Tollymore Forest

July 2024

Tollymore Forest was the highlight of my trip to Northern Ireland. It's gorgeous with it's two rivers, moss covered tress, and numerous bridges. It feels right out of a fantasy. It's no wonder Game of Thrones shot some iconic scenes here, including the very first opening scene!

Tollymore Forest is a stunning place you can enjoy even if you've never seen the show. I'm jealous of the locals that get to come here regularly. It's a peaceful beautiful place.

Author CS Lewis, was born in Belfast, and known to walk in Tollymore Forest, so it's no wonder many believe the enchanting forest served as inspiration for Narnia. 

I grew up in the desert in the American Southwest so any time I'm surrounded by lush nature I feel like I'm in Narnia. 

I took the Game of Thrones Winterfell Trek tour from Belfast. It rained the entire time. Some guests had booked the tour last minute and had not come prepared to walk as much as we did nor for the weather. Do your research! At the very least check the weather! For reference, I walked just over 17,000 steps on this tour.

My tour guide Robbie, was an extra on Game of Thrones. He is a real life archer and played one for Stannis Baratheon. He had such great stories and is clearly a big fan of the show. I learned so much! Fun fact: he is from the same town in Northern Ireland as Hodor and Beric, from the Brotherhood without Banners. Beric's character dies 7 times and Robbie plays 7 different extras that die. Robbie is just a delightful human and made the trip even more enjoyable. 

Some of the memorable scenes from Game of Thrones filmed in Tollymore Forest include:

The very first opening seen where the Night's Watch find the dismembered wildlings in the snow. It took 10 weeks to lay down the fake snow. It was paper! 

The campfire where Tyrion and Jon talk on their way north to the Wall.

And, the most beautiful spot is where the Stark's find the dire wolf pups. 

Tollymore Forest was also used in the films Philomena, Dracula Untold, Dungeons and Dragons and more to come. I hope I make it back one day! 

A lucky doggie enjoying the river.

Moss everywhere

There are 16 bridges throughout the forest.

This structure will be used in an upcoming film due to be released in 2025. 

The Wildling Pit

Robbie, our tour guide and Game of Thrones extra, standing on the spot where the Starks come across the dead deer. They used a real deer that had died of natural causes, making filming the scene very unpleasant.

The location where Theon and the Starks come across the dead dire wolf and her pups.

Our next stop was Castle Ward, which served as Winterfell in the early seasons of Game of Thrones. Numerous other scenes were filmed all around the massive estate. 

Castle Ward>>