Red Squirrel Viewing Hide

The North Coast’s First Red Squirrel Viewing Hide opens in Cregagh Wood

Working in partnership, the Glens Red Squirrel Group (GRSG) and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Councils successfully secured funding from the Department of Environment through their The Challenge Fund 2015/16, to build the first red squirrel viewing hide in on the North Coast, and only the second in Northern Ireland.   .

The GRSG has been working successfully with Katy English, the owner of Cregagh wood, over several years to support the thriving red squirrel population within the woodland. It had been an aspiration of the group for a few years to build a viewing hide in Cregagh Wood.

This hide offers an up close and personal experience with our elusive and rare red squirrels. It will also play a part in improving the fate of our native red squirrels is through education, making people aware of their plight and how we can all help them.

Katy English, entered into a management agreement in 2015 with the Council to open up the wood to visitors and manage it for the wildlife it supports. This woodland has been in the English family ownership for many years. The site was recognised for its important biodiversity and new access with its designation as a Local Nature Reserve in 2015

The funding not only enabled us to build an accessible hide that can accommodate a school class group, it allowed us to improve access in some of the muddier parts of the woodland trail and provide bird and bat boxes that were built and put up by volunteers and create a feeding station to attract red squirrels along with the woodland birds to the hide, to enhance the visitor experience.

The project has built on works carried out in partnership with the Heart of the Glens Landscape Partnership and the Council in 2015 to install way markers and restore the stone gate pillars at the access points.

Parking is available at St. Patrick’s Church, Glendun Road, Cushendun, from there it’s a short walk to the lower entrance of Cregagh Wood. The trail is also marked through the wood. Location_Map.pdf

For further information or to book your visit to the hide, please visit www.glensredsquirrelgroup.com.