Days Out NI
Giant Adventure Playpark · Slieve Gullion Killeavy, near Newry, Co. Armagh

Slieve Gullion Adventure Playpark & Fionn's Giant Adventure

A free giant-themed playpark and magical fairy-house story trail in a forest park at the foot of Armagh's Mountain of Mystery.

5 photos
Open daily, 9amClosing time shifts by season
Playpark & trail FREECar parking charge applies
Slieve Gullion Forest ParkKilleavy, near Newry
Get directionsOfficial website
Half dayHow long
Toddlers–12Best for
OutdoorForest park
120 spacesParking (paid)
FREEPlaypark & trail

A big wooden adventure playpark and a magical fairy-house story trail, tucked into a forest park below Armagh's Mountain of Mystery — and both are free to explore.

  • What you'll do — climb the tall timber tower with its twin tube slides, scramble the log frames, ride the Slieve Gullion ZIP zip line, take on the maze and the outdoor gym trail, and let the toddlers loose in their own dedicated play area.
  • Don't miss — Fionn's Giant Adventure (also called the Giant's Lair), a free story trail winding over a mile of woodland past fairy houses, a giant's table and characters from local legend. It's said to take around 40 minutes to walk, longer with stops for photos.
  • The scenic drive — the park also has a 10km one-way forest drive that climbs up and over the mountain for wide views across the Ring of Gullion; reckoned to take about 20 minutes to drive.
  • How long — most families make a half-day of the playpark and the trail together; add the scenic drive and it's easily a full day out.
  • Cost & food — the playpark and story trail are free; you pay for the car park. There's a courtyard with toilets, a wildlife pond and a coffee shop — worth checking ahead, as the café has changed hands.
  • The scenic drive is one-way and seasonal. It's a narrow single-track mountain road that runs up and over — take it slowly, and check it's open before you set off, as it can close in poor weather.
  • Dress for the forest and the mountain. Paths are woodland and can be muddy, and the weather up here turns quickly — bring sturdy shoes and a coat, and it's a grand day out in any weather.
Plan your visit

Free to play, open all year

Slieve Gullion Forest Park opens every day at 9am and stays open later as the evenings stretch — roughly to 5pm in the depths of winter, 6pm in early spring and autumn, 8pm in April and September, and as late as 9pm through the summer. It's closed on Christmas Day. Getting into the park on foot or by bike is free, and the adventure playpark and Fionn's Giant Adventure trail are both free too — you only pay for the car park, which holds around 120 cars with disabled bays near the entrance. There's no need to book; just turn up and enjoy it. The Slieve Gullion Courtyard in the middle of the park has toilets, a wildlife pond and a coffee shop — the café has recently changed operators, so it's worth a quick check that it's serving on the day you visit.

Courtyard coffee shop (check ahead) Toilets in the courtyard Woodland paths & picnic areas Large car park (charge applies) Dogs welcome on a lead
Worth knowing:

The scenic forest drive is a narrow one-way mountain road and can close in bad weather. Fionn's Giant Adventure reopened after storm damage — it's a woodland trail with plenty of nooks and dips, so if you've a very small toddler a sling or backpack carrier makes it easier than a buggy. Check the day's opening and the drive before you travel.

