Silent Valley Mountain Park

COVID-19 Update Silent Valley – Update on Reopening NI Water can confirm that Silent Valley will open on Monday 20th July. Opening hours will be 9.30am – 6pm daily. There is currently capacity for 63 cars - this will be on a first come first served basis and no access will be permitted once the site is at capacity. If anyone parks in an unsafe manner on public roads, they may get ticketed by the police. Annual Pass - Passes will re-start from the date of re-opening and lost months (due to closure) will be added on to the tickets. Signage will be in place for everyone’s safety and we encourage visitors to adhere to the signage at all times and follow social distancing. Visitors will only be able to pay via contactless payment methods. Important information – unfortunately, the following services are currently unavailable: Public Toilets Play area Mini-bus service and visitor’s centre The Silent Valley Reservoir was built to gather water from the Mourne Mountains and is the main water supply source for most of County Down and a large part of Belfast. Ringed by mountains, 'The Valley', located within the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, houses beautiful parkland, lakes and a pond. It attracts around 50,000 visitors per year most of whom come to enjoy the peace and solitude of this mountain area with its unique landscapes and varied wildlife. Northern Ireland Water has provided a number of visitor facilities at the site including an iinformation centre, conference centre and education centre - all housed in two old colonial style bungalows and enjoying delightful views over the parkland. Three new walking routes within the Silent Valley were launched in 2014: the all-ability loop, the reservoir loop and the viewpoint loop. These demonstrate the history and heritage of the site, such as the Mourne Wall and the Binnian Tunnell. Drivers are required to obey the one-way traffic system which leads to a single large car-park at the south end of the reservoir grounds. Mourne Wall The famous Mourne Wall was constructed to enclose the reservoir's catchment area, built between 1904 and 1922 by the Belfast Water Commissioners. The wall was crafted from natural granite stone using traditional dry stone walling techniques. On average the wall is about 1.5 metres high and 0.8 to 0.9 metres thick. It is 22 miles (35 km) long and passes over fifteen of the Mourne's summits. Many walkers use the wall as a marker.

attraction

BT34 4HU