Life

Beech Hill Marine Trail

The trail was developed by Outdoor Recreation NI; maintained and managed by Beech Hill Country House Hotel
The trail was developed by Outdoor Recreation NI; maintained and managed by Beech Hill Country House Hotel The trail was developed by Outdoor Recreation NI; maintained and managed by Beech Hill Country House Hotel

Area: Co Derry.

Distance: 1 mile circular.

Map: Sheet 7 of Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Discoverer Series available from Land & Property Services www.dfpni.gov.uk/ lps.

Nearest town to start: Drumahoe.

Facilities: Cafeand toilet facilities are available onsite.

Developed by: This trail was developed by Outdoor Recreation NI; maintained and managed by Beech Hill Country House Hotel.

Terrain: Wide flat paths through parkland and woodland.

Walk Description: The Beech Hill Marine Trail is a short walk which weaves past many historical points of interest within the grounds of the Beech Hill Estate. From the western end of the hotel car park, follow the blue way marker disks. The trail goes anti-clockwise, leading you past the KennySkipton Coat of arms and the top pond.

There you will able to see the gate lodge, walled garden and stone arch. The walled garden dates from 1833 and is being restored to supply the hotel with vegetables and fruit.

Cross the bridge over the pond and follow the trail through the woodland, emerging on to the Lime and Beech Tree Avenue, the estate's original carriage avenue.

Crossing this, you will notice the trail joins an old vehicle track, passing a car park containing old Quonset huts. The two huts you can see are a legacy from 1942-1944, when the Beech Hill demesne became part of Base One Europe - the US Naval Operating Base in Derry. Continue to follow the blue waymarker to the right. From here the trail weaves through woodland until reaching a trail junction.

Bear left before crossing over a vehicle track. Look out for the 'footprints' of the other 400 Quonset huts which once made up Beech Hill camp.

Continue to through the woodland, passing the Marine Memory Tree before rejoining the track. The tree is where serving and veteran marines and their families carve their initials when they revisit Beech Hill.

Bear left uphill towards the bridge between the middle and bottom ponds. You can see the Beech Hill water wheel from here. This came from an old mill in Donnemanna and was restored by Leo Donnelly.

The trail then ends by rejoining the car park at the front of the hotel. Tomorrow is a great time to visit as the forest park will be hosting 'Taste the Outdoors at Beech Hill Country House Hotel' a free family fun day event. Outdoor activities on offer include guided walks, bushcraft, wild cooking, scavenger hunts and mountain biking. Some activities must be pre-booked. See GetOutdoorsWeekend.com.

Responsible Walking: Please remember to practice the principles of 'Leave No Trace' when enjoying the outdoors in order to minimise your impact on the environment. For more information, visit www.leavenotraceireland.org.

Disclaimer: This information has been provided by WalkNI.com in association with The Irish News. Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information. However, neither WalkNI.com nor The Irish News can accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Where such are brought to our attention, the information for future publications will be amended accordingly.

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