Estate Experiences

Killeavy Castle Estate is set within some of the most spectacular and beautiful countryside in Northern Ireland. The Estate offers 350 acres of farm and woodland and we have created specific trails for exploring on foot and tracks for exploring by bicycle. Killeavy Castle Estate is set on the Eastern base of Slieve Gullion and is only a 5 minute cycle to the nearby Slieve Gullion Forest Park, which offers additional walking and cycle paths to explore the natural landscape whilst taking in views over Carlingford Lough and Dundalk bay. 

Cycling Experiences in Armagh and Down

There is so much to explore and see in Newry and South Armagh, so we have put together a map of our favourite routes for you to find your way to local attractions and to give you some further guidance for your cycling experience. Make the most of your day and take in the breath-taking scenery and rediscover the land of history. Why not include a packed lunch from the Hotel to keep your energy up throughout your trip? Please ask at Reception for more details. 

For those residents who have not brought a bike with you, you can easily hire an e-bike or mountain bicycle from our selection of bicycles. Just ask a member of the reception team for more details. 

Traditional Bike Hire

We recommend Cube’s Trail Motion bikes which are all about more control, more comfort and more fun. For the Stereo 120 HPC TM 29, Cube have built a completely new carbon main frame, incorporating all the features that make our Stereo 120 so popular - Agile Trail Geometry, covered rocker pivots, sleek lines and assured handling - in a new, lighter and stiffer format. Great for the challenged user to access the nearby forest roads. 

Electric Bike Hire

We recommend the CUBE Compact Hybrid for gentle forest tracks, country roads, urban adventures and absolutely loads of Fun. Electric Assist Bikes are only legal for riders 14 years and older. The brand-new Compact Hybrid is something different – a purpose-built, small-wheeled Bosch e-bike that's designed to slot easily into anyone's life, reducing the need to travel by car and, well... just making things simpler. Because simpler is good, right?. Built around a one-size-fits-all frame and compact 20in wheels, it doesn't take up much room but adapts easily to any rider thanks to easily adjustable handlebar and saddle positions. The step-through frame design makes it easy to get on and off, and Bosch's Active Plus drive unit and 500Wh battery gives a smooth, quiet and completely hassle-free boost to your pedalling. 

Meet at the front of the historic Killeavy Castle and take in the sweeping views of Slieve Gullion and this recognised Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Take a guided 30-minute walk around Killeavy Castle Estate where we will showcase the farm to fork and sustainable ethos of the Estate and detail the ingredients and aspects of the Estate that are used within our Hotel Restaurant.

Ann Ward, founder of Xhale has a deep spiritual connection with nature. She inherited her great love of the landscape from her mother, whose birthplace was on the volcanic mountain of Slieve Gullion, nestled in between a number of sacred sites. Ann has practised meditation for over 20 years. As a result, she has created immersive, mindfulness experiences, courses and retreats using the gifts of meditation and the landscape.

Ann is an Accredited Meditation Teacher with the British School of Meditation. Ann is also a Certified Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) Guide and a Forest Therapy Practitioner with the Nádúr Centre for Integrative Forest Therapy. Her teaching practice is drawn from a number of ancient Eastern traditions and contemporary sources including Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Ann has a rich tapestry of experience in health, community development and peace-building, arts, education and private sectors. Personal empowerment is at the heart of all of her work where she offers transformative experiences and programmes tailored for individuals, groups and organisations. 

What is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing is all about getting out into nature, and practising mindfulness while you take in your surroundings. Guided meditation and controlled breathing amongst the sights and sounds of the forest have a number of proven health benefits, including:

Reducing stress,

Improving your mood

Helping you to feel refreshed and relaxed 

At the Killeavy Castle Estate, we provide the perfect forest bathing retreat to help you achieve the best results. From unwinding in our onsite woods to enjoying locally foraged produce, our Estate is the perfect place to reconnect with nature.

Testimonials for Our Forest Bathing Experience

A recent participant review... ‘Slieve Gullion is a haven and was the perfect place for this retreat. It was an added bonus that Ann provided a wealth of knowledge about the landscape, a highlight was Ann’s facilitation and enabling me to enter a totally immersive nature experience, nature nourishing body and spirit. It is impossible to single out any one thing as it was the complete package that made it so magical, calming and restorative, warm, glowing, connected, secret smile and supported. I particularly loved using the senses to explore nature and concentrating on one sense at a time allows me to experience aspects of nature in finer detail. Ann, I can’t thank you enough for enabling me to be on this wonderful immersion in nature and a deep reconnection that I was so overdue. Thanks for bringing relaxation, calmness and mindfulness back to me again, I needed it!’ Mary from Belfast.