Overview
Haltons Park is an amenity area on the Monaghan road out of Cootehill, wrapped around a bend of the Dromore River on the Cavan–Monaghan border. Walk across the river footbridge and you cross into County Monaghan without meaning to – a small thing that children love. Entry is free, and the reason most people come is Erica’s Fairy Forest.
If you have an hour with young children, spend it in the fairy forest and leave the longer riverside loop for another day.
Erica’s Fairy Forest
The forest is an award-winning memorial woodland, built and maintained by local volunteers as a tribute to a Cootehill child, Erica Ní Draighneáin. The paths are kept low and flat where the ground allows, so buggies and wheelchairs manage the firmer stretches. What sets it apart from an ordinary woodland walk is the detail hidden along the way: fairy doors set into tree trunks, a wishing chair, a fairy post box, a worry plaque where children can leave their troubles, and a small hobbit house. It rewards slow walking and a bit of imagination rather than distance covered.
Walking and the river
Beyond the fairy trails, marked circuits take in the gentle drumlin country typical of this corner of Cavan – low slopes, mossy banks and open views. The park doubles as a trailhead for several longer walks, and a weekly parkrun is held here every Saturday: the 5km course runs out along the Dromore, crosses the footbridge into Monaghan and loops back. It is a fair-weather sort of place; the river valley holds the damp, so bring a jacket even in summer.
Canoeing the Dromore
Guided canoe trips run seasonally along the Dromore, paddling down between Erica’s Fairy Forest and Haltons Park. They are geared to beginners and families, with boats often rafted together for stability, and cover a few gentle stretches of river. Book ahead for summer weekends and school holidays, and check river levels first – they rise and fall with the rain.
Facilities
Be warned: there are no toilets on site, which is worth knowing before you set out with small children. What the car park does have is unusual – picnic tables, open green space, two motorhome service points and two gas-fed barbecue units, so it works as a stop for campervans as well as walkers. Parking is limited, though, and fills on fine summer weekends; car-sharing is the sensible option. Bring your own picnic and take your litter home.
Getting there
By car – The park is signposted on the Monaghan road, a short drive from Cootehill’s Diamond. Parking is on-site but limited.
On foot – From the Diamond it is roughly a 20-minute walk out through the town.
Public transport – Bus Éireann runs between Cavan town and Cootehill; from the town it is a short walk or taxi ride to the park.
Nearby
Elsewhere in County Cavan, worth building into a longer trip:
- Cavan Burren Park – a dolmen trail and wedge tomb set in limestone pavement, over in the west of the county near Blacklion.
- Annagh Lake – a quiet spot for swimming, angling and lakeside walks.
- Cavan Way – a long-distance walking route through the west of the county.