A quiet forest park near Cookstown built around ornamental lakes, an arboretum and a walled butterfly garden — with the haunting Gothic ruins of the old Drum Manor house standing right at the heart of it.
What you'll see and do — the ornamental lakes and ponds, the walled butterfly garden and shrub garden, a fine arboretum of rare and champion trees, easy woodland trails, a heronry by the water, a children's play area and the roofless ruins of Drum Manor with its old tower.
The walk — the main garden loop (the Terrace and Pleasuregrounds trail) is under a mile, flat and easy, taking in the ruins, the ponds and the butterfly garden; longer forest circuits run to around 5km for those who want more.
How long — allow a good half day: the loop, the gardens, the ruins and the play area fill it comfortably.
Getting in — free to walk in on foot; if you drive there's a car park charge (a Forest Service pay-and-display, said to be around £5 a car — confirm on the day). No booking for a normal visit.
Bring & food — comfy shoes (woodland paths get muddy after rain) and a picnic, as there's no café or shop in the park. There are grassy spots and picnic tables by the gardens.
Dogs — welcome; keep them on a lead, as this is a working forest with a heronry and plenty of wildfowl.
The butterfly garden is a summer thing. The walled butterfly garden is at its best in the warmer months — go on a bright summer day to see it at its liveliest.
No café — bring food, and mind the light. There's no shop or café on site (nearest food is Cookstown, a few miles off), and the park closes at sunset, so it shuts earlier in winter — plan around the daylight.
Plan your visit
Can I just turn up? Yes — walking in is free.
The park is free to walk into on foot. If you're driving, there's a Forest Service car park charge (a pay-and-display, said to be around £5 a car — confirm the current rate on the day), and that covers the whole park: the lakes, the gardens, the arboretum and the ruins. The gates open at 10am and close at sunset, so the hours stretch long in summer and shorten in winter. There's no booking for a normal day visit — you just arrive.
Toilets at the car parkFlat garden loopPicnic areasChildren's play areaDogs on leads
Two to remember:
There's no café or shop in the park, so bring a picnic — the nearest food is back in Cookstown, a few miles away. And the main garden loop is flat and buggy-friendly, but the deeper forest trails are rougher underfoot, so pick your route to suit little legs and wheels.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
🥾Comfy shoes or welliesThe garden loop is easy, but the woodland trails can be muddy after rain — grippy shoes for the little ones.
🧥A coat, whatever the sky's doingRain makes the lakes and the trees glow, and there's shelter under the canopy — a light coat means the weather is never a reason to stay in.
🧺A picnicThere's no café or shop on site, so pack lunch — there are grassy spots and picnic tables by the gardens.
🚼The buggy — an ordinary one is fineThe main garden loop is flat and surfaced, so a normal stroller manages it easily.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free to walk in on foot. Driving in there's a Forest Service car park charge (a pay-and-display, said to be around £5 a car — confirm the current rate on the day). The car ticket covers the whole park, including the gardens and the ruins.
Hours
Open daily, 10am to sunset — long summer evenings, and it closes earlier in winter. Best to confirm on the day.
What you'll see
Ornamental lakes and ponds, the walled butterfly garden, a shrub garden and the remains of a Japanese garden, an arboretum of rare and champion trees, a heronry, easy woodland trails, a children's play area, and the roofless ruins of the old Drum Manor house with its battlemented tower.
The manor
Drum Manor is a ruin, not a house you can tour. The old estate house was partly taken down in the 1970s, and the surviving stone walls and tower stand as an atmospheric backdrop — a favourite for wedding photographs. You wander the grounds and gardens, not the inside.
Camping
There's a Forest Service camping and caravan site in the park, booked separately online, with electric hook-ups and shower and toilet facilities. It's self-service, entered through a PIN barrier, with no full-time staff on site.
Food
No café or shop in the park — bring a picnic. The nearest food is back in Cookstown, a few miles away.
Toilets
Toilets at the main car park.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome; keep them on a lead, as this is a working forest with a heronry and wildfowl on the lakes.
Accessibility
The main garden loop (the Terrace and Pleasuregrounds trail) is flat and surfaced, so it's one of the more buggy- and wheelchair-friendly walks here. The deeper forest trails are rougher going.
How long
Allow a good half day — the garden loop is a gentle stroll under a mile, and the ruins, the gardens and the play area easily fill the rest.
Questions
Before you go
Is there a charge?
Walking in on foot is free. If you drive, there's a Forest Service car park charge (a pay-and-display, said to be around £5 a car — confirm the current rate on the day), and that ticket covers the lakes, the gardens and the ruins, with no separate entry fee.
Can I get a buggy or wheelchair round?
Yes — the main garden loop (the Terrace and Pleasuregrounds trail) is flat and surfaced, so an ordinary buggy or a wheelchair manages it comfortably. It's under a mile and takes in the ruins, the ponds and the butterfly garden. The deeper forest trails are rougher.
Can we go inside the manor?
No — Drum Manor is a ruin, not a house tour. The old estate house was partly taken down in the 1970s, and what's left is the stone walls and the tower, standing open to the sky. You come for the grounds, the gardens and the atmosphere of the ruins.
When's the best time for the butterfly garden?
Summer — the walled butterfly garden is at its liveliest in the warm months, so a bright summer day is the time to catch it at its best. The gardens are lovely to walk any time of year, mind.
Is there food on site?
No — there's no café or shop in the park, so bring a picnic; there are grassy spots and picnic tables by the gardens. The nearest food is back in Cookstown, a few miles off.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs are welcome. Keep them on a lead, as it's a working forest with a heronry and wildfowl on the lakes.
Getting there
Drum Manor Forest Park, Drum Road, Cookstown, County Tyrone, BT80 8UN — about three to four miles west of Cookstown on the A505 Cookstown–Omagh road. There's a large car park on site (Forest Service charge).
Drum Manor grew out of an old demesne on the Cookstown road, home of the Richardson family — the Richardsons of Drum — for the best part of three hundred years. They laid out the ornamental grounds around the ponds and the lake, with a fishpond said to date back to before 1830, and in time a country house rose at the centre of it all.
The estate passed to the related Close family in the early twentieth century and stayed in the family until the 1960s. When the Forestry Service took it on, the park was opened to the public in 1970. The old house had fallen into disrepair, and in the 1970s much of it was taken down — but the roofless walls and the tall battlemented tower were left standing, and today they're the atmospheric heart of the park, a favourite backdrop for wedding photographs. The lakes, the arboretum, the walled gardens and those ruins now belong to everyone who comes to walk them.