Home » » Visit Ards and North Down

Step through the doors of The Old Inn to experience nearly 400 years of history. The Old Inn stands on one of Ireland’s most ancient highways. Centuries of history sit snugly under the thatched roof of this delightful, historic Coaching Inn.
November 7, 2014Read More

The Copeland Islands is a group of three islands in the North Irish Sea, situated 3.6km off the coast from Donaghadee in County Down, Northern Ireland. Lighthouse Island is now owned by the National Trust and operated by volunteer members of the Copeland Bird Observatory. The ruins of the original keepers’ house have been rebuilt to house a bird observatory.
September 11, 2014Read More

The Light Ship Petrel was built in 1915 by the Dublin Dockyard Co for the Commissioners of Irish Lights and is the only lightship still afloat in Ireland. A crucial element of lightship design is the mounting of a light on a sufficiently tall mast.
September 9, 2014Read More

A stunning laser projection artwork, Global Rainbow, was beamed from Scrabo Tower in Newtownards towards Donaghadee.
January 17, 2014Read More

This historical visitor attraction was built in the late 18th or early 19th century and worked until the First World War after which it gradually fell into disrepair. Now restored to full working order the plastered and white-washed tapering tower is a landmark in the area.
January 16, 2014Read More

Holywood’s rich ecclesiastical heritage is represented today by its most distinctive building, the Old Priory.
September 16, 2013Read More

The Ward family designed the Bangor Castle Walled Garden in the 1840s. It was previously unopen to the public and was considered by many as a secret garden!
September 16, 2013Read More

Learn something of the fascinating saga of the area in Northern Ireland’s most visited small museum, located around a covered courtyard at the rear of Bangor Castle.
September 16, 2013Read More

Bangor Marina is Northern Ireland’s biggest and most prestigious marina. It is the setting for a variety of major sailing and tourist events each year.
September 16, 2013Read More

The North Down Coastal Path is one of the finest shoreline walks in Ireland. It extends along the southern shore of Belfast Lough from Holywood to Portavoe near Groomsport.
September 15, 2013Read More