Coillte welcomes new visitor experience at Glenfarne Wood

Coillte, in partnership with Leitrim County Council, has welcomed plans for a new visitor experience at Glenfarne Wood in north Co. Leitrim.

The first phase of the ambitious new project will see enhanced facilities including a visitor centre, playground and sensory trail.

A popular destination for families, walkers and swimmers, the Wood sits on the shores of Lough MacNean which borders counties Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh.

Once completed, improvements to the main entrance and surrounding roads will provide better access to the woodlands for locals and visitors alike.

Funding for this phase of the project to the value of €2.3million was announced yesterday by Minister Heather Humphreys, T.D. and will be funded by the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Welcoming the funding for this exciting new project, Mark Carlin, Managing Director, Coillte Forest said, ‘This is an ambitious project and Coillte is delighted to partner with Leitrim Country Council in bringing this initiative to life; we’re equally grateful to the Department of Rural and Community Development for its support.’

‘Glenfarne Wood continues to be a great amenity for the people of Leitrim, attracted no doubt by the beauty of the landscape and the existing walking trails. The addition of a visitor centre, greenway, and tree-top platform will inject new life into the Wood.’

The first phase of the project will see the carpark, visitor centre, play space and sensory trail developed initially, with the rest of the development planned to be delivered in later phases, including:

• A new greenway beginning at the entrance to the Wood, running parallel to the Glenfarne river;
• A multi-access panoramic platform providing a tree-top view of the Wood and lake;
• A native tree arboretum representing various regions of Ireland;
• New trail access points, additional picnic benches, and enhanced interpretative and information points;
• New trail access to four designated bathing locations, and sheltered changing screens to provide facilities to swimmers at Ladies’ View;
• A floating boardwalk extending from Ladies’ View to Bilberry Island before returning to shore.

Work on the visitor centre and play space is expected to begin in later this year with plans to open to the public in 2026.

Glenfarne Wood sits on Glenfarne Demesne, once part of the Tottenham Estate which in the 1870s included over 14,500 acres of land. The estate was later acquired by Sir Edward Harland, of Harland and Wolfe shipyard in Belfast, who used it as a hunting lodge. Today, it is home to some of the most beautiful walking trails in Ireland.