Overview
The village of Gortin itself is small and quiet – about 370 people in the Owenkillew valley, ten miles north of Omagh and overlooked by the Sperrins. Almost everyone who searches for it, though, is actually heading for Gortin Glen Forest Park, which sits three miles south of the village on the B48 road, six miles out of Omagh. Treat the village as a base or a passing stop; the day out is in the forest.
The park has a decent claim to fame: opened in 1967, it was Northern Ireland’s first forest park, and the first anywhere established in a commercial conifer plantation rather than old woodland. It covers 1,534 hectares on the slopes of Mullaghcarn (542m), is owned by Forest Service NI, and its trails, play park and facilities are run by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. If you only do one thing and can’t face a hill, take the five-mile forest drive – it gives you the best of the Sperrin views from the car.
Walking and the scenic drive
Five colour-coded loops start from the finger post at the main car park and all return to it, ranging from short family strolls to longer climbs. The park also carries a stretch of the Ulster Way (the Irish section of the International Appalachian Trail), and longer routes link out to Ulster Way Stage 17 across the Central Sperrins, so it works as a staging point for distance walkers as well as families.
The Lady’s View Walk is the one to do for the panorama – it’s the route the Michelin Guide singles out – and the park’s herd of sika deer is most often seen near the deer enclosure off the loops. Keep an eye up for woodpeckers, kestrels and the odd raptor working the open glades.
The five-mile scenic drive is the soft option done well: a one-way forest road with several vista parks where you can pull in safely for the views, and it’s the part of the park most suited to anyone with limited mobility.
Mountain biking
Gortin Glen is one of Northern Ireland’s newer trail centres, with roughly 13km of purpose-built mountain-bike trails graded blue and red, and a council plan to expand the network to 30km. Everything starts from the main car park, and the riding splits cleanly from the walking routes.
- Kelan’s Chase and The Roller Coaster – the two blue trails, fast and flowing through the trees. Kelan’s Chase is named after local racer Kelan Grant.
- The Mountain, Sika’s Run and River Run – the red trails, climbing towards Mullaghcarn before dropping into tighter, more technical descents.
The trails are part of the MountainBikeNI network and signed accordingly. Threaded through the upper forest is the Giants of the Sperrins sculpture trail, where you’ll find Darach the Guardian – one of artist Thomas Dambo’s huge reclaimed-timber giants.
Family facilities and the café
Near the trailhead there’s a large destination play park with a children’s zone and baby-changing, a trim trail for the grown-ups, and BBQ stands and picnic tables around the car park. Brie’s Barista Bar operates inside the park for coffee and a bite – daily through summer and weekends in the low season – but check its Facebook page before relying on it, as the hours move with the season.
One honest caveat: this is a working conifer forest, not ancient woodland, and there’s an active outbreak of Phytophthora ramorum (Japanese larch disease) in the Lislap East area. Follow the biosecurity signs and clean mud off boots, tyres and paws before you leave, and accept that some sections may be felled or rerouted at short notice.
A little history
Gortin appears on 1840s maps as a single irregular street of 81 houses in the barony of Strabane. The surrounding land formed the Beltrim Castle estate, seat of the Hamilton (later Cole-Hamilton) family; only a single gable wall of the original castle still stands. The village was busier than it looks now – in the 19th century it supported a tannery, a brewery, a steam-driven sawmill, a windmill and a corn mill, along with nail-making and coopering. A workhouse built in 1841 was later given over to a Catholic church and parochial house.
The Troubles reached here too: on 25 May 1975, 19-year-old Albert Ballantine was killed by the UVF in the village.
Practical information
- Location: Glen Park Road, Gortin, County Tyrone BT79 7SU, signposted off the B48 between Omagh and Gortin.
- Entry and parking: Free to enter, with free on-site parking, including spaces for disabled visitors.
- Opening hours: The gates are open daily, roughly 6.30am to 9.30pm, and may close early in high winds or ice – don’t cut it fine for a late visit.
- Facilities: Disabled-accessible toilets, picnic tables, BBQ stands, baby-changing, trim trail and waymarked multi-use paths.
- Dogs: Welcome on the trails and in picnic areas; keep them under control and clean up.
- Trails: Maintained year-round but muddy or icy after rain; check MountainBikeNI for current trail status before riding.
Nearby
- Gortin Glen Lakes – a sheltered spot for canoeing and a lake-side wander, about 1.6 miles from the forest park.
- Glenpark Estate and Open Farm – built on the site of the former Ulster History Park; woodland walks, animals and accommodation just outside the village.
- Ulster American Folk Park – the open-air emigration museum near Omagh, under four miles from the forest park.
- Sperrin Mountains – Northern Ireland’s largest upland, with walking, cycling and even gold-panning on the rivers.