About An Hour From Belfast Is A Forest Park With Scenic Camping And One Of The World's Biggest Hedge Mazes

Much of Northern Ireland's landscape is a canvas of windswept coastlines and grassy hills, but there are a few places where you can switch up the scenery for a forest escape. One that's well within reach of Belfast — about an hour's drive away — is Castlewellan Forest Park. The woodland here of conifers and broadleaved trees stretches over paths, lakes and ponds, and the jagged Mourne Mountains beyond. In its midst, the park has the lakeside Castlewellan, complete with a walled garden you can wander through. One of the park's more eccentric features, though, is its Peace Maze, one of the world's largest hedge mazes. For visitors who plan to stay a little longer in the forest and enjoy the park's recreational activities, the on-site Castlewellan Caravan Park makes for an easy place to pitch a tent or park a camper.

Back to that hedge maze: Castlewellan's Peace Maze was planted in 2000 with about 6,000 yew trees to symbolize a peaceful future for Northern Ireland. Its path is nearly 2 miles, and the Belfast Telegraph deems it the largest permanent hedge maze in Europe. You navigate to the center following a wide path designed so that two people can walk side by side. There used to be a bell to ring once you've made it to the center, but it was unfortunately stolen and hasn't been returned, as of this writing. From there, explorers exit the maze via a bridge and can continue on to some of the park's other amenities. Just next to the maze is the nature-themed Animal Wood playground, as well as access to the park's circular lakeside walk. Visiting the park itself is free (there's just a small fee for parking), another reason Northern Ireland makes for an underrated getaway with low costs.

Visitors who plan on staying longer in Castlewellan Forest Park will find its Caravan Park cradled amid forested hillsides, with the lakefront a short walk away. Reviewers have praised the spacious grounds. "If you take the opportunity to camp or park your caravan, there is a nice atmosphere and lots of space for the kids to play in and go on adventures," wrote one visitor. The main campground has 40 grass tent sites and nearly another 40 pitches with electric hookups. There's also a more rustic "Back to Nature" area at Drumbuck Wood with additional pitches without electric hookups. (If you're new to camping, read up on the common camping mistakes new adventurers often make.)

Trails lead straight from the campsites into the forest, so you can easily trade the tent for a morning walk. The 1-mile Annesley Garden Walk will take you to the walled garden and arboretum, where you can admire a formally arranged collection of exotic plants. The 2.7-mile Slievenaslat Walk is listed as the most challenging hike in the park, climbing steeply up a foothill to far-reaching views at the top. Meanwhile, mountain-biking trails range from an easy lakeside loop to more demanding routes through the hills, with bike rentals available on-site. On the water, you can canoe or kayak across Castlewellan Lake, or cast a line for brown and rainbow trout (with a permit you can buy online). Afterward, you can head back to Belfast and fuel up at its lively St. George's Market, which Rick Steves suggests for diverse street food.