Overview
Roe Valley Country Park runs for about three miles (4.8 km) along the River Roe, just south-west of Limavady in County Londonderry. For much of that length the river is squeezed into a steep-sided gorge, with mature deciduous woodland on both banks and pockets of flat grassland on the north-west side. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency manages it, and admission and parking are free.
Start at the main car park on Dogleap Road. That is where the café, the Green Lane Museum, the toilets and the old hydro-electric station are, and where the signposted 3.6-km circular walk begins. There are three other free car parks around the park – O’Cahan’s on Roemill Road, Carrick Mills on Ballyquin Road, and Carrick Rocks on Drumrane Road – but Dogleap Road is the one to aim for on a first visit.
Industrial heritage
The Roe drove local industry for centuries. Through the 18th and 19th centuries this was linen country: the river’s fall powered a run of mills where flax was scutched, spun and woven, and you can still see the stone remains of those buildings and a restored water-wheel along the riverside paths, with interpretation panels explaining how they worked.
The valley also holds an early piece of energy history. In 1896 a hydro-electric generating station was built here – the first in Northern Ireland – harnessing the same river that had turned the mill wheels. It is disused now but still standing. For the human history, the Green Lane Museum by the main car park displays 19th- and 20th-century artefacts on the linen trade, farming and rural life. Note that the museum closes for the winter and usually reopens around Easter, so time a museum visit for the warmer half of the year.
Local lore attaches to the river too: Limavady takes its name from Léim an Mhadaidh, ‘the leap of the dog’, after the legend of a hound that leaped the Roe to warn the O’Cahan clan of danger.
Walks and wildlife
From the Dogleap Road car park a firm-surfaced path follows the river past benches and footbridges towards O’Cahan’s Rock and the Carrick Mills area – level, well-kept, and manageable with a pushchair or wheelchair along much of its length. The full circular walk is 3.6 km and loops through thicker woodland before returning to the centre.
The gorge and woodland are good for wildlife. Over 60 bird species have been recorded, and foxes, badgers and otters live along the river; in spring the woodland floor comes up in wildflowers. Early morning or late afternoon gives the best chance of seeing anything, when the animals are most active. A separate audio-guided trail is designed for blind and partially sighted visitors, keyed to the wildlife of the park.
The river is used for canoeing and kayaking, salmon and brown trout fishing (with a permit), and orienteering by local clubs and schools. One thing to know: despite the paddling you may see, the park’s own rules officially prohibit boats and canoes, and scrambling on O’Cahan’s Rock has been restricted – worth checking current signage before you plan around either.
Facilities
The main car park at Dogleap Road has an electric-vehicle charging point, and there are picnic tables and a BBQ area nearby for eating outdoors by the river. AL’s Coffee (formerly Ritters Tea Room) is the on-site café, open daily 10:00–17:00 and wheelchair accessible, with disabled toilets close by. A mobility scooter can be borrowed from the café building, and there’s a disabled-accessible jetty on the river for angling.
Practical information
The park is open to walkers all year, but the car parks and toilets keep seasonal hours (Oct–Feb 08:00–16:00; March 09:00–17:00; April–Aug 09:00–21:00; September 09:00–17:00), and they close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The visitor centre and café run 10:00–17:00.
- Address: 41 Dogleap Road, Limavady, County Londonderry BT49 9NN.
- Phone: +44 (0) 28 7772 1925.
- What to wear: sturdy footwear with grip – the circular route gets muddy after rain – and a layer, as the valley floor sits cooler and windier than the town.
- If you want the mobility scooter, arrive early to be sure of availability.
The park is signposted from the A2 into Limavady. Translink buses serve Limavady town, a short distance from the Dogleap Road entrance.