Ring of Gullion
Ring of Gullion
4.5
About
The Ring of Gullion is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is home to the very popular Slieve Gullion Forest Park, as well as Derrymore Estate and Camlough Lake. The Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a unique geological landform, unparalleled elsewhere in Ireland or the UK and was the first ring dyke in the world to be geologically mapped. It was voted onto the ‘Top 100 Geosites of UK & Ireland’. The ring of low, rugged hills forms a ‘rampart’ around the heather-clad Slieve Gullion mountain. Rich semi-wild habitats of heath, bog and woodland contrast with the neatly patterned fields and ladder farms. The AONB straddles the Northern Ireland border with the Republic of Ireland in south Armagh. The AONB shares many landscape characteristics with the adjacent Cooley peninsula in County Louth. Slieve Gullion’s mysterious reputation arises from its associations with legends and the wider area’s rich archaeological heritage. It was along these roads and fields, and over these hills and mountains, that Cúchulainn and the Red Branch Knights, the O’Neills and the O’Hanlons roamed, battled and died. You can read some of these stories about Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Cúchulainn and the Cailleach Beara in the Living History Section, but better still Experience Gullion at one of the many local pubs and storytelling houses or visit the Giant’s Lair at Slieve Gullion. The Ring of Gullion is alive with history, awash in scenic beauty and bursting with culture. You can Experience Gullion’s rich geology, biodiversity and archaeology very easily. Browse the Ring of Gullion site, and plan your trip; you can Experience Gullion with our self guided Audio Tours or you can choose a guide from our tour guides page to bring Gullion to life with their local knowledge. You can also use our Interactive Map to Experience Gullion before heading out. There are lots of ways to Experience Gullion and Get Involved through volunteering, events, training or simply taking a stroll along one of our many tranquil walkways. So get out there and experience all that the Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has to offer.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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4.5
117 reviews
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FrankB11
Birmingham, UK54 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
An amazing, scenic drive with wonderful views - very photogenic. Make sure you have enough petrol in the car to get round as you will be driving slowly in low gear on bendy roads. Well worth it though. Take a picnic & stop to take it in.
Written 2 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Avis H
Gaithersburg, MD156 contributions
Apr 2022
It was a little frustrating to try and find the sites along the way at least from where we started. There is no tourist office in Newry and no real overview of how to get from one place to another. There are some great downloadable guided tours of particular sites you can get off one of the visit Northern Ireland sites but there is no readable map or suggested way to get around, nor are the maps to scale. At one point we walked at 2K uphill and never found the site we were looking for. The views were great and thankfully the day was beautiful so all was not lost. Better road signs would be helpful too.
Written 26 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
O7526XAannel
Newry, UK4 contributions
Oct 2019 • Solo
A fantastic place to visit especially for families. The Giants walk around the mountain is good with lots of fairy doors and sensory art to keep all the family happy.
Written 9 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara
19 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
Visited today, enjoyed walking the route ‘fairy kingdom’, good trail surfaces as it had rained. Delightful areas built around the trees, depicting fairy homes & gardens. Even a boardwalk with a rope bridge connecting the fairies homes. Perfect opportunity to get the little ones outside into nature as the woodland is beautiful.
Also did the drive around Ring of Guillon. Would have liked to have spent longer in this area, beautiful.
Also did the drive around Ring of Guillon. Would have liked to have spent longer in this area, beautiful.
Written 13 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gerry A
15 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
This is an area that I have driven past on the main Dublin road for years but I was completely surprised how different it was , how scenic and packed with interesting things to see and do. Turn off the main road and have a drive round its really beautiful.
Written 20 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JENNIFER G
Lisburn, UK7 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
We thoroughly enjoyed partaking in the European Open heritage coach tour with Una as our guide. Una was passionate, informative and very interesting in showing us these historical sights. We would highly recommend, thank you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Written 9 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mj_grov
178 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
See also the reviews of the forest park. We stopped in at Synge & Byrne cafe - for delicious light brunch - just the thing to fuel up for a walk. Good coffee, tea and food.
