Things to do in County Down
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Mount Stewart
The magnificent 18th-century Mount Stewart is one of Northern Ireland’s grandest stately homes. It was built for the Marquess of Londonderry and is decorated with lavish plasterwork, marble nudes and priceless artworks. Much of the landscaping of the beautiful gardens was supervised in the early 20th century by Lady Edith, wife of the seventh marquess, for the benefit of her children – the Dodo Terrace at the front of the house is populated with unusual creatures from history (dinosaurs and dodos) and myth (griffins and mermaids), accompanied by giant frogs and duck-billed platypuses. Mount Stewart is on the A20, 3km north-west of Greyabbey and 8km south-east of Newtown…
reviewed
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Nendrum Monastic Site
The Celtic monastic community of Nendrum was built in the 5th century under the guidance of St Mochaoi (St Mahee). It is much older than the Norman monastery at Greyabbey on the opposite shore and couldn't be more different. The scant remains provide a clear outline of its early plan, with the foundations of a number of churches, a round tower, beehive cells and other buildings, as well as three concentric stone ramparts and a monks' cemetery, all in a wonderful island setting. A particularly interesting relic is the stone sundial that has been reconstructed using some of the original pieces. The minor road to Mahee Island from the lough's western shore crosses a causeway…
reviewed
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Ego Patricius
The Saint Patrick Centre houses a multimedia exhibition called Ego Patricius, charting the life and legacy of Ireland’s patron saint. Occasionally filled with parties of school kids, the exhibition uses audio and video presentations to tell St Patrick’s story, often in his own words (taken from his Confession, written in Latin around the year AD 450, which begins with the words ‘Ego Patricius’, meaning ‘I am Patrick’). At the end is a spectacular widescreen film that takes the audience on a swooping, low-level helicopter ride over the landscapes of Ireland.
reviewed
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North Down Heritage Centre
Housed in the converted laundry, stables and stores of Bangor Castle, this centre displays, among other historical curiosities, a facsimile of The Antiphonary of Bangor, a small 7th-century prayer book and the oldest surviving Irish manuscript (the original is housed in Milan's Ambrosian Library). There's also an interesting section on the life of William Percy French (1854–1920), the famous entertainer and songwriter (Bangor is also home to the Percy French Society; www.percyfrench.org). The centre is in Castle Park, west of the train and bus stations.
reviewed
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Silent Valley Reservoir
At the heart of the Mournes is the beautiful Silent Valley Reservoir, where the River Kilkeel was dammed in 1933. There are scenic, waymarked walks around the grounds, a coffee shop and an interesting exhibition on the building of the dam. From the car park, a shuttle bus (adult/child return £1.40/1) will take you another 4km up the valley to the Crom Dam. It runs daily in July and August, weekends only in May, June and September.
reviewed
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Down County Museum
Downhill from Down Cathedral is Down County Museum, housed in the town’s restored 18th-century jail. In a former cell block at the back are models of some of the prisoners once incarcerated there, and details of their sad stories. Displays cover the story of the Norman conquest of Down, but the biggest exhibit of all is outside – a short signposted trail leads to the Mound of Down, a good example of a Norman motte and bailey.
reviewed
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Railway Museum
From mid-June to mid-September, plus December, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, May Day and Halloween, this working railway museum runs steam-hauled trains over a restored section of the former Belfast–Newcastle line. There is a halt next to the grave of King Magnus Barefoot, a Norwegian king who died in battle in 1103. The ticket price includes a return journey on the train and a tour around the engine shed and signal cabin.
reviewed
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Inch Abbey
Built by de Courcy for the Cistercians in 1180 on an earlier Irish monastic site, Inch Abbey is visible across the river from Down Cathedral. The English Cistercians had a strict policy of non-admittance for Irishmen and maintained this until the end in 1541. Most of the ruins are just foundations and low walls; the neatly groomed setting beside the marshes of the River Quoile is its most attractive feature.
reviewed
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Plough Inn
This fine old pub, with its maze of dark wood-panelled nooks and crannies, has been offering 'beer and banter' since 1758. It serves gourmet bar lunches – how about tempura of pheasant and wild duck with sesame, ginger and Asian leaves? – and also offers fine dining in the restaurant around the back, where stone walls, low ceilings and a roaring fireplace make a cosy setting for a menu ranging from wood pigeon to rack of lamb.
reviewed
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Hillsborough Castle
The town's main attraction is this rambling, two-storey late-Georgian mansion built in 1797 for Wills Hill, the first Marquess of Downshire, and extensively remodelled in the 1830s and '40s. The guided tour takes in the state drawing room and dining rooms, and the Lady Grey Room where UK prime minister Tony Blair and US president George W Bush had talks on Iraq in 2003.
reviewed
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Exploris
Next to the tourist office is this outstanding state-of-the-art aquarium, with displays of marine life from Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea. Touch tanks allow visitors to stroke and hold rays, starfish, sea anemones and other sea creatures. Exploris also has a seal sanctuary, where orphaned, sick and injured seals are nursed back to health before being released into the wild.
