Gosford Forest Park

Gosford Forest Park is a large forest park located near Markethill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Covering around 240 hectares (about 600 acres) of woodland and open parkland, the site forms one of Northern Ireland’s major outdoor recreation areas and offers a mix of natural forest, trails and historic estate landscape.

The park was originally part of Gosford Demesne, an estate associated with the Acheson family, Earls of Gosford. In 1958 the estate was acquired by the Department of Agriculture, which transformed the grounds into a public forest park while preserving much of the historic woodland and landscape features. In 1986 it became the first conservation forest in Northern Ireland.

Today the park is managed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and provides a wide range of outdoor activities including walking, running, cycling, horse riding and camping. The park also contains the nineteenth-century Gosford Castle, one of the largest castles in Northern Ireland, which remains a prominent landmark within the forest setting.