Written 25 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ToandMo
Belfast, UK55 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
As a South Armagh native, sadly exiled to Belfast- I decided to bring my Belfast hubby and friends to my homeland on the Ring of Gullion bus tour. We had a beautiful day inJune- showing the countryside in all its splendour. From the first stop at Craigmore viaduct, fascinating Bessbrook to Camlough (the crooked lake) right through to the court cairn at Annaghmare, tour guide Una was a mine of information with a passion for South Armagh which was infectious.
Lunch in Crossmaglen was very good and then on to Creggan graveyard which was as interesting as I had expected. Roche castle, Moira castle, Killeavy Old churches- all places I am familiar with and had visited , but Una told us things I didnt know. The tour left me wanting to explore and study more about this place I love. Hubby and friends were impressed with the area and also with Una- a natural storyteller with a love of her subject. This tour is well worth a visit- to a place which sadly had a poor reputation- but now the secret is out- South Armagh is an area of outstanding natural beauty with a fascinating history- ancient and modern.
Lunch in Crossmaglen was very good and then on to Creggan graveyard which was as interesting as I had expected. Roche castle, Moira castle, Killeavy Old churches- all places I am familiar with and had visited , but Una told us things I didnt know. The tour left me wanting to explore and study more about this place I love. Hubby and friends were impressed with the area and also with Una- a natural storyteller with a love of her subject. This tour is well worth a visit- to a place which sadly had a poor reputation- but now the secret is out- South Armagh is an area of outstanding natural beauty with a fascinating history- ancient and modern.
Written 10 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IrelandJosephine
Moy, UK15 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
48 members of our club enjoyed an excellent Ring of Gullion tour last Wednesday. Its success was completely due to tour guide, Des Murphy, whose wealth of knowledge, humour and affability ensured that we all were both entertained and informed. The good weather and the excellent food provided by Alexanders , the Cross hotel and the Portmor restaurant added to our enjoyment. Full marks to Des ; I would wholeheartedly recommend him to any groups planning a visit.
Written 20 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wandering_Aengus
Belfast, UK482 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
The Ring of Gullion is a an area of ourstanding natural beauty in South Armagh that represents the eroded remains of a ring dike surrounding an ancient volcanic caldera and covers an area roughly 25 by 10 miles
The 8 mile scenic drive through the Slieve Gullion Forest park offers many places to park and take in the stunning views across counties Armagh, Louth, Monaghan and beyond, as well as of the ring itself.
The 8 mile scenic drive through the Slieve Gullion Forest park offers many places to park and take in the stunning views across counties Armagh, Louth, Monaghan and beyond, as well as of the ring itself.
Written 13 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
akane_1984
Belfast21 contributions
would the the fairy walk be full of hills or is it mostly flat? would it be suitable for a pregnant woman to walk. thanks
Elaine J
Lusk, Ireland27 contributions
Sorry I took so long to reply! It is up a hill to get to the fairy village and is steep in places but then eases out. Lots of people push buggies up the hill so it's manageable but I guess it depends on you and how you are feeling. No toilets along the fairy walk though so bear that in mind! It's probably an hour round trip including time to stop and look at all the lovely fairy and giant attractions. Hope that helps
Ann S
Belfast, UK4 contributions
Hi, is it pet friendly? We have a little Chihuahua who we take everywhere with us .
RoG_Manager
Crossmaglen, UK51 contributions
Dogs are not allowed in the Adventure Playpark, and must be ‘under control’ at all times in the rest of the Forest Park.
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Claim your listingRING OF GULLION: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Ring of Gullion
- Hotels near Ring of Gullion:
- (0.56 mi) Killeavy Castle Estate
- (2.20 mi) Carrickdale Hotel & Spa
- (3.37 mi) Flagstaff Lodge
- (0.93 mi) MINNIE'S COTTAGE, KILLEAVY, with open fire in Newry, Northern Ireland
- (6.21 mi) Ballymascanlon Hotel & Golf Resort
- Restaurants near Ring of Gullion:
- (4.96 mi) Loft27
- (0.39 mi) Synge & Byrne Slieve Gullion
- (5.08 mi) Courtneys Steakhouse
- (0.93 mi) Murphys
- (5.06 mi) Art Bar Funkel