Days Out NI
Adventure & activity Killeavy

The Giant's Lair / Fionn's Giant Adventure

A free woodland story trail where kids help save a giant from a witch

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Book aheadNot needed for the self-guided trail; gui…
FreePer person
KilleavyAdventure & activity
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40 minutesHow long
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The Giant's Lair / Fionn's Giant Adventure — A free woodland story trail where kids help save a giant from a witch.

  • What you do: Self-guided 1-mile woodland story trail with fairy houses, dragons, giants and a witch.
  • Difficulty: Easy-moderate; short loop but real woodland ground with roots and gentle climbs.
  • Age / height: None; aimed at younger children and families, toddlers welcome.
  • Booking: Not needed for the self-guided trail; guided group tours are bookable separately.
  • Come ready: Trainers or wellies, a coat; backpack carrier or sling for tots rather than a buggy.
  • Weather: Open forest, can be muddy and exposed in poor weather; keep little ones close on uneven ground.
Plan your visit

A story you walk through, not just a path

Fionn's Giant Adventure (the trail formerly known as the Giant's Lair) is a self-guided loop of just over a mile through Hawthorn Hill woodland at Slieve Gullion Forest Park. The whole thing is built as a quest: your children help the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill outwit the trickster witch Cailleach Beara, with fairies and warriors marking the way. Look out for the carved fairy houses, the Giant's Table, Blue Belle Cottage and the dummy tree where little ones can say goodbye to their soother. Most families take about 40 minutes to walk it, then add a good while more for clambering, exploring and photos. It is genuinely free to do whenever the forest is open.

Free trail No booking needed Just over 1 mile, ~40 mins Fairy houses, dragons, giants Adventure Playpark beside it Cafe and toilets on site
Good to know before you go:

Adventure centres and trails across NI run seasonal guided sessions, family events and holiday activities, and the forest park itself hosts group tours and seasonal happenings through the year; the booked attractions have their own seasons, so check listings for dates.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 👟Clothes you can trashOld kit and trainers you do not mind getting muddy or wet.
  • 🎒A full change & a towelEspecially for anything on the water — you will be glad of dry clothes after.
  • 💧Water and a snackYou will have earned it once the adventure is done.
  • 🎫Your bookingAlmost everything here needs booking ahead — have the confirmation ready.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to walk the trail; small charge for the car park
Booking
Not needed for the self-guided trail; guided group tours are bookable separately
Activity
Self-guided 1-mile woodland story trail with fairy houses, dragons, giants and a witch
Difficulty
Easy-moderate; short loop but real woodland ground with roots and gentle climbs
Age / height limits
None; aimed at younger children and families, toddlers welcome
Best for
Families with under-10s who like make-believe and woodland play
What to wear / bring
Trainers or wellies, a coat; backpack carrier or sling for tots rather than a buggy
Safety / weather
Open forest, can be muddy and exposed in poor weather; keep little ones close on uneven ground
Parking
Forest car park, ~120 spaces plus overspill and disabled bays, small charge
How long to allow
About 40 minutes for the trail, 2-3 hours with the playpark and cafe
Address
Slieve Gullion Forest Park, 89 Drumintee Road, Killeavy, Newry, Co. Armagh, BT35 8SW
Questions

Before you go

Do I need to book?
Not needed for the self-guided trail; guided group tours are bookable separately
How much is it?
Free to walk the trail; small charge for the car park
Is there an age or height limit?
None; aimed at younger children and families, toddlers welcome
What should we wear or bring?
Trainers or wellies, a coat; backpack carrier or sling for tots rather than a buggy
What if the weather is bad?
Open forest, can be muddy and exposed in poor weather; keep little ones close on uneven ground
Getting there

The Giant's Lair / Fionn's Giant Adventure is at Slieve Gullion Forest Park, 89 Drumintee Road, Killeavy, Newry, Co. Armagh, BT35 8SW. Forest car park, ~120 spaces plus overspill and disabled bays, small charge. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website See it on our map
Nearby

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The story

About this place

Slieve Gullion is the highest point in County Armagh and the heart of the Ring of Gullion, a ring-shaped band of hills formed from an ancient volcano around 60 million years ago. In local legend the mountain is not a mountain at all but a sleeping giant, and its summit holds a passage tomb and a lake tied to the tale of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the witch Cailleach Beara, who tricked him into the cold water and turned him grey and old.

The story trail in the forest below grew out of that folklore. Described as one of the most ambitious children's arts projects commissioned in Northern Ireland, it turns the legend into a walkable living storybook of fairy houses, carved characters and art installations threaded through the woodland.

The trail sits within Slieve Gullion Forest Park alongside the Adventure Playpark, a scenic mountain drive and a courtyard with a cafe, all managed as part of the wider Mourne, Gullion and Strangford area.