gosford forest park

Gosford Forest Park is a stunning park close to Armagh with ample parking and nice walks. The castle has now been made into a residential development so you cannot visit the building, but the park is well worth a visit.

Lovely place to have a walk about. Nice views of the Castle which is located beside the forest. On a great day you can see the deer in the fields, could watch them for hours. Had been here the year before (2013) on a camping weekend. Fantastic, toilets were clean, people were lovely and to top it of, the sky was clear. Could see all the stars! And a few satellites flying by. A weekend to remember.

Gosford Forest Park has been one of our family's staples when it came to walking in forests.With children, there are large areas of open space where they can run around and tire themselves out. There are also interesting shorter forest walks which are perfect for scavenge hunts for small children, with supervision. Be careful around the pond, it is fenced off but the water can still be accessible. The petting farm is another favourite for children, and there are some interesting breeds here.Gosford is also a good destination for forest trail running, with trails ranging from garden paths to actual (evergreen) forest paths with some smallish hills. It is a useful location for building endurance without getting very challenging terrain. The Orienteering markers are still in place, although the site no longer appears on the NI Orienteering page. However, it may be useful as an introduction for younger runners, with maps available for download from the Ecotrails NI website. It certainly is also useful for practising with different terrain types as there are areas of varying levels of groundcover/undergrowth.It is worth noticing that the entry fee for a car is quite steep at £4.50 (Winter 2014/15), and if you have no immediate need to have the car close by, there is parking along the main road around the Forest Park entrance allowing pedestrian access to the park. Obviously be careful if you do this, as there is a lot of traffic on the main Newry to Armagh road.This park is a nice place to bring children to introduce them to and allow them to experience nature, and is also nice for just wasting a few hours walking around in nice surroundings, especially if you're aware of the the history of Jonathan Swift.

Very interesting history concerning Johnathan Swift. In case you don't remember he wrote Gulliver's Travels. Some writing took place here of his experiences.

We did the shorter walk it takes you past the Caslte and the animals its a lovely walk and not to strenous

This is a really nice forest park for a picnic on a sunny day with excellent walks or a cycle. You can also pitch a tent or stay with your caravan and the facilities are clean but basic. The view of the old castle which has been renovated is amazing and you can also feed the ducks. No play park for kids which is a bit of a drawback but it does have a animal attraction consisting mostly of fowl. There are also deer and sheep to see but the real attraction is the trees, views and walks.

Very welcome site, child friendly and plenty of walks for the energetic. Staff very knowable about the surroundings. Toilets and facilities very clean. Great place to stay in a caravan, tent or motor home.

Spent a lovely quiet weekend here and felt really chilled out ,if you feel like walking up into market hill which is only up the road you can have a drink in a couple of lovely wee bars ,also the barn restuarant at the bottom of the town is worth a visit there steaks are to die for,the park is nice for the caravans and there is plenty of space between them so you are quite private ,toilets and showers are kept As clean as can be ,with all the kids running in and out it's near impossible to keep on top of them, showers always clean and plenty of warm water,

would like to say how fabulous a time we have in gosford forest park, the kids love it, plenty of freedom to run themselves ragged every day, and relaxing for the adults...no tv or phones!!, the amenities are great, showers are warm and VERY CLEAN, toilets are always spotless, i dont know why the complainers are complaining, the cleaner is there twice a day, and she does a dam good job. if its clean when she leaves and a mess later, then its only the campers themselves who are to blame, it only takes a couple of messy ones to let the side down, as for the supervision at night, dont you think that the rangers who i might add, are there from early morning until 10 at night, actually have a home life, ill defiantly be back

Gosford by far is the most great place to go for camping for all age groups and esp the kids they absoultey love it..!! As for the toilet blocks they could not be any cleaner they are well looked after the cleaner has her work out cut out for her, it is spot less really does a good job the showers are in great condition.. Its a great place to go for walks and everything. Will deffo be back to it, it great benefits for the money couldnt of been to a better camp site tbh. :)

Gosford is the first campsite we ever visited on our own, indeed only the second ever. That was six years ago. The forest obviously hasn't changed, lots of lovely peaceful walks. The castle is now inhabited albeit by apartment dwellers. The deer still munch on the sweet grass in their large paddocks, as do the other domestic animals. Then there's the campsite. Itself is fine, a large clearing with the pitches well spaced beside the circular road and amenity block in the center. And this is to me was where it went downhill. The toilet blocks are appallingly dirty. It would require a team of cleaners armed with power washers and plenty of elbow grease to bring them back to life. The dirt is encrusted in every nook and cranny, and there's a general sense of decay throughout. We travel a lot with our caravan, and Gosford has by far the dirtiest amenity block we've seen. As for the previous comment about the travelling community, we were there that night, but right up in the farthest corner of the site from where the revelers were doing their thing. We could hear them up there, and genuinely felt sorry for normal campers down at the other end. Next time we go to Gosford we'll inquire first if there are any travelers. As for the toilets, we'll use our own!

We had an awful night camping in this park. Be aware that this park is full of the travelling community who stay up partying till the early hours of the morning. At 3am I was standing outside my tent considering whether or not to to pack up my tent and family and go home. When we arrived the campsite had very few families staying, I can now understand why! Gosford does not seem to have security so the travellers were free to crank up their sound system and keep everyone in the whole campsite up all night. Absolutely no regard for anyone other than themselves. I would not return to Gosford ever again.

This is such a lovely forest Park,,,my sister and I couldn't wait to set up camp...gorgeous weather and we found a lovely spot not too far from the amenities to set up tent. We played ball games with our two sons (both with special needs) and were having a lovely time. Tucked up in our tent by 11pm, as were all the other families around us...and then it began!!!! The travellers nearby started partying with what sounded like a professional PA system blasting out tunes...range of genres - dance to country and western. The noise was deafening and I felt like I was trying to sleep in a concert arena or in a nightclub. As the party continued, the voices were raised to compete with the noise...quite often loud singing and shouting...eventually we could hear a row breaking out. At 3.30am we decided to get up, pack up to go home...we just couldn't possibly sleep with the noise. Unless you are a party loving 16-22 year old, or a member of the travelling community, I strongly suggest you stay away from this campsite. No supervision AT ALL.

Having spent numerous caravaning holidays in Gosford, we are totally dismayed after our latest trip. This is a fantastic park where one can walk, cycle and relax, but not this July. We were intimidated by the number of travellers who showed a total disregard for other caravaners and campers. Their children just ran riot around the site, making a mess in the shower/toilet block and coming up to caravans and awnings and looking in. The adult men spent the evenings drinking and shouting, children were running around after 12 midnight and a dog was allowed to roam free and go to the toliet without anyone clearing up after it. We decided to come home and cut our holiday short after a night of travellers fighting until 2.30 in the morning. When we left there were 10 traveller caravans with another 4 en route. In Gosford we were the ethnic minority, not the travellers!

Gosford forest park surrounds Gosford Castle which is currently being renovated into apartments. Game of Throne filming has taken place both inside the castle and in the forest. It's a lovely place to walk, safe for children to ride their bikes once you leave the car park. There are two touring caravan areas and a campsite. A small river and two small lakes attract a variety of wildlife. There are deer, sheep and many breeds of hens available to see.