Creggan Country Park (Derry)

Three lakes, a hundred acres and a city on the doorstep

The site sits above the city on the Creggan side, and the view is half the point: from the higher ground you get the reservoir in front of you and behind it the roofs of Derry, the Foyle, and the Donegal hills running away west. It is a five-minute drive from the city centre, which makes it an unusually easy piece of countryside to reach.

Three freshwater lakes sit within the hundred acres, with woodland, hedgerow and wildflower meadow between them. Walking is free and the paths are straightforward; the fishery at the Lower Reservoir has good access paths and accessible facilities, which matters if someone in the party uses wheels.

The activity centre is what lifts this beyond a nice walk. It is run as a not-for-profit, and the list is long: kayaking and canoeing, aqua zorbing and aqua rollers, an inflatable assault course out on the water, a pier jump, raft building, a wheelyboat for anyone who needs it, plus orienteering, team building, an assault course, treasure hunts, paintball and environmental education for school groups. Most of it is booked in advance rather than turned up for.

There is a wood-burning sauna on site too — The Sweat Box — with plunge pools and rainfall showers, running its own evening and weekend hours. And when the rain comes across from Donegal, as it does, the lakes go slate-coloured and the whole place feels a long way from a city that is fifteen minutes' walk away.

Three freshwater lakes Kayaking, rafts and aqua course Woodland and meadow paths Rainbow trout fishery Café, showers and toilets Wood-fired sauna and plunge pools

Book before you travel:

Activities at Creggan are arranged rather than walked into — ring 028 7136 3133 to fix a session and confirm the current price. The centre is open 9am to 5pm seven days a week; The Sweat Box sauna runs its own hours, 5pm–9pm Monday to Friday and 8am–8pm at weekends. Walking the paths needs no booking at all.

What to wear & bring

🩳A towel and a full changeEverything on that water ends wetter than planned. Assume it, and it is all upside.

👟Shoes you don't mindWoodland and meadow paths, and a lakeside that softens after rain.

🧥A coatHigh ground above the Foyle with the weather coming in from Donegal. Good coat, good day.

🎣A rodA put-and-take rainbow trout fishery with accessible platforms. Confirm permits and prices when you ring.

What's on at the park

The centre runs a rolling programme rather than a fixed calendar: kids' activity days and holiday camps, school and youth-group sessions, corporate and team-building days, orienteering and geocaching, and seasonal events through the year. Ring or check their site for what is running when you want to come.

Trout angling runs at the Lower Reservoir, with accessible paths and platforms. Call ahead to confirm your slot, the current price and the season's rules before you travel.

Everything before you go

Cost

Free to walk the park. Activities and angling are paid — trout angling has run at around £5 per person; confirm current rates when booking

Opening

Open 7 days a week, 9am–5pm. The Sweat Box sauna runs 5pm–9pm Monday to Friday and 8am–8pm Saturday and Sunday

Best for ages

All ages for walking; most water activities suit primary age and up — check minimum ages when booking

What's there

100-acre site with three freshwater lakes, woodland, hedgerow and wildflower meadow; activity centre with kayaking, canoeing, inflatable assault course, aqua zorbing, aqua rollers, pier jump, raft building and a wheelyboat; land activities including orienteering, assault course, paintball and treasure hunts; a put-and-take rainbow trout fishery; The Sweat Box wood-burning sauna with plunge pools

Toilets

On site, with showers

Parking

Ample parking beside the main building

Accessibility

The fishery at the Lower Reservoir has good access paths and accessible facilities, and a wheelyboat is available for getting on the water

How long to allow

An hour for a walk; half a day or a full day with activities

Food

Café on site

Booking

Activities are booked in advance — ring 028 7136 3133

Getting there

Five minutes' drive from Derry city centre; nearest bus stop at Westway, Creggan

Address

Creggan Country Park, 196 Westway, Creggan, Derry BT48 9NU

Phone

028 7136 3133

Questions

Before you go

Is it free?

Walking the park is free. The watersports, land activities, angling and the sauna are all paid, and are booked in advance.

What are the opening times?

The park and activity centre are open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm. The Sweat Box sauna runs its own hours — 5pm–9pm on weekdays and 8am–8pm at weekends.

Do I need to book?

Yes for anything on the water or any of the land activities. Ring 028 7136 3133 to arrange a session and confirm the price.

What is the inflatable course?

A floating assault course anchored out on the water — climb it, fall off it, get back on. Bring a towel and a complete change of clothes.

Can we fish there?

Yes — it is a put-and-take rainbow trout fishery at the Lower Reservoir, with good access paths and accessible facilities. Angling has run at around £5 per person; ring to confirm the current price and your slot.

Is it accessible?

The fishery has good access paths and accessible facilities, and there is a wheelyboat for getting out on the water. Ring ahead to talk through what you need.

Is there a café and toilets?

Yes — a café, showers and toilets are on site beside the main building.

How far is it from the city centre?

About five minutes by car. The nearest bus stop is on the Westway in Creggan.

Getting there

Creggan Country Park is at 196 Westway, Creggan, Derry BT48 9NU, on the high ground above the city and about five minutes' drive from the centre. There is ample parking beside the main building. The nearest bus stop is on the Westway; the nearest railway station is at Waterside.

Official website Directions on Google Maps See it on our map

Phone: 028 7136 3133

Nearby

Make more of the day

The Derry WallsThe complete 17th-century city walls, ten minutes away Brooke ParkA restored Victorian park on the other side of the city Museum of Free DerryThe Bogside's own museum, close by Ness Country ParkNorthern Ireland's highest waterfall, a short drive east

The story

About the park

The lakes here were reservoirs before they were a country park. Derry drew its water from this high ground above the city, and the embankments, the sluice tower and the straight-edged banks you can still see are the giveaway — this is engineered water, not a natural lough.

When the reservoirs were no longer needed for supply, the ground could have gone the way most surplus utility land goes. Instead the site became a country park, and the activity centre grew up on the back of it as a not-for-profit — a community organisation rather than a commercial operator, which is why the prices are what they are and why so much of the programme is aimed at schools, youth groups and people who might not otherwise get onto water.

That matters more here than it might elsewhere. Creggan is a place with a hard history and a very strong sense of itself, and a hundred acres of lake and woodland on its doorstep, with kayaks on it and children learning to build rafts, is a genuinely good thing to have. The park calls itself Derry's best-kept secret; it is not far off.

Come for the walk if that is all you want — the paths round the water are free and the view back over the Foyle to the Donegal hills is one of the best in the city. But if you have children, book something. Getting them out on that lake is what they will remember.