan and part of Newcastle. The Forest Park itself consists of 463 hectares.
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The Lake that covers around 40 hectares and is constantly stocked with brown and rainbow trout.
The Arboretum, which dates from around 1870, is a large walled garden that hosts a collection of trees and shrubs from all over the world.
The Castle, built in Scottish Baronial style in the second half of the 19th Century to replace the earlier residence of the Annesleys which was nearer the lake.
The Peace Maze
Castlewellan Forest park's 'Peace Maze' was commissioned in 1998 and in 2000 and 2001 over 4000 school children and 1000 people attended community planting days to plant the maze's 6000 yew trees.
The maze is one of Northern Irelands fastest growing tourist attractions, with over 240,000 visits between the opening date in September 2001 and June 2004. The whole maze covers nearly 3 acres and has 2.18 miles of pathway.Until 2007 the Peace Maze was the largest permanent hedge maze in the world and held the Guinness world record. The current record holder is the 'Pineapple Garden Maze' in Hawaii with 2.46 miles of pathway
Annesley Crest
The Castle was in the Annesley family for some 111 years, finally passing from Lady Mabel Annesley to her son Gerald Francis Annesley on the occasion of his marriage in 1927 to Lady Elizabeth Jocelyn, daughter of the 7th Earl of Roden from Tollymore. Gerald Francis lived in the Castle from that time until it was sold to the Department of Agriculture in 1967.
THE BUILD
William Richard Annesley (the 4th Earl) had the present Castle built at the foot of Slievenaslat, with breathtaking views of the Mournes and lake, the site was easily the best in the whole Annesley demesne. William Richard Annesley, the 4th Earl, commissioned the Scottish architect William Burn to design the Castle, which is why it is in the Scottish Baronial Style. The Granite for the walls was quarried locally in square blocks at Ballymagreghan and is the hardest of any in the British Isles.
Main Hall
The Castle is entered by large, heavy, wooden doors on the east side. These lead to a small entrance hall with a large fireplace on the south wall. This room would have been were visitors were greeted and announced. The cellars, through a door to the left upon entering the Castle, were cold and bare and would have been used to store food, wine and possibly small amounts of gunpowder and ammunition. These cellars have since been renovated and now play host to an ice-cream parlour and gift shop on one side, appropriately named 'The Cellars', and a games room on the other side.
The large 3m wide staircase at the entrance leads to a large foyer where doors to the ballroom, library and dining rooms are seen. Attention should be paid to the exquisite detail in the woodwork and ceilings. This room was originally used to entertain guests before dinner or similar occasions.
The library has a large fireplace similar to that of the foyer, but with much more lavish carvings and a huge arched mirror above it. The wall to the fireplace has a set of folding doors that lead through to the ballroom. This room can also be entered from the foyer and has a large marble fireplace and a circular bay in one corner where the orchestra would have been staged during a ball.
The dining room is also accessible from the library [which is now a dining room itself] through a secret door designed to look like full bookshelves. All three of the large rooms at the front of the Castle have amazing views of the lake and Mournes. There is a door from the foyer, opposite the library, that leads down to the kitchen area and the servant's quarters, which have now been refurbished to create a further conference room and 5 more bedrooms with en-suites.
CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE CENTRE
official opening
In the summer of 1974 Rev. John Rosser of Cloverly Hall Ltd (now Centre Ministries) signed a 50 year lease for the Castle from the Department of Agriculture. It was about this time that renovations started.
Many Christians from the province supported the venture financially in the initial stages.
Over the last number of years Andrew and Lorna have overseen the development of the remaining derelict areas of the Castle, the courtyard and cellars; with some 50 bed spaces being added to the centre's capacity along with a new conference lounge and ice-cream parlour. In 2011 a new bio-diverse wood-chip heating system was installed for maximum comfort, followed by a general refurbishment of corridors and bedrooms.
The Castle continues to be an invaluable resource for churches and youth groups from throughout the province and beyond.