belfast

NI Highlights & Hidden Gems
Lisburn City and Hillsborough
Granted city status
by the Queen
in 2002, Lisburn is
a shopping destination
with Bow
Street Mall, Lisburn
Square and,
a short drive away,
Sprucefield Shopping
Centre its
main retail hubs.
The rebranded Historic
Quarter dates back to the 17th Century and its rebuilt
streetscape remains pretty much unchanged to this day.
The Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museum at the head of
Bow Street is a good museum with cafe and gift shop. The
WWT Castle Espie
Wetland Centre
Island Arts Centre is a shiny, state-of-the-art cultural centre
with eye-catching outdoor water jet and sculpture trail.
Sports fans can have a flutter at Down Royal Raceourse,
and Drumbo Greyhound Stadium. The nearby affluent
village of Hillsborough is home to an eponymous Castle
(Her Maj’s Official NI residence), Fort and Park, and has the
area’s best pubs and restaurants. And equally convenient
Moira village also has some delightful shops and cafes,
most notably the award-winning McCartney’s.Q L-3, Lisburn
Tourist Information Centre, 15 Lisburn Square, tel.
(+44) (0)28 9266 003, www.visitlisburn.com.
Armagh City
Armagh is Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital, with the spires of
St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland and Catholic Cathedrals
dominating the city’s skyline. Todays Armagh retains strong religious
links and is also brimming with historical monuments,
museums and heritage sites.
Striking Georgian buildings overlook the emerald green Mall
and nearby winding streets reveal cute cafes and shops.
Find out more about the city’s Palace Stables, Navan Centre,
Armagh Museum, Planetarium & Observatory and
other Orchard County attractions by getting in touch with
the Visitor Information Centre. Q40 English St, Armagh, tel.
(+44)(0)28 3752 1800, www.visitarmagh.com.
and Kilkeel combine to create a beautiful coastal journey
that makes you realise quite what a wonderful country
this is. Q L-4, Newcastle VIC, 10-14 Central Promenade, tel.
(+44) (0)28 4372 2222, www.visitmournemountains.co.uk.
Fermanagh Lakelands
Northern Ireland’s most tranquil county is a stunning landscape
of silvery lakes, green fields and verdant forests.
The bustling town of Enniskillen is the region’s capital and
a perfect place to drop anchor before, during or after navi-
NI Highlights & Hidden Gems
RATES
FROM ONLY
£19.00
per person
ARMAGH CITY
YOUTH HOSTEL
Recently refurbished | Range of multi-share
& private rooms available | En-suite rooms
with private showering facilities
Book at www.hini.org.uk or contact
Armagh City Youth Hostel
t: +44 [0] 28 3751 1800
e: youthhostel@armagh.gov.uk
Set on the tranquil shores of Strangford Lough, Ireland’s
only Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centre is a picturesque
panorama of estuary views, tidal lagoons and
woodland walks. Begin your adventure at the visitor
centre, with its Loughshore Cafe, gift shop and everchanging
art gallery. Plenty of eco-friendly features
reflect its green tourism mantra and exhibits pave the
way for your outdoor odyssey.
A duckery, reconstructed crannog dwelling, bird
hide, fantastic new observatory and indoor and outdoor
children’s play areas make it a fun-filled, familyfriendly
day out. And October’s annual Arctic migration
of virtually the world’s entire population of Brent
Geese guarantees a particularly amazing spectacle.
Seasonal events such as Bat Nights, Pond Dipping
and Birdwatches keep wildlife fans flocking back for
more. Q78 Ballydrain Rd, Comber, Co. Down, tel.
(+44) (0)28 9187 4146, www.wwt.org.uk/wetlandcentres/castle-espie/.
May-Aug Mon-Fri 10:00 -
17:00, Sat & Sun 17:30, March-April and Sept & Oct
daily 10:00 - 17:00, Nov-Feb daily 10:00 - 16:30. Also
open until 17:30 Spring & Summer Bank and Public
Holidays. Adult £7.75, Conc. £5.95, 4-16 £3.80, 2+2
£20.90, U4 free. Price incl. Gift Aid voluntary donation.
Group rates available. LK
Armagh City’s cathedral skyline
Mourne Country
NI’s main mountain range may not be the Rockies, but what
it lacks in stature it makes up for in picture-postcard beauty.
The Mournes extend from the seaside town of Newcastle
in the north to the quaint village of Rostrevor in the south.
Man-made stone walls criss-cross green fields as Slieve Donard
(NI’s highest mountain) looks down from its 852m
granite peak. Newcastle is the area’s main urban attraction,
and the inspiration behind songwriter Percy French’s Where
The Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down To The Sea.
Long the summer destination of local holidaymakers, the town
moves seamlessly from the sublime to the silly with the magnificent
Slieve Donard Hotel & Spa, gleaming new promenade
and Royal County Down Golf Club within eyesight of brassy
amusement arcades and chintzy B&Bs. Don’t miss nearby Silent
Valley and Spelga Dam reservoirs set amid stunning scenery -
and Tollymore and Castlewellan Forest Parks - the latter home
to what was, until relatively recently, the world’s largest maze
(pic). Coastal towns and villages Ardglass, Dundrum, Annalong
46 Belfast In Your Pocket belfast.inyourpocket.com
ARMAGH CITY YOUTH
HOSTEL
If you’re on a budget or travelling with a group,
save money on a trip to Ireland’s ecclesiastical
capital with a stay at this revamped hostel. Spick
and span sleeping accommodation ranges from
male and female sharing en suite dorms to private
twin and double en-suite rooms. A common area,
TV lounge, free WiFi and self-catering kitchen
keeps visitors well catered for and connected. Bed
linen is provided, and there’s also a laundry room,
luggage room and car park.
Its private, secure location, right beside St. Patrick’s
Church of Ireland Cathedral in the centre
of this Georgian city, makes it an ideal base for
exploring Armagh’s two cathedrals, Navan Fort,
Palace Demesne, Armagh County Museum and
Armagh Planetarium.
Each year, Armagh city hosts several internationally acclaimed
cultural festivals including the John Hewitt
International Summer School in late July, The 7 Hills
Blues Festival in Mid-August and the Charles Wood
Festival of Music in late August, to name a few. For
more info on these and other events and attractions visit
www.armagh.co.uk.QK-4, 39 Abbey St, Armagh,
tel. (+44) (0)28 3751 1800, youthhostel@armagh.
gov.uk, www.hini.org.uk. April-Oct 08:30 - 11:00
& 16:00 - 21:30. Nov-March open for group bookings
20+ and certain events. From £19pp.
facebook.com/BELFASTIYP
ARMAGH CITY
YOUTH HOSTEL
gating those magnificent lakelands or the glorious Erne-
Shannon waterway.
County highlights are many, but try to see the pretty town
of Belleek - famous for its internationally renowned pottery,
the magical underground world of Marble Arch
Caves -complete with glistening stalactites and cascading
waterfalls, and imposing Castle Coole - an 18th Century
mansion set in a landscape park and owned by the
National Trust.
We’re merely dipping our toes into Fermanagh’s tranquil
setting so, to find out more about this amazing waterworld,
ask for the region’s tourism brochures at Fermanagh
VIC, Enniskillen.QFermanagh Visitor Information
Centre, Wellington Rd, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, tel.
(+44)(0)28 6632 3110, www.fermanaghlakelands.com.
Cruising Fermanagh’s Lakes
August - September 2014 47