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Carnmoney Hill C WTNI
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Carnmoney Hill

Carnmoney Hill has a wealth of history and a honey pot of wildlife with grassland, wetland, wildflower meadows and ancient woodland.

Carnmoney Hill is owned and managed by The Woodland Trust Northern Ireland.  This 52.46 acre (21.23 ha) site is home to wildlife such as foxes and Irish Hare and has an abundance of ancient features including a network of  prehistoric engineered, underground tunnels called souterrains.
Dunanney Rath is here and the remains of Victorian limekilns and water well.

‘Carn Monaidh’ means ‘cairn of the hill’, while Dunanney comes from the Celtic sun goddess Áine, associated with fertility of the land, and translates as Dun Áine or Áine’s fort.

Lilian Bland became the first woman in the world to build and take to the air in her Mayfly biplane in 1910 – so called because she said it “may fly or may not fly”.

Carnmoney Hill presides over Belfast Lough in the borough of Newtownabbey.

Where to walk….

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Where to walk

Yellow route – a 45 minute walk through ancient woodland to a viewpoint overlooking Belfast Lough. This is a cross-country walk with some steep sections.

  • G
    gentle
  • M
    moderate
Download walking map
Download Map

Red route. Enjoy a 15 minute saunter around the pond at the foot of the ancient woodland. There are 800m (870 yards) of pathway through the pond, island and grassland area.

  • E
    easy
  • G
    gentle
Download walking map
Download Map

Blue route – a two-hour walk across the top of the hill with spectacular panoramic views of Belfast city, across Belfast Lough, north Down, south to the Mournes, north-west to Slemish Mountain, and north to the Antrim coast. This is a cross-country walk with some very steep inclines. A good route would be to park/start at Rathfern centre and walk through the residential estate to Doagh Road, then left countrybound along the road for about 300 yards, turning left at Fernlea Park. Fernlea Lane goes up and into the site. Finish the walk back at Rathfern centre.

  • M
    moderate
  • S
    strenuous
Download walking map
Download Map

The Belfast Hills Partnership actively promotes responsible countryside enjoyment. We hope all visitors to the Hills will take note of our Access Code and behavioural guidelines to ensure that the Hills remain a safe, welcoming and beautiful space for all to enjoy.

Download Access Code
Access Code

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