Marble Bridge to Forkill - Ring of Gullion Way

Start : Marble Bridge car park, Ravensdale Forest recreation Area, L7092, Mountpleasant, Co. Louth

(S) From Marble Bridge car park, turn right and follow the road North for 2.1 Km.

(1) Another right (North) turn brings you along R132 to a roundabout.

(2) Head left at the roundabout, over the motorway and along Church Hill Road (C220) towards Jonesborough. After 1.2 Km in Jonesborough village, follow the main road until you reach Kilnasaggart Road.

(3) Turn left down Kilnasaggart Road which soon narrows to a slim strip of tarmac sandwiched between high hedges. Descend to the bottom of a hill.

(4) Pass under a railway bridge and up a short hill to a junction. Moyry Castle is a short detour to the left here, though the main route climbs to the right.

(5) After 230 m, turn right (West) on reaching a road junction and carry on mainly downhill for 1.1 Km.

(6) Turn left (South) onto Carewamean Road which climbs over the shoulder of Slievenabolea giving superb views of Slieve Gullion and beyond. Descend the other side, then look out for a stile at the edge of a forest on the right (West), just before a sharp left turn.

(7) Cross the stile to the right and follow a footpath into the forest, where the moss-cloaked understory creates a primeval atmosphere. Keeping the intermittent stone wall on your left, follow the often indistinct pathway for about 1 Km until you reach a stile. Cross the stile and negotiate a corridor of gorse for about 750m before crossing a stile.

(8) Take a left (South-West) turn before descending along the forest boundary.

(9) Cross another stile, turn right (North-West) and proceed for about 410 m along a grassy track before reaching a metal gate which leads onto the tarmac.

(10) Turn sharp left here and carry straight on for 1.3 Km.

(11) Turn right (North-West) on reaching a T-junction and keep on this road (Captin’s Road, although it is not named at this junction) for 2 Km until reaching another T-junction.

(12) Turn right onto a busy road (Carrickasticken Road) for about 250 m.

(13) Veer left (North-West) down a track.

(14) After about 500m, turn right (North) at a T-junction.

(15) Then look out for a wooden gate on the left and go through it. You now pass around several fields to reach the Kilcurry River, which is crossed via a metal footbridge.

(16) Turn right (North) on the opposite bank, then veer left between fields. The path turns into a track and brings you to a road (Main Street) at the edge of Forkhill.

Turn right and continue through the centre of the village, then turn right again on Oldbridge Road to reach the B134 road (nearby postcode BT35 9RP). (E)

Start : Marble Bridge car park, Ravensdale Forest recreation Area, L7092, Mountpleasant, Co. Louth

Arrival : B134 Road, Post Office (Bus stop nbr: 004248), Forkhill, Newry (BT35 9SG)

Parking : Marble Bridge car park, Ravensdale Forest recreation Area, L7092, Mountpleasant, Co. Louth

Terrain : Tarmac, off road tracks, forests

Public Transport : Translink

Facilities : Refreshments, shops, car parks and toilets in Jonesborough and Forkill.

Dog Policy : Dogs must be kept under close control

Note : If you wish, you can do several parts of this trek at once. Pay attention to the information given in each part like the duration and the elevation to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Find more information and walk ideas at Walk NI here.

Did You Know?
Just south of Jonesborough the route passes a mountain saddle known as Moyry Pass, or the ‘Gap of the North’. This was once a major thoroughfare between the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. The pass is guarded by Moyry Castle, which was built in 1601, and can be visited in a short detour from the route.