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Hillsborough, Co. Down

16km (10 m) south of Belfast, this very picturesque Georgian town boasts a steep main street, with antique and craft shops.

Across the town square the mansion house of Hillsborough Castle is visible, through a pair of impressive wrought iron gates. A prominent feature of the east and south approaches to Hillsborough is a five mile wall surrounding a lake and its adjoining forest.

At the gates of Hillsborough Castle is the Hillsborough heritage centre and visitors can find out more about the town at the Hillsborough Tourist centre (0044 28 92 689 717). The castle itself is a fine artillery fort, 270 square foot, built around 1650.

Hillsborough plays host to a heritage festival every year (0044 28 92 682 477), with battle re-enactments and an old time fair.

The 40 acre lake at Hillsborough offers anglers excellent brown and rainbow trout, with fishing spots set in the forest around the lake.

Featured Establishment

Eat

Parson's Nose, The

Hillsborough, Co. Down

Pub / Restaurant

Originally named after its first owner, The Marquis of Downshire, Ronan and Jennie Swe ...

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Featured Establishment

Drink

Plough Inn, The

Hillsborough, Co. Down

Cafe/Bar / Character Pub / Pub / Restaurant

Established in 1758, this former coaching inn is owned by the Patterson family. Over t ...

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Gardens

Redcot

Belfast, Co. Antrim

This two and a half acre garden in suburban Knock is as unexpected as it is full of surprises. In its hidden heart the woodland glade is a Robinsonian paradise where plants from all over the world romp in happy abandon under a sheltered canopy of ...

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Golf

Royal County Down Golf Club

Newcastle, Co. Down
Course Type: Links

Widely regarded as one of the finest links courses in the world, Royal County Down has an appropriate setting at Newcastle, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea. For more than 100 years it had nestled on classic duneland, in the sh ...

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Self Catering

Golfkeel Cottages - Oatfield Cottage , The Loft Cottage, Dovedale Cottage

Banbridge, Co. Down

Located one mile from the town of Banbridge the tranquil and peaceful surroundings Golfkeel Cottages are are set in their own private grounds wit secure private parking and offer spectacular panoramic views of the rolling countryside and the Moun ...

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What's On

Castlewellan Farmers Market - Co Down - Saturdays

Castlewellan Farmers Market - Saturday 10am-1pm

Castlewellan Community Centre

Contact:

Tara Haughian +44 (0)28 4377 8655 tara@secondnature.ie

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Tourist Attractions

Sentry Hill & Visitor Centre

Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim

Sentry Hill is a 19th century farmhouse that together with its' contents provide a rare insight into life in rural Ulster during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sentry Hill was the home of the McKinney family, who came to Ireland from Scot ...

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Wedding Venues

The Old Inn

Crawfordsburn, Co. Down

The pretty village setting of this famous and hospitable 16th century inn - the oldest in continuous use in all Ireland - belies its convenient location close to Belfast. The hotel overlooks the wooded glen of Crawfordsburn Country Park at the ba ...

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