What are the best things to do in County Down?
Start with the Mournes: walk from Newcastle up toward Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland's highest peak, or keep it lower with the reservoir valleys and the Mourne Wall country. Then give a day to Strangford Lough: Mount Stewart's gardens on the eastern shore, Castle Ward on the western, and the slow Ards Peninsula drive between them, lough on one side and the Irish Sea on the other. Downpatrick anchors the middle of the county: the cathedral on the Hill of Down, where St Patrick is traditionally buried. If time is short, drop north Down. The folk museum at Cultra is good, but it does not outrank the mountains or the lough.
Useful pages: Where to go · Ready-made itineraries · The Wild Atlantic Way road trip · Dublin · County Cork · County Kerry · County Galway · Northern Ireland · Portrush · Visiting Irish castles · Plan your journey · Heritage · Golf in Ireland · Ireland's cities · Ireland in the movies · Best hiking trails in Ireland · The Southwest in 5 Days · The Great Links golf itinerary · Quieter places
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