Plumbridge is a small village in the Glenelly Valley in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, one of the most remote inhabited valleys in Northern Ireland. The valley runs east–west through the central Sperrins, and the open moorland above carries ling heather, bilberry and cotton grass — one of the finest heather flows in Ulster for any beekeeper willing to move hives to the high ground in August. The valley floor has willow and alder along the Glenelly River; gorse and whin are dense on the south-facing hillsides. The Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers covers this part of the Sperrins.
Collectors cover swarms on the heather and bilberry moorland on the valley sides above Plumbridge, in the gorse banks on the south-facing slopes above the road, along the Glenelly river willows and bankside vegetation in the valley floor, in the walled gardens and outbuildings of the scattered farms on the valley sides, and in the stone walls and rooflines of the older village and roadside properties.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
BT26 6NH· approx. 84 km
CA24 3HZ· approx. 236 km
Visit websiteLL77 7NX· approx. 246 km
Association data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Blackthorn and whitethorn drumlin hedges open the year. Sycamore and hawthorn dominate May. Lime is present in Omagh, Dungannon and Strabane. The Sperrins contribute bell and ling heather in August — a dark, thick crop some Tyrone beekeepers work seriously. Bilberry in the oakwoods adds a June supplement; rosebay willowherb is dense on every disused rail line and stone quarry. Ivy finishes the year on whitewashed cottages.
More on beekeeping in County TyroneReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
