Gortin, An Goirtín, Co. County Tyrone

An Goirtín · Co. County Tyrone

A village of four hundred people at the mouth of a forest. The Sperrins start here. So does the walking.

Gortin is a small village in a river valley. The Owenkillew comes down out of the hills and the village sits where the road arrives. Main Street is short. The population is 374. The forest park is what people come for.

Gortin Glen Forest Park was planted as a commercial conifer operation and opened as a public park in 1967. It covers 1,534 hectares on the slopes above the village, which makes it one of the larger forests in Northern Ireland. The 6 km scenic drive was laid through it so that people who do not want to walk can still get into the trees. There is a Sika deer enclosure near the entrance - the deer are Japanese Sika, brought in when the park was developed, and they are used to people. Five waymarked trails spread through the forest, from a 2 km family loop to the Mullaghcarn summit route at the long end. The Mullaghcarn trail climbs out of the trees onto open moorland and continues to the summit at 541 metres, where on clear days the view extends north to Lough Foyle and west into Donegal.

The Ulster Way passes through the village and continues east into the Glenelly Valley toward Moneyneany. The section beyond Gortin is thirty-seven kilometres of mainly quiet roads and upland tracks through the centre of the Sperrin range. It is long and there is nothing to buy along it. Walking the full stage requires an early start or an overnight in Gortin.

The village itself is honest about what it is: a small community that services the surrounding farms and the forest park visitors. There are two pubs on or near the main street. There is accommodation - a converted schoolhouse, a self-catering house that sleeps eleven, a 4-star activity suite. No restaurant scene. The food story is elsewhere - Omagh is sixteen kilometres south. Come to Gortin for the forest, the Sperrins, and the particular satisfaction of a place that has not tried to be anything other than what it is.

Population

374 (NISRA 2021)

Walk score

Main Street in five minutes; forest park begins at the village edge

Founded

Settlement in the Owenkillew valley; forest park opened 1967

Coords

54.7300° N, 7.1684° W

01 / 08

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 Gortin Glen Forest Park

One thousand five hundred hectares of Sperrin forest, two minutes from the main street.

The park opened in 1967 and covers 1,534 hectares of conifer plantation and open hillside. A 6 km scenic drive loops through the forest with pull-in viewpoints over the Owenkillew valley. Five colour-coded walking trails start from the car park - from a short family loop to the full Mullaghcarn climb. A Sika deer enclosure and a wildfowl enclosure sit near the entrance. Entry is free; parking charges apply.

Walks & trails → 02 The Ulster Way

Stage 17 passes through Gortin and keeps going for thirty-seven kilometres.

The long-distance Ulster Way uses Gortin as a staging point between the Lough Bradan forests to the west and Moneyneany in the east. The section east of Gortin - the Central Sperrins Way - follows the Glenelly Valley through the heart of the mountain range. It is 37 km to Moneyneany, classified as a hard day or a comfortable two-day route. There are no refreshments on the trail. Stock up in the village before you leave.

Walks & trails → 03 Sperrin landscape

The largest upland area in Northern Ireland, mostly without other walkers.

The Sperrins are a broad moorland range running roughly east-west across northwest Tyrone and into Derry. From Gortin, Mullaghcarn (height: 541m) is the nearest summit and the forest park trail reaches it. The Glenelly Valley east of the village is one of the quieter inhabited valleys in Northern Ireland - a road, a river, scattered farmhouses, hills on both sides. Almost no one else is there on a weekday.

Stories & lore →

02 / 08

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

Mossey's Bar

Old, local, unfussy

Traditional local pub

53 Main Street. Established 1812 and still family-owned, which makes it one of the older continuously-run pubs in this part of Tyrone. Not a gastropub, not a music venue every night. A local bar that has been serving the same valley for over two centuries. That is the whole pitch.

Badoney Tavern

Neighbourhood local

Village pub

The other pub in the village. Badoney is the old name for the parish - the territory is older than the plantation-era names that replaced it. A practical stop before or after a day in the forest.

03 / 08

Where to sleep.

Place	Type	Local note
Gortin Accommodation & Activity Suite	4-star self-catering / activity centre	Operated by Gortin Community Trust. 4-star rated, fully equipped units, activity facilities on site. Tel: (028) 8164 8346. Books up at weekends in summer - call ahead.
Redory House	Luxury self-catering	4-star detached house sleeping up to eleven people. Listed on Discover Northern Ireland. Good option for a group using Gortin Glen as a base for several days of walking in the Sperrins.
Old School Gortin	Converted schoolhouse	A converted school building in the village. Listed on Explore Omagh and the Sperrins. Specific capacity and current booking details: check exploreomaghsperrins.com before planning.

04 / 08

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

What the trees replaced

The first conifer forest park in Northern Ireland

Gortin Glen Forest Park was not a natural woodland. The Sperrin slopes above the village were planted as a commercial timber operation - Sitka spruce, larch, and other conifers in the post-war forestry drive that reshaped large areas of upland Northern Ireland and Ireland. When the Forest Service opened it as a public park in 1967, it was the first forest park in Northern Ireland established in a coniferous plantation rather than in existing broadleaf woodland. The landscape inside the park is largely that plantation forest, interspersed with open ground and the Owenkillew river valley running through its lower section. The Sika deer, wildfowl, and the waymarked trail network were built around it over subsequent decades.

