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  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

  • OXFORD ISLAND

    GET READY TO PLAY WILD

OXFORD ISLAND

Get ready to Shake Up Summer 2025 | July Bank Holiday Opening Hours | Celebrate Love Parks Week (30 July – 8 Aug) with our programme of activities

THE WILD SIDE OF NATURE AWAITS

 

Oxford Island is a National Nature Reserve and recreation area, managed by the Council since 1972. The site is comprised of Oxford Island National Nature Reserve & Kinnego Bay Marina. The reserve has 3.7km of shoreline and covers an area of 112 hectares.

Although it is called Oxford Island it is really a peninsula of land reaching out into Lough Neagh and consists of woodlands, meadows and recreation areas.

Upcoming events:

Teddy Trails

Mini Beast Morning

Young Nature Explorers

Fantastic Feathered Friends – Bird Watching For Families & Children

Guide In The Hide – New To Birdwatching

Oxford Island

Summer Season
Monday-Sunday: 9:00am – (up to) 9:00pm
Winter Season
Monday-Sunday: 9:00am – 6:00pm

*The summer season hours will steadily increase by hour as the days grow longer and the nights become shorter.

Lough Neagh Discovery Centre
Monday-Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am – 5:00pm

From April until September the Centre will be open on Sundays until 6:00 pm.

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From Armagh

• Take A3 to Kinnego Embankment in Craigavon. Take exit 10 from M1. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Kinnego Embankment. Continue on Kinnego Embankment to Oxford Island.

From Banbridge

• Drive from A26 and A76 to Craigavon. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Kinnego Embankment. Continue on Kinnego Embankment to Oxford Island.

From Belfast

• Get on A12 from A1 and Grosvenor Rd/B38. Follow M1 to Kinnego Embankment in Craigavon. Take exit 10 from M1. Continue on Kinnego Embankment to Oxford Island.

From Craigavon

• Take M12 and M1 to Kinnego Embankment. Take exit 10 from M1. Continue on Kinnego Embankment to Oxford Island.

Admission Fees: Free

Activities & Adventure

OXFORD ISLAND ADVENTURE PLAY PARK

COME ON IN AND PLAY WILD AT OXFORD ISLAND’S NEW WORLD EXCLUSIVE PLAY PARK!

A brand new, state-of-the-art, bespoke and truly unique play park has been created at Oxford Island – and it has to be seen to be believed! The conservation-inspired facility is completely bespoke to Oxford Island National Nature Reserve, and in that way is a genuine one-of-a-kind. From the design and materials used to the inclusivity aspects and artistic additions, this play park is a marvel and overlooks the stunning Lough Neagh while blending into the beauty of the forest surroundings.

Each piece of equipment gives a ‘nod’ to life on the island – whether the birds, the animals, the flowers, the trees or the fish. Nature combines with play to bring about a whole new experience for children, as well as parents, grandparents and carers. You will find the traditional pieces of equipment including swings, slides and roundabout as well as multi feature wooden beams, mounds to climb, clamber stacks, bridges, rope climbing, sliding poles, lower level trampolines, stepping stones, tunnels, interactive panels and so much more. The ground looks like a forest floor while a local artist has hand painted original features throughout the park to the exact colourings of life on Oxford Island.

In the centre of the playground is a ramp – the first of its kind in Northern Ireland – that brings children in wheelchairs right into the heart of play and to a completely different level of the park, allowing them to truly be immersed in the fun and action.

NATURE RESERVE

Oxford Island

KINNEGO MARINA

Oxford Island

KINNEGO BUSHCRAFT

Kinnego Marina

LOUGHSIDE CAFE AT LOUGH NEAGH DISCOVERY CENTRE

Enjoy a snack at the Loughside Café with picturesque scenery from its amazing situation on the shores of Lough Neagh. The café is located in Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, also home to a Tourist Information Centre with friendly, helpful staff, a gift shop and trio of conference rooms with views across the nature reserve. Freshly baked scones, soup, traybakes and kids’ meals are on the menu! The café is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am-4pm (inclusive throughout winter).

Oxford Island contains a network of all-access walking trails and mobility scooters are also available free of charge.

Telephone in advance on 028 3832 2205 to reserve a mobility scooter for a future visit and bring photographic I.D. (Passport, drivers licence etc) on the day of your visit to the reception desk at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre to collect the scooter.

COMMUNICATION BOARD AT OXFORD ISLAND

Oxford Island adventure playground
Oxford Island Play Park

Check out our new Communication Board here at Oxford Island. It is a board with pictures that can be used to share messages. The board in Oxford Island has pictures of things in the play park, action words, feelings, and words that can be used to request, like ‘more’.

We are using everything in our communication toolbox, including pictures, gestures, signs, and words, to get our message across. Everyone should have a go at using our new communication boards and experience this new way to share messages!

Click HERE for further details on how to use. Enjoy!

CYCLING AT OXFORD ISLAND

Habitats

Oxford Island has a mixture of natural and semi-natural habitats.  The mosaic of woodland, scrub, meadow and wetland supports a wide variety of plant and animal life and is traversed by a number of pleasant walks.

