Cullaloe Forest and Cullaloe Reservoir

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Cullaloe Forest and Cullaloe Reservoir may share the same name but they are not co-located nor are they connected directly to one another nor are they particularly close to one another although, in bygone days, they both were part of the Cullaloe Estate. It is not difficult to walk from one to the other but it involves leaving one path, following field margins through farmland to join another path and crossing a busy road. This would be a linear walk of several kilometres with no easy way to return to your starting point. In this article I have chosen to treat them as separate but related entities which, with your own transport, could both be visited in one trip.

The Forest

This short walk is a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours

Managed by the Forestry Commission Cullaloe Forest is best accessed from the A909 road (locally known as the 'Bernard Smithy' road) near the petrochemical plant of Mossmorran Link A rough track, guarded by a locked gate, leads into the forest and there is unofficial parking for 3-4 cars off road at the start of the track. If you choose to park here please ensure that the gate to the track is accessible to farm and Forestry Commission vehicles. Cullaloe Forest is visited by walkers, dog walkers and families (and geograph-ers!) looking for a fairly flat, not too strenuous couple of hours exercise. There are two tracks through the forest. The main (lower) track is wide and meant for four-wheel-drive vehicles. Following this track will take you to a rather unexpected structure adjacent to the track in the middle of the forest - a folly known as the 'Garden Temple', built in the 19th century by the landowner. The main track ends here but a rough trail continues and, after a hundred metres or so, splits into two paths - that to the right loops through the forest back to the folly whilst left is a trail which could be used to reach the reservoir. The trail back to the folly overlooks, at one point, the nearby Goathill Quarry - a necessary industrial blot on the landscape.

As you progress along the main track look for several rough paths leading off to the right. They aren't all obvious but they all head up a fairly steep, heavily-wooded, hillside to reach a higher path where you will find another folly known as the 'Cullaloe Tower' - a quite impressive tower on the edge of a precipice, again built by the landowner in the 19th century. If you choose to climb one of the paths to the tower then following the path from the folly (in a south-westerly direction) will eventually bring you back to the main track. Once on this higher path there are, again, several rough paths heading further up the hill to various points which overlook Goathill Quarry. One of these paths will lead you to the highest point of the Cullaloe Hills (219m)

One good way to explore Cullaloe Forest is to follow the main track to view the Garden Temple, backtrack a couple of hundred metres until you reach the point where the higher path meets the main track Link and then break left to follow the higher path to the Cullaloe Tower. Close to the tower is a rough path heading downhill to join the main track back to the locked gate. This route avoids any steep climbs. The Garden Temple marks the limit of easy walking and reaching it (and the Cullaloe Tower) doesn't require any extensive preparation but there are rough paths both beyond the temple and uphill from the tower - if you feel like exploring these further then be aware that this is a heavily-forested area - make sure you are properly equipped!

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