What the name says about the land

An Goirtín - the small enclosed field

The Irish name an Goirtín means 'the small enclosed field.' It is not a dramatic toponym - no battle, no saint, no castle. A small field that was enclosed, probably for tillage in a landscape where enclosure was worth naming. The wider parish was called Badoney - Badhanaigh in Irish, an older territorial name whose meaning is less certain. The 1845 Ordnance Survey memoir describes the village as 410 people in 81 houses in one irregular street. It mentions a brewery, closed by the time of writing, and a story about an excise officer from Omagh who came to inspect it and was never seen again. That story has not been verified.

The road that runs through the mountains

The Glenelly Valley east of the village

Drive east out of Gortin and the road follows the Glenelly River into the heart of the Sperrins. The Glenelly Valley is one of the more remote inhabited valleys in Northern Ireland - a long agricultural lowland between steep moorland ridges, with scattered farms and small communities the length of it. The Ulster Way follows this valley on its stage to Moneyneany in County Derry, and Frommers describes the section as one of the most scenic portions of the Sperrin mountains. The valley floor road is quiet enough that the Ulster Way uses it directly. On a clear autumn morning with the heather on the ridges above, it is one of the more striking drives in northwest Ulster.

05 / 08

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Gortin Glen Forest Park - colour-coded trail network Five waymarked trails start from the main car park near the forest entrance. All are colour-coded, all return to the car park. The short family loop is 2 km on gentle forest track. The Mullaghcarn Trail is the long option, climbing out of the trees onto open moorland and reaching the 541m summit. Boots required on the upper section. Trail maps available at the park entrance and on the Explore Omagh and Sperrins website.

2-10 km (five routes)distance

45 min to 4 hours depending on trailtime

Gortin Glen Scenic Drive One-way vehicle route through the forest with pull-in viewpoints. Runs on a smooth tarmac road with steep climbs and descents and intermittent speed bumps. Open to walkers and cyclists as well as cars. The viewpoints look down the Owenkillew valley and north toward the Sperrin ridge. Free to drive; car park charge applies at the entrance.

6 km loopdistance

20-30 min by car; 1.5-2 hours cyclingtime

Ulster Way: Gortin to Moneyneany (Central Sperrins Way) Stage 17 of the Ulster Way heads east from Gortin through the Glenelly Valley and over the Sperrins to Moneyneany in County Derry. Mainly quiet roads and tracks with one upland section over Crockbrack. Elevation gain approximately 1,003 m total. No refreshments en route - bring everything from Gortin. The valley floor section through Glenelly is the scenic highlight. Described on WalkNI.com and activeme.ie.

37 kmdistance

10-11.5 hours (hard full day) or comfortable 2 daystime

Ulster Way: Killeter to Gortin (arriving section) The westward approach to Gortin from the Killeter Forest area. Described on AllTrails and WalkNI.com. Gortin is the logical overnight point between these two stages. The Gortin Accommodation & Activity Suite is positioned for exactly this use.

28 km (approximate)distance

Full daytime

06 / 08

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The forest comes back into colour through April. The Mullaghcarn trail is at its best before the summer bracken takes over the open ground. Quiet, no queues at the car park.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Long evenings make the forest drive and the valley walks genuinely pleasant. The park gets busy at weekends - arrive before 10am or after 4pm to avoid the car park crunch. Weekdays are fine.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Best time in the park. The larch stands turn gold in October and the Sperrin moorland goes rust and amber. The Ulster Way walking is excellent in September before the rains arrive. The deer enclosure is more active in the cool.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

The Mullaghcarn summit trail is not suitable in ice or hard frost without winter equipment. The lower forest trails and the scenic drive are fine. The village services are minimal in January - phone the accommodation ahead to confirm it is open.

◐ Mind yourself

07 / 08

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Expecting a village food scene

Gortin has two pubs and no sit-down restaurant operating consistently. If you need dinner beyond pub food, Omagh is sixteen kilometres south and has options. Plan around this rather than discovering it at 7pm.

The Mullaghcarn summit trail in low cloud

The upper section of the trail leaves the tree cover and crosses open moorland. In cloud the views - which are the point - disappear entirely and the path can be hard to follow. The lower forest trails are good in any weather. Save the summit for a clear day.

Driving the scenic loop against the one-way direction

The 6 km forest drive is one-way for vehicles. The entrance and exit are both signed. Following the correct direction is not optional - the road is narrow and the turns are steep.

Getting there.

By car

Omagh is 16 km south on the B48. Strabane is approximately 30 km northwest via the B48 and A5. Newtownstewart is roughly 10 miles north. The B48 through the Owenkillew valley is the main approach road - it is narrow in stretches, particularly between Gortin and Newtownstewart.

By bus

Translink Ulsterbus operates a service between Omagh and Gortin. Check translink.co.uk for current timetable - service frequency is limited, particularly on weekends and outside school terms. The journey from Omagh takes approximately 25-30 minutes.

By train

No rail service to Gortin. Omagh has no station either. The practical rail approach is Derry (Waterside station on the Belfast-Derry line), then a taxi or connecting bus to Omagh, then the Gortin service.

By air

City of Derry Airport (LDY) is approximately 60 km northwest via Strabane. Belfast International is approximately 100 km east. Neither is close - a hire car is the practical choice from either airport.