Cookstown: Stone Circles, Forests and Starry Skies

Cookstown is an exciting destination for anyone who wants to combine nature experiences, cultural history and shared discoveries. Between forests, lakes, prehistoric stone circles and cultural venues, you can enjoy all kinds of holiday days.

Forests, Trails and Special Nature Experiences

For an easy outing, the circular trail through Cabin Wood is a good choice. The route takes around 30 minutes and is suitable for pushchairs. Cabin Wood is also home to red deer and fallow deer. This makes it possible to combine a short stay in the countryside with observing the landscape and its wildlife.

A 4.15-kilometre-long trail runs around Lough Fea. There is also a children's play area and toilet facilities. The location can therefore be a suitable stop for a longer stay with children when exercise and a break are to be combined.

More active days can take you to the Davagh Forest Trails. They include a 16-kilometre red trail. Davagh Forest also has walking and mountain bike trails for different ability levels. Davagh Forest is an International Dark Sky Park and is also home to the OM Dark Sky Observatory. The Stars and Stones experience adds an interactive Solar Walk to the landscape and combines learning about the ancient Beaghmore Stone Circles with observing constellations through a state-of-the-art telescope.

Stone Circles, Castles and Vibrant Culture

The Beaghmore Stone Circles give the trip a special historical focus. The site consists of seven stone circles, ten stone rows and twelve stone cairns. The area indicates settlement from the Neolithic period through to the Bronze Age. At the Stars and Stones experience, these ancient traces meet a modern, interactive approach to sharing knowledge.

Killymoon Castle also tells a story of a changing past. The present-day Killymoon Castle was built in 1802 after the earlier castle was destroyed by fire in 1801. Lissan House remained the home of the Staples family for almost 400 years. In spring 2012, Lissan House opened its doors and presented interactive exhibitions as well as original furnishings belonging to the family. The grounds also feature a challenging adventure playground for children.

For an evening of culture, the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre offers concerts, comedy, children's performances, dance, theatre, community arts and visual arts throughout the year. This allows a day spent between historic sites and nature experiences to be complemented by a varied cultural programme.

The Right Accommodation for Planning Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Cookstown, it helps to first decide on your preferred pace of travel. Cabin Wood and Lough Fea are interesting points of reference for short nature outings. Anyone planning longer routes or mountain bike trails can take the different ability levels at Davagh Forest into account. Culture enthusiasts can combine their days with visits to Killymoon Castle, Lissan House, the Beaghmore Stone Circles or an event at the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre. Families can also look out for the child-focused offerings at Lissan House, Lough Fea and in the cultural programme.

If you would like to consider other places for your trip planning, you can also include Stewartstown and Pomeroy. This leaves room to set your own priorities between nature, history, starry skies and culture.

For the overview of the wider trip: Cookstown.