Peatlands Park

Peatlands Park is an ideal place for quiet recreation. A network of way-marked paths traverse the woods, open bogs and Nature Reserves. The narrow gauge railway, associated with the original turbary operation has been reconstructed and is open to the public in summer.

Peatlands in an increasingly threatened habitat, the last home of many of our unusual and interesting plant and insect species. The peat here has been forming about 10,000 years. As well as Peatlands, the park contains considerable areas of semi natural deciduous woodland.

The park is rich in insects, particularly butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselflies. Many woodland and wetland birds and several species of waterfowl nest here. Red and Grey squirrels, badgers and hares are also present, while lizards and newts can be found on the open bog areas.

Annagarriff (meaning rough bog) Wood is a 77ha reserve comprising of wooded drumlin hills separated by areas of regenerating cut over bog. Of the four wooded hills, one is a very ancient site with no record of ever having been cleared for farming. The woods contains plants and animals which have disappeared with the clearance of our ancient woodland elsewhere. One of the most interesting sites in Annagarriff must be the huge mounds of plant debris up to 1m high and 2-3m across. These hills have been built by Wood Ants and are the only Irish site for this species.

Mullenakill (meaning church on the hill) is a 22 ha uncut remnant of a much more extensive bog which has been growing here for over 8,000 years. Countye sampling carried out on the bog indicates that the peat is 9m deep.

Amongst the activities in the park is an outdoor turbary site where visitors can get the feel (and the smell) of cutting turf. A bog garden illustrates at a glance the plants and animals found on bogs.

At the visitors' centre you can gain an insight into the history of our Peatlands, get advice or purchase sales items. In the adjoining AV room the visitor can sit in on our 3D-slide show.

"The Creel" tearoom's can provide light refreshments. From the centre, staff lead a program of walks and talks throughout the year by prior arrangement.

The Peatlands Park narrow gauge Railway has been associated with the area since the 1950's and is a big attraction for the young and old alike. The new locomotive can take up to 70 passengers at a time on a 1.5km journey through leafy tunnels and restored open bog. Two of the carriages have been specially adapted to take wheelchairs. Close by the railway platform, a short stroll around the Bog Garden will provide the visitor with a chance to see virtually all the flora species associated with the peatland habitat.