Castlewellan Mountain Bike Trails

Description

Castlewellan Mountain Bike Trails is a council-run trail centre inside Castlewellan Forest Park, County Down, with six waymarked routes across green, blue, red and black grades plus a pump track, threaded through forest, lakeside and parkland beneath the Mourne Mountains. There's an easy 2.4-mile lakeside loop for beginners, a 9.3-mile red epic for the main event, and two short, technical black descents for advanced riders, all served by a trailhead hub with bike hire, a cafe, bike wash and parking. The wider forest park adds an award-winning arboretum and walled garden, the Peace Maze, and a lakeside campsite, so there's plenty to fill a day beyond the trails.

The Trails

Green Trail (Green / Easy): 2.4 miles, loop. A gentle circuit around Castlewellan Lake with only one slight incline, ideal for young families and new riders. Official Green Trail listing
Blue Trail (Blue / Moderate): 2.8 miles, loop. Elevated singletrack running parallel to the lake with panoramic views, a step up in flow and technicality from the Green Trail.
Red Trail (Red / Difficult): 9.3 miles, loop. The main event: flowing singletrack, then a climb behind Castlewellan Castle past a string of smaller lakes, before the fast White Water Rapide descent off Slievenaslat back down to Cypress Pond. Official Red Trail listing
Black: Dolly's Chute (Black / Severe): 0.9 miles, linear. A steep, technical descent with exposed roots and rock drops, branching off the upper Red Trail. Official Dolly's Chute listing
Black: The Great Escarpe (Black / Severe): 1.1 miles, linear. A fast, natural descent with technical corners and rock features, dropping from the high forest edge with views over the Mournes. Access is off the Red Trail near the White Water Rapide descent. Official Great Escarpe listing
Pump Track: 0.1 miles, loop. A pump track beside the trailhead with rollers and berms for all ages, ideal for warm-ups before hitting the main trails. Official Pump Track listing

Trails at Castlewellan are subject to periodic closures and diversions for storm recovery and forestry work. Always check mountainbikeni.com's Castlewellan page for current alerts and diversion signage before you ride.

Facilities

The trailhead has a car park (£5, seasonal opening hours), toilets, a bike wash, and bike hire from Bike Mourne, the bike arm of the Life Adventure Centre in the Grange Court Yard, offering hardtail, full-suspension and e-bikes from around £25 for three hours (check with the operator for current prices). Showers are available at the adjoining Castlewellan Caravan Park. The Grange Coffee House at the park entrance serves food daily from May to September, and at weekends from April to mid-November.

Prices were correct at the time of writing but are subject to change, so check current rates before you visit.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

Bike hire and guided rides are available at the trailhead itself, and Mourne Mountain Holidays guides across the wider Mournes.

Bike Mourne: hire, and self-guided or guided rides, based at the Grange Court Yard in Castlewellan Forest Park, with hardtail, full-suspension and electric bikes.
Mourne Mountain Holidays: mountain bike guiding and lessons across the Mournes, with a women-only option available.

Getting There from Great Britain

Ferries from Cairnryan land at Belfast or Larne: Belfast is around 50 minutes' drive from Castlewellan, Larne a little over an hour. An overnight ferry from Liverpool also lands at Belfast. By air, Belfast International Airport is around an hour away and George Best Belfast City Airport a little under an hour; City of Derry Airport, at around two and a quarter hours, is a long way round and suits a trip based in the northwest more than the Mournes.

Where to Stay

Newcastle, about 20 minutes from Castlewellan, has the widest range of accommodation and is also home to Bike Mourne's third outlet, while Castlewellan town itself offers a quieter, closer base right by the forest park gates. Castlewellan pairs well with Rostrevor Mountain Bike Centre, about half an hour away, for a Mourne weekend.

Beyond the Trails

Castlewellan Forest Park is one of Northern Ireland's largest forest parks, built around Castlewellan Lake and its 19th-century castle. The Annesley Garden and National Arboretum, ranked among the finest tree collections in Ireland, sit behind Victorian walls at the park's heart, and the Peace Maze, one of the world's longest permanent hedge mazes, challenges visitors to reach the Peace Bell at its centre. The park also holds a caravan and camping site with hardstanding, tent and "Back to Nature" pitches, plus lake fishing, canoeing and around 7.5 miles of walking trails, so it's easy to build a full day, or a weekend, around the riding. See the Castlewellan Forest Park page for current opening times and prices.

Local Organisations

Castlewellan is one of the sites in the NI Volunteer Trail Maintenance Scheme, run by MountainBikeNI in partnership with Cycling Ireland and the Outdoor Partnership, training and coordinating volunteers to help maintain the network alongside the council. Riders interested in joining a trail day can find current sessions through MountainBikeNI's volunteering page.

Getting Here

Castlewellan Forest Park, Forest Park View, Castlewellan, BT31 9BU. From Belfast, take the A24 then the A25 towards Castlewellan and follow signs for the Forest Park, off Main Street. The trailhead car park is on the left as you follow the one-way forest road down towards the lake. Car parking costs £5, with seasonal opening hours, so check mountainbikeni.com for current times. There's no rail link; regular bus services run from Belfast and Newcastle into Castlewellan town, a short walk from the park entrance.