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Rostrevor Forest
Rostrevor, just East of Warrenpoint, signposted from Newry or Newcastle on the A2. Popular with XC bikers, with great climbs and mental descents, some great sections of singletrack. A great place to start an epic.
Rostrevor Forest Multimap Link
Park in Rostrevor village, rather than Kilbroney Park, which may not be biker friendly. Extensive Forest from Slievemartin to Rocky Mountain.
Popular location amongst XC bikers, with great climbs and mental descents. Some great sections of singletrack. A great place to start an epic, with lot of options and escape routes. Has everything from forest track to singletrack to open mountain. Be careful as round Kilbroney in particular is a popular place for families / walkers, so safety and courtesy are of the utmost importance.
This part of the world is best known by local crew Not the Sunday Run. They have a great website where you can see lots of trailmaps and photographs of trail conditions and other hijinx. Contact the guys there for more detail, as they know every inch of the place.
Or, you can go straight to the Not The Sunday Run Gallery and Maps page.
The "Slieve Martin Slaughter”
Pioneered by Rostrevor ne'er-do-wells Not The Sunday Run, and christened by Henry, the Slieve Martin Slaughter involves 4 ascents and descents of Rostrevor's Slieve Martin, all by different routes. It involves some of the most heart-wrenching climbs and exhilarating singletrack in the country.
Slieve Martin cairn stands 485 meters above Rostrevor Village and there are 4 different routes that will take you almost to the peak, as follows:
Slieve Martin Slaughter Route Map
Start - Foresters Hut Kilbroney Park
GREEN LOOP - Ascent 1 - Take the hill to Fallow and through the Tunnel out onto the mountain. Climb to mast and from here over to fence. Cross fence and onto Cairn. Descend via Slievemeen and Ballyedmond wood back to Foresters Hut.
BLUELOOP – Ascent 2 – Take hill towards Fallow and turn off at first right. Follow road up the mountain to the top Car Park. Through the car park, turn left and climb zig zags to the cairn. From here it is down the descent to Cloghmor and back to the Foresters Hut.
YELLOW LOOP – Ascent 3 – From the Foresters Hut follow the hill towards Fiddlers Green. Stay on the low track until you reach the open mountain. Follow track along the fence / wall until you come to a metal gate. Turn left and climb on this road / trail until you come to the mast. Descend via fallow and back to Foresters Hut.
RED LOOP – Ascent 4 – Follow Hill all the way up to Fiddlers Green this time and from here turn left. Follow this trail until you come to a tarmac road; turn right and then take the first right again up a stony hill. At the next junction turn right then after climbing a steep hill turn left. Follow this track for approx 150 meters and then turn up the trail which will bring you to Cloghmor stone. From here climb up one of the previous descents to the top of the mountain. Descend via Slievemeen and Ballynagelty.
Slieve Martin Slaughter, 10 November 2007 - report and pictures at Not The Sunday Run and Tango & Cash.
Movies of Rostrevor Forest
Reviews for this trail
Write A ReviewCURRENT AVERAGE
5.0
OUT OF 5 BADGERS
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was at this place last month for the downhilling race where chain rection were looking after everyone this was my first time seeing it first hand and believe you me it was one off the best days i had out any body who has not seen these races try and get to the next one as it is fantastic and really worth seeing everyone is really friendly and you will see some off the best riders ireland has to offer,i myself am only starting out and cant wait to get my bike down the trails and have loads off fun doing it
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hosts downhill races 4 consectuive years in a row
hosts many xc races
and cyclo cross races
variying......
the place is unreal -
Big climbs..
But boy are they worth it! -
Probably one of the best locations for Mountain Biking in the whole of Ireland. Enough varaition to keep you going until your legs fall off
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The only place in NI worthy of 5 stars. Has everything, XC, DH, FR, uplift potential, sheep chasing, good Guinness. The forest reminds me of North Shore, Vancouver. No sh*t.
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cracking mix of trails and I suspect I've barely scratched the surface yet!
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Rostrevor can give you what ever you want.
Proper downhill courses, XC rides with some of the best scenery or "Epic" rides out of the forest and into the mountains.
Probably the best selection of trails on offer that I know of. Just be prepared for the climb! -
Rostrevor is far and away the best XC biking in the country. Simply class, with loads and loads of options to keep life interesting for a very long time.
