Lough Key Forest and Activity Park
About
Lough Key is Boyle's park, about 5 km east of the town, and it is what is left of Rockingham, the estate the King family built on the shore of the lake after they left King House. The 350-hectare grounds are open all year: woodland trails, the Bog Garden, follies and old bridges, the Great Lawn around the site of the house, and views across the water to Castle Island, where the MacDermotts had their stronghold and the Kings later built a folly. The park is run by a management company that is a joint venture between Roscommon County Council and Coillte, and it gets no running grant from either, which is why there is a car-park charge. Walking or cycling in is free, and the visitor centre is free to enter; the paid attractions, from the canopy walk to Boda Borg, are priced separately. If you are in Boyle, the 7.9 km cycleway from King House is the best way in.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Views across the lake to Castle Island
- ✓About 8 km of traffic-free cycle trails inside the park
- ✓Woodland and multi-access walking trails
- ✓Picnic tables with free barbecue grills
Tips
- →Parking is €6 per car, paid on exit by coin or contactless, and free if you spend €20 in the park
- →Arriving on foot or by bike costs nothing
- →There are no lifeguards and the park does not recommend swimming in the lake