A vast conifer forest in the northern Antrim uplands, anchored by Orra Mountain and quiet reservoirs.
Slieveanorra Forest
Slieveanorra Forest is a large planted conifer forest in the rural north of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, set among the rolling uplands east of the Antrim Coast. It lies near the villages of Corkey and Newtown Crommelin and stretches around the slopes of Orra Mountain, whose summit offers wide panoramic views, including distant glimpses of the Hebrides across the Scottish coast and the Mourne Mountains in County Down on clear days.
The forest is a working landscape rather than a remote wilderness, with conifer plantations, small reservoirs, and access roads threaded through the trees. It supports a mix of wildlife that ranges from crossbills, foxes, frogs, and a variety of damselflies and dragonflies, and a portion is designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest. The area also carries a quiet historical layer in the form of a memorial marking a 1942 wartime airplane crash.
Beyond its natural character, Slieveanorra is known for its blend of upland scenery, glacial valleys, and reservoir edges, with Altnahinch Dam on the forest boundary drawing summer visitors. The combination of panoramic viewpoints, working forestry, reservoir-side recreation, and ecological designations gives the forest a distinctive identity within Northern Ireland's network of forested landscapes.
