Lough Key Forest & Activity Park

Lough Key Forest Park occupies 350 acres of mixed woodland on the shores of Lough Key, a limestone lake in north Roscommon dotted with wooded islands. The park was formerly the demesne of Rockingham House, a John Nash-designed mansion built in 1809 and destroyed by fire in 1957. The ruins of the house and the Victorian walled garden remain, together with the elaborate tunnel and boathouse system built to service the estate. The islands on the lake include the ruins of Trinity Island Abbey (founded 1215, where the Annals of Loch Cé were written) and the remains of Castle Island.

The park offers a wide range of activities: woodland walking trails (from 1 to 5 km), boat tours on the lake, a treetop walk structure, and the Boda Borg family activity centre with physical challenges in themed rooms. The combination of natural landscape, historical ruins and activity facilities makes it one of the most complete family park experiences in the midlands.

Boyle town, 2 km south of the park, has Boyle Abbey (one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Ireland, OPW managed) and King House, an 18th-century mansion converted into an interpretive centre for Connacht history. The combination of the forest park and Boyle Abbey makes a full midlands day.