Forest bathing at Tollymore Forest Park

Tollymore covers almost 630 hectares at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, a couple of miles from Newcastle. Planting began in 1752 as a Georgian landscape, and the arboretum is one of the oldest known in Ireland, with trees from around the world including a giant redwood struck by lightning. A cedar avenue runs inside the Barbican Gate. The Shimna River flows through the middle of the park, its shaded pools home to dippers, kingfishers and otters, and old estate bridges and follies such as the Hermitage sit along its banks.

Trails start from the information board in the main car park. The short Arboretum Path is the gentle option; the three-mile Rivers Trail follows the Shimna past the bridges and the Azalea Walk. For a quieter, longer day the Mountain Trail climbs through beech woodland to the Shimna gorge. The beech woods are carpeted with bluebells in spring. Strong footwear helps, as paths can be rooty and wet.