Mourne MountainsA granite range in the south of the county. The dry stone Mourne Wall, built between 1904 and 1922 to mark off the water catchment, runs over its summits.
An Dún
Down
The Mourne Mountains in the south and Strangford Lough in the east.
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The list
Top 10 things to do in Down
Down runs from the east side of Belfast to the Mourne Mountains, with the Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough along its eastern edge. Most of the twenty below sit in the granite of the Mournes or on the shore of the lough, and the rest take in Saint Patrick's grave at Downpatrick and the slipways where the Titanic was built.
Mourne MountainsA granite range in the south of the county. The dry stone Mourne Wall, built between 1904 and 1922 to mark off the water catchment, runs over its summits.
Slieve DonardThe highest mountain in Northern Ireland stands over Newcastle, and the Great Cairn on its summit holds the highest passage tomb in Ireland.
Mount StewartThe Stewart family's neoclassical house on the Ards Peninsula looks over Strangford Lough, and Edith, Lady Londonderry designed the gardens around it from the 1920s.
Titanic BelfastMuseum · BelfastThe museum stands beside the slipways where the Titanic was built and launched, and a ticket also takes you aboard SS Nomadic, the last surviving White Star Line ship.
Tollymore Forest ParkForest · NewcastleForest at the foot of the Mournes near Newcastle, open all year, with views of the sea and paths on foot up to Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh.
Castle WardHouse and gardens · StrangfordBernard Ward and Lady Ann Bligh built this house above Strangford Lough in the 1760s, with a classical entrance front and a Gothic garden front.
Silent Valley ReservoirLake · KilkeelBelfast's water supply reservoir in the high Mournes was begun in 1923 and opened in 1933, and a trail runs up the valley to Ben Crom Reservoir.
Strangford LoughLake · StrangfordThe largest sea lough in the British Isles and a Marine Conservation Zone, crossed at its narrow mouth by the Strangford to Portaferry ferry.
Castlewellan Forest ParkForest · CastlewellanForest park on the north side of the Mournes with a lake you can fish and canoe on, and the Annesley Garden and Arboretum inside the grounds.
Dundrum CastleCastle · DundrumJohn de Courcy began this castle on the rocky hill above Dundrum, and Hugh de Lacy added the massive round keep that looks over Dundrum Bay.
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Down CathedralCathedral · DownpatrickThe Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity stands on the hill in Downpatrick, and the grave in its grounds is the traditional burial place of Saint Patrick.
Murlough National Nature ReserveNature reserve · NewcastleSand dunes up to six thousand years old on the shore between Dundrum and Newcastle, and Ireland's first national nature reserve.
Inch AbbeyAbbey · DownpatrickThe ruins of a Cistercian abbey that John de Courcy founded in the 12th century, on the River Quoile on the outskirts of Downpatrick.
Scrabo TowerViewpoint · NewtownardsA stone tower finished in 1859 on top of Scrabo Hill above Newtownards, in a country park of woodland and old quarries looking over Strangford Lough.
Ulster Folk MuseumMuseum · HolywoodAn open-air museum at Cultra, outside Holywood, opened in 1964, where cottages, shops and a school moved from across Ulster were rebuilt and the old crafts are still shown.
Nendrum Monastic SiteMonastic site · ComberAn early monastery on Mahee Island in Strangford Lough, where the stump of a round tower stands inside three rings of dry stone walling.
Rowallane GardenGarden · SaintfieldA National Trust garden on the Crossgar Road outside Saintfield, with woodland walks leading to a walled garden and the open pleasure ground.
Cloughmore StoneViewpoint · RostrevorA granite boulder of about forty tonnes, left on the slope of Rostrevor Forest at the end of the last ice age, with views across Carlingford Lough.
Crawfordsburn Country ParkPark · BangorCountry park on the Belfast Lough shore between Bangor and Holywood, with two beaches and woodland walks that take in a waterfall.
Legananny DolmenPrehistoric site · CastlewellanA portal tomb on the slopes of Slieve Croob, its capstone balanced on three long upright stones beside a back road near Leitrim, County Down.
Where they are
Tap a pin to open the place.
All 20 places are on the map.
in Down today
- Mourne Mountains
- Slieve Donard
- Mount Stewart
- Titanic Belfast
- Tollymore Forest Park
- Castle Ward
- Silent Valley Reservoir
- Strangford Lough
- Castlewellan Forest Park
- Dundrum Castle
- Down Cathedral
- Murlough National Nature Reserve
- Inch Abbey
- Scrabo Tower
- Ulster Folk Museum
- Nendrum Monastic Site
- Rowallane Garden
- Cloughmore Stone
- Crawfordsburn Country Park
- Legananny Dolmen
Towns
The one with enough in and around it for a page of its own.
More to see in Down
15 more places from Northern Ireland’s heritage records and other public sources, linked to an official page where there is one.
Castles and houses6
- Audley's CastleStrangford
- Kilclief CastleStrangford
- Jordan's CastleArdglass
- Narrow Water CastleWarrenpoint
- GreencastleKilkeel
- Hillsborough Castle and GardensHillsborough
Abbeys and churches3
- Grey AbbeyGreyabbey
- Struell WellsDownpatrick
- Maghera Church and Round TowerNewcastle
Ancient sites2
- Giant's RingBelfast
- Ballynoe Stone CircleDownpatrick
Museums1
Other places1
Getting to Down
- By air
- Belfast City Airport, Belfast International Airport
- By rail
- Stations at Bangor and Holywood, on the Belfast to Bangor line.
- By road
- The A1, A2, A7 and A24.
- By ferry
- A car ferry crosses the narrows between Strangford and Portaferry.
Questions
What are the best things to do in Down?
Our top three are Mourne Mountains, Slieve Donard and Mount Stewart. The full list of twenty is at the top of this page, and every place on it has a page of its own.
What can you do in Down for free?
Walks and open ground cost nothing to visit. On our list that includes Mourne Mountains, Slieve Donard, Tollymore Forest Park and Castlewellan Forest Park. Some forest parks charge for the car park, so check parking and access with the place before you go.
What is on in Down?
Our event listings come from Fáilte Ireland and cover the Republic, so events in Down do not show here. For music, the venues and festivals are on the music page.
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