Before you set off

What to wear & bring

  • 👟Sturdy shoes or welliesThe playpark bark and the woodland trail can get muddy after rain, so save the good trainers and let them properly explore.
  • 🧥A coat for the mountain airYou're up on the flank of a mountain and the weather changes fast — a coat means the rain becomes part of the adventure, not the end of it.
  • 🧺A picnicThere are picnic areas among the trees and by the courtyard pond — a grand spot to eat outside, whatever the coffee shop's doing that day.
  • 💧Water & a sun hat on bright daysMuch of it is open forest with sunny clearings — on a warm day a hat, water and a shady tree make the sunshine a pure joy.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
The adventure playpark and Fionn's Giant Adventure story trail are both free, and entry to the park on foot or by bike is free. A car parking charge applies. Confirm current parking rates on the day.
Season & hours
Open daily from 9am, closing later as the year brightens: around 5pm November–February, 6pm March & October, 8pm April & September and up to 9pm May–August. Closed Christmas Day. Check the day before you travel for any changes.
Booking
No booking needed — just turn up. It's an open forest park and playpark.
Ages
Great for toddlers up to around twelve. There's a dedicated toddler area, and the bigger climbing tower, tube slides and the Slieve Gullion ZIP suit older, more confident children. The story trail charms all ages.
What you'll see & do
An award-winning adventure playpark with a toddler area, climbing frames and slides, a tall timber tower with tube slides, the Slieve Gullion ZIP zip line, a maze, a wishing chair and an outdoor gym trail. Beside it, Fionn's Giant Adventure (the Giant's Lair) is a free story trail over a mile of woodland, past fairy houses, a giant's table and characters from local legend, said to take about 40 minutes. The park also has a 10km one-way scenic forest drive, waymarked walks, and a summit passage tomb and lake for those who climb higher.
Food
The Slieve Gullion Courtyard has a coffee shop and a wildlife pond. The café changed operators recently, so check it's open on the day — either way, there are picnic areas among the trees.
Toilets
Toilets are in the Slieve Gullion Courtyard in the middle of the park.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome in the forest park on a lead — a fine walk for the whole family, four legs included.
Getting around
The playpark and courtyard are close together. The story trail is a woodland path with dips and steps — manageable for many, but a sling or backpack carrier is easier than a buggy for very small children. The scenic drive is a narrow one-way mountain road, best taken slowly.
Parking
A large car park holds around 120 cars with disabled bays near the entrance, plus space for coaches. A parking charge applies.
How long
Allow a half-day for the playpark and story trail together; add the scenic drive and a walk and it's an easy full day.
Questions

Before you go

Is it really free?
Yes — the adventure playpark and Fionn's Giant Adventure story trail are both free, and so is getting into the park on foot or by bike. You only pay for the car park. No booking needed.
What is Fionn's Giant Adventure?
It's a free children's story trail, also known as the Giant's Lair, winding over a mile of woodland past fairy houses, a giant's table and characters from local legend. It's said to take around 40 minutes at a gentle pace, longer if you stop for photos.
What ages is it best for?
Toddlers up to about twelve get the most from it. There's a dedicated toddler area, while the big climbing tower, tube slides and the Slieve Gullion ZIP suit older, more confident children. The story trail delights all ages.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs are welcome in the forest park on a lead, so the whole family can come along for the walk.
Is there food?
The Slieve Gullion Courtyard has a coffee shop, though it changed operators recently — worth a quick check that it's open. There are picnic areas among the trees either way, so bringing your own is easy.
What's the scenic drive like?
A 10km one-way road that climbs up and over the mountain for wide views across the Ring of Gullion — said to take about 20 minutes. It's a narrow single-track mountain road, so take it slowly, and check it's open, as it can close in poor weather.
Getting there

Slieve Gullion Forest Park, 89 Drumintee Road, Killeavy, near Newry, Co. Armagh, BT35 8SW — about 9 miles south of Newry city, between the villages of Meigh and Dromintee, with a large car park (charge applies) at the courtyard.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website

Check ahead: 033 0137 4046

See it on our map
Nearby

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The story

The giant, the witch and the Mountain of Mystery

Slieve Gullion is the highest hill in County Armagh, and it wears its legends lightly. Locals have long called it the Mountain of Mystery, and at its summit sits a small lake beside an ancient stone tomb that folk know as the Calliagh Berra's House. The whole forest park below — the playpark, the fairy trail, the winding drive — takes its spirit from the old story that plays out on that peak.

Legend has it that the great warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill — Finn McCool — came to the mountain and met a woman weeping by the lake, who begged him to dive in and fetch her golden ring. Fionn, being Fionn, dived straight in. But the woman was really the Calliagh Berra, a shape-shifting enchantress, and she had put a spell on the water. When Fionn climbed out, he had turned into a frail old man with hair gone white. The story goes that his loyal band, the Fianna, tracked the witch down and forced her to undo the curse — his youth came back, but his hair stayed white ever after, which is said to be how he got the name Fionn, meaning "the fair one".

That's the tale the park leans into, and it's why the woodland trail is called Fionn's Giant Adventure. Children follow a mile of forest path through a made-up world of fairy houses, a giant's table and the mischief of legend, while the playpark next door lets them climb, slide and zip until they're happily worn out. Wind up the one-way drive afterwards for the big view across the Ring of Gullion, and it's the kind of full, free day you'll be glad you gave the whole day to.