reviewed
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Jeffers by the Marina
This chic little cafe-restaurant is immediately likeable, with its laid-back jazzy tunes, cool art, granite table tops and view of the marina. It serves coffee, cakes and snacks all day and also has a fresh and interesting dinner menu that features local organic produce – from Strangford Lough oysters to the signature Irish beef, slow cooked for five hours.
reviewed
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Table Bistro
This stylish cafe-bistro is decked out in identikit Northern Ireland restaurant decor of blonde wood with leather chairs in shades of chocolate and cream. It dishes up big breakfasts (till 11.30am), light lunches (gourmet sandwiches, Caesar salad, pasta carbonara) and delicious dinners from a menu that ranges from steak and chips to prawn and shellfish tagliatelle with cream and white wine sauce.
reviewed
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Copper
A stalwart of Warrenpoint’s fine-dining scene, Copper is an elegant, white-linen-tablecloth kind of restaurant that combines food sourced from local farms and fish bought from the quayside at Kilkeel with Mediterranean and Asian flavours. There’s a separate vegetarian menu (mains £12.50) with inventive dishes such as sweet-potato pancake with shiitake mushrooms, scallions and black bean sauce.
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Rioja
Rioja is a relaxed Mediterranean bistro with terracotta tiles and candle-lit tables, offering a range of Iberian, French and Italian dishes including cataplana, a Portuguese seafood casserole. Although it's licensed, you can bring your own wine if you want to (corkage £3); the early bird menu (5pm to 7pm Tuesday to Friday) offers any main course for £10.50.
reviewed
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Bluelough Mountain & Water Sports Centre
If you fancy a shot at hill walking, rock climbing, canoeing or a range of other outdoor activities, Bluelough Mountain & Water Sports Centre offers one-day, have-a-go sessions for individuals, couples and families (around £60 to £100 per person), as well as Sunday afternoon taster sessions. They also rent canoes for £30/45 per half-day/day.
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Coyle's Bistro
Despite being upstairs from a busy bar, this place is surprisingly intimate and inviting, with wood panelling, mirrored walls and subdued lighting, and a varied menu that ranges from ox cheeks braised in red wine to Moroccan lamb stew. The two-course set menu for two (available 5pm to 7pm) includes a bottle of wine and costs £30.
reviewed
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Hillside Bar & Restaurant
This is a homely pub serving real ale (and mulled wine beside the fireplace in winter), with live jazz Sunday evenings and a dinky wee beer garden in a cobbled courtyard out the back. The upstairs restaurant offers formal dining, with crisp white table linen and sparkling crystal, and a menu offering dishes such as lobster tart, roast quail, venison and steak.
reviewed
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Restaurant 23
Set in the Balmoral Hotel on Warrenpoint's waterfront, this innovative restaurant has garnered a Michelin Bib Gourmand and helped turn this corner of County Down into a foodie destination with dishes such as roast scallops with crisp smoked pork and artichoke salad, and sautéed lambs liver with new season asparagus. From Wednesday to Friday there's a three-course set menu for £15.
reviewed
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Quoile Countryside Centre
A tidal barrier was built at Hare Island, 3km downstream from Downpatrick, in 1957 to control flooding. The waters enclosed by the barrier now form the Quoile Pondage Nature Reserve, whose ecology is explained at the Quoile Countryside Centre. The centre is housed in a little cottage beside the ruins of Quoile Castle.
reviewed
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Down Cathedral
According to legend, St Patrick died in Saul, where angels told his followers to place his body on a cart drawn by two untamed oxen, and that wherever the oxen halted was where the saint should be buried. They supposedly stopped at the church on the hill of Down, now the site of the Church of Ireland's Down Cathedral.
The cathedral is testimony to 1600 years of building and rebuilding. Viking attacks wiped away all trace of the earliest churches, and the subsequent Norman cathedral and monasteries were destroyed by Scottish raiders in 1316. The rubble was used in a 15th-century church finished in 1512, but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was razed to the ground…
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Mourne Seafood Bar
Set in a wood-panelled Victorian house with local art brightening the walls, Mourne Seafood Bar is a friendly and informal fishmonger-cum-restaurant. As well as a choice of local oysters served five different ways, the menu includes seafood chowder, crab, langoustines and daily fish specials, all sourced locally.
reviewed
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Royal County Down Golf Course
Stretching north of town is the Royal County Down Golf Course, whose challenging Championship Links – venue for the 2007 Walker Cup – is full of blind tee shots and monster rough, and is regularly voted one of the world's top 10 golf courses. It's open to visitors on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
reviewed
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Jenny Watts
A traditional pub with a beer garden out back, Jenny's pulls in a mixed-age crowd, offering live music three nights a week, cool tunes (in the upstairs lounge) on Friday and Saturday, and jazz and blues Sunday lunchtime and evening. It also serves good pub grub, and kids are welcome at meal times.
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Old Post Office Tearoom
The thatched cottage that once housed the village post office has been lovingly converted into a tearoom and art gallery, with walls of cream plaster and bare stone, pine furniture and a wood-burning stove. It serves great coffee and home-baked scones, plus lunch specials such as lasagne and lovely fresh salads.
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