Lough Key Forest Park

Lough Key was the Rockingham estate, seat of the King family, and the park is what remains of it after the house burned in 1957 and was demolished. The lake is scattered with wooded islands, the most photographed being Castle Island with a nineteenth-century folly castle on it, built on the site of a much older McDermott stronghold. Around the shore are the estate's Victorian engineering oddities: a network of servants' tunnels that let staff move about without being seen from the house, an ice house, and a gazebo. Modern additions include the Tree Canopy Walk, a raised boardwalk about three hundred metres long at treetop level, a viewing tower, boat trips out to the islands, and an adventure play area. The trails through the woodland are easy and well surfaced. It is a busy family destination in summer and the car park charges by the day.

History

The park was once part of the Rockingham estate of the King family, whose house, designed by John Nash around 1810, burned after an electrical fault in 1957. Sir Cecil Stafford-King-Harman sold what remained of the estate to the Irish Land Commission in May 1959, and it now forms an 800-hectare public park (Wikipedia, Lough Key Forest Park).

What you'll find

• Castle Island - the folly castle on its island in the lake.
• The canopy walk - a raised boardwalk about three hundred metres at tree height.
• The estate tunnels - Victorian servants' passages and the ice house.
• The islands - wooded and scattered across the lake, reached by boat.

When to go

April to October, when boat trips and activities run. Autumn colour on the wooded shore is the strongest reason to come late in the year. School holidays are busy.

What to expect

The house is gone - what survives is the landscape and the outbuildings. Car parking and most activities are charged separately. Boat trips are seasonal and weather-dependent.

Nearby

Boyle Abbey and King House are in the town; Carrick-on-Shannon is east.

Key facts