Oxford Island Map

Woodland and Scrub

Much of the woodland at Oxford Island consists of deciduous tree species and was planted in the 1960s and 1970s. Close to the lough, areas of semi-natural wet woodland exist where alder and willow trees thrive. Where the soils are drier, native species of blackthorn, hawthorn, oak, hazel and ash can all be found along with several non-native species such as maple and sycamore. Dense thickets of bramble provide important for nesting and feeding sites for a variety of birds.

Fallen trees and standing dead wood is left in place to provide an additional habitat for invertebrates and nesting birds such as blue tits, wrens and woodpeckers.

These woodlands are at their best in early spring as drifts of bluebells carpet the large areas of the ground beneath the trees.  Bluebells are protected under the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (NI) 2011, it is illegal to uproot, pick or destroy this native species

Reed beds

The shoreline of Kinnego Bay is dominated by reedbed habitat, a plant which colonises areas of open and sheltered water.

They provide a valuable habitat for many species of bird, mammal and insect. Birds find shelter and secluded nesting sites amongst the reeds. Mallard, coot, little grebe and the great crested grebe are just some of the species who feed, nest and raise their young in this area.  The extent of the reedbed and the birds of Kinnego Bay are best viewed from the nearby birdwatching hide.

Meadows and grasslands

In the low-lying areas close to the edge of the lough, grassland is the dominant habitat type. The fields are rich in plant species with grasses and flowers growing side by side, many of which are not seen in meadows managed by modern farming practices.

These areas are carefully managed to protect the soil and maintain the diversity of plant life which is home to insects, amphibians, birds and small mammals.  A strict grazing and cutting regime is in place to encourage the flowering plants to compete amongst the grasses, along with the avoidance of the application of artificial fertilizers.

Two species of cattle have been selected to graze the wet meadows.  These are Irish Moiled Cattle and Dexter Cattle, breeds which are native to Ireland and at one time were close to extinction.

Examples of meadow plants that thrive in the wet conditions are yellow rattle, ox eye daisy, ragged robin, cuckoo flower and common spotted orchid.

The wildlife garden

Close to the Discovery Centre is a small garden, developed to demonstrate wildlife-friendly gardening practices to school groups and the public. The garden has species-rich borders and tree and shrub species that are attractive to insects.  Habitat piles provide shelter for invertebrates and nesting boxes are provided for robins and tits.

Look out for features that you can replicate in your own garden.

Observing the wildlife at Oxford Island

A network of surfaced paths throughout Oxford Island provides easy walking through the different habitats allowing you to observe the plants birds and insect life of the area.  Each season provides something of interest to the bird watcher or plant enthusiast, young or old.

Two purpose built birdwatching hides offer outside views across Lough Neagh and Kinnego Bay.  The largest of these, Kinnego Hide, is situated in the reedbed at the waters edge, bringing the observer into the world of the water birds.

At certain times of the year, you will encounter the famous Lough Neagh Fly.  This non-biting midge fly is an essential part of the ecosystem of Lough Neagh (Chironomid midge) and an important source of food to resident and migratory birds.  Developing from a bloodworm that lives on the bed of Lough Neagh, the larval stage is preyed upon by fish, aquatic insects and birds.

Whether your favourite animal has 2 legs, 4 legs, 8 legs, feathers or fur, Oxford Island National Nature Reserve has a rich and varied biodiversity deserving of our protection.

Wildlife housekeeping – Help us to protect the fragile habitats.

  • Stay on the surfaced paths
  • Don’t step on the plants
  • Leave the plants and flowers for everyone to enjoy.
  • Keeps dogs on leads and away from the waters’ edge.
  • Take your litter home

Designations and Protection

Lough Neagh is home to nationally and internationally species of plant and animals and is considered one of the most important wetland sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In order to protect the habitats and wildlife, a number of environmental designations have been put in place upon Lough Neagh and surrounding areas.  In this area the following designations apply.

  • National Nature Reserve
  • Area of Special Interest (ASSI)
  • Special Protection Area (SPA)
  • Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
  • Ramsar Site

 

The designations are in place to protect the habitats and to give the wildlife protection from disturbance.  Under the Wildlife order (1984) it is illegal to harm or disturb the wildlife or cause an animal to move away from its nest or feeding area.

Lough Neagh Discovery Centre

The Lough Neagh Discovery Centre offers a range of Conference rooms available for hire.

It also houses a small exhibition on the wildlife and biodiversity of Lough Neagh and Oxford Island National Nature Reserve.

Café and Toilet facilities are available in the centre

Centre opening times:  10am to 5pm

Café opening times: Wednesday to Sunday – 10am to 4pm

Telephone number: 028 3832 2205

Telephone number:  033005661016

For conference bookings:
LNDC Reception

Conservation Services and Education Programmes

The biodiversity Service of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council is based at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. The team works across a wide range of areas contributing to the protection and enhancement of the natural environment of the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council area and the delivery of the Biodiversity Education programme.

The service also delivery a wide-ranging environmental education programmes to schools and groups visiting the centre and nature reserve. Throughout the year a range of events and activities are provided to engage visitors in the wildlife of the area and environmental issues and projects.

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