Colin Glen Forest Park
Colin Glen Forest Park is a beautiful wooded river glen on the edge of Belfast and Lisburn City Councils. The Glen comprises 200 acres of scenic woodland, river, open grassland, waterfalls and wild flower areas.
How to get there
Colin Glen entrance from Stewartstown Road
By car:
Leave M1 at Junction 3. Turn right off slip road under M1 bridge, straight onto Blacks Road. Go to T junction at the end of Blacks Road and turn left. After the next set of traffic lights continue for 100 metres. Colin Glen car park is on the right
Public transport:
Translink Metro: 10B/10E/10F/82A/81A/. From Belfast city centre (Queen Street) alight Woodbourne. Colin Glen Forest Park is countrybound past the church on the corner. Look for brown sign bearing name. Go into car park and the gates of the park are directly in front of you
Route 10H. From Belfast city centre (Queen Street) 10H alight at Suffolk library, walk 500m countrybound along Stewartstown Road until you see the brown sign for Colin Glen Forest Park. Go into car park and the gates of the park are directly in front of you
West Belfast Black Taxi Association: From Castle Junction board taxi for Twinbrook and tell the driver your destination. Price is £1.50 adult, 90p child, 70p senior citizen. For routes and prices see their website. This company also arranges private tours
Walking routes
You can walk from Colin Glen into Upper Colin Glen, Glenside Community Woodland and up to Black Mountain and Divis. Or you can start from Divis and walk down to Colin Glen
There are 4 way marked trails throughout the site
- Tom of the Tae End (Green) Trail: this 2 km route leads you as far as a Gamekeeper's bridge where a toll was once charged for crossing the river
- Englishtown (Yellow) Trail: this 3.5k route follows the river along much of its route and is both pram and wheelchair friendly
- Ballycullo (Blue) Trail: a 4.5k route which takes in panoramic views of Belfast including the Mourne Mountains, Stormont and Harland and Wolff
- Hannahstown (Red) Trail: this 6.5k route is most suited to the serious walker and leaves lower Colin Glen into the National Trust-owned upper Glen
Facilities
Toilets, hot and cold beverages, snacks and meals, seats in the park
There is open access to this site all year round. A number of wheelchair/buggy friendly paths go through the site
More information
Download map and heritage leaflets
Private taxi companies will charge about £10 to Colin Glen Forest Park from Belfast city centre
Management
Colin Glen Trust
Access code
Before you go download our access code. This provides general guidelines on how to look after yourself and the environment when out in the Hills
