Home > Counties > Co. Down > Hillsborough

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 ...

more...

Featured Establishment

Drink

Parson's Nose, The

Hillsborough, Co. Down

Pub / Restaurant

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

more...

Gardens

Glenmount

Belfast, Co. Antrim

If you have never sniffed Balm of Gillead, or teed off around a child-friendly garden with a miniature This two and a half acre garden in suburban Knock is as unexpected as it is full of surprises. In its golf course where the holes have names li ...

View all Read on

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 ...

View all Read on

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 ...

View all Read on

What's On

Lisburn Market - County Antrim - Saturdays

Lisburn Market

Every Saturday

Castle Gardens close to the City Centre. Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Contact: Suzanna Lutton. Number:+44 (0)28 9250 94 ...

View all Read on

Tourist Attractions

Ulster Museum

Belfast, Co. Antrim

Come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Egyptian Mummy and see modern masterpieces with a visit to the Ulster Museum. As Northern Ireland’s treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a rich collection of art, history an ...

View all Read on

Wedding Venues

Hastings Culloden Estate & Spa

Holywood, Co. Down

Formerly the official palace for the Bishops of Down, the Culloden is romantically set in beautifully maintained gardens and woodland overlooking Belfast Lough and the County Antrim coastline. The building is a fine example of 19th-century Sc ...

View all Read on