Forest bathing at Downhill Forest

Downhill Forest is a small mixed woodland of 83 hectares just inland from the north coast near Castlerock. It was once part of the estate of Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, who built Downhill Castle, now cared for by the National Trust. The wood holds one of Northern Ireland's largest Sitka spruces, an early Christian promontory fort and the remains of a water-powered sawmill. A long, narrow pond, originally a fishpond, is home to mallards.

Two waymarked paths, one just over half a mile and the other a mile, both pass the pond, so this is a place for a short, slow wander rather than a long hike. The Ulster Way also runs through part of the forest. It's open to walkers from 8am until sunset. The entrance is on the A2 about a mile and a half beyond Articlave; don't block the forest gates when you park.