Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [538]
East Coast
The A2 runs along the east coast of the peninsula, through the seaside villages and caravan parks of Millisle (Oileán an Mhuilinn), Ballywalter and Ballyhalbert, and the ugly fishing harbour of Portavogie. The best beaches are the Long Sand, immediately south of Ballywalter, and the seawater lagoon (enclosed by a stone dyke for safe bathing) at Millisle.
Approximately 1.5km northwest of Millisle is Ballycopeland Windmill ( 9054 6552; Moss Rd; admission free; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug), a late-18th-century corn mill that remained in commercial use until 1915 and has been restored to full working order.
Portaferry
pop 3300
Portaferry (Port an Pheire), a neat huddle of streets around a medieval tower house, enjoys the most attractive setting on the Ards Peninsula, looking across the turbulent Narrows to a matching tower house in Strangford. A renowned marine biology station on the waterfront uses the lough as an outdoor laboratory, and you can investigate the local marine life yourself at the nearby Exploris aquarium.
The town hit the headlines in 2008 when SeaGen – the world’s first commercial-scale tidal energy turbine, built at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard – was installed in the Narrows. The generator is clearly visible, squatting in the channel just south of town like a stumpy red and black lighthouse. The business end is underwater, where two giant turbine blades spin in the tidal currents, generating around 1.2 megawatts of electricity for 18 to 20 hours a day.
The tourist information centre ( 4272 9882; tourism-portaferry@ards-council.gov.uk; Castle St; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun Easter-Sep) is in a restored stable near the tower house.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
You can take a look around Portaferry Castle (admission free; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun Easter-Sep), a small 16th-century tower house beside the tourist information centre, which, together with the tower house in Strangford, used to control sea traffic through the Narrows.
Next to the tower house is the outstanding state-of-the-art aquarium, Exploris ( 4272 8062; www.exploris.org.uk; Castle St; adult/child £7/4.50; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat, noon-6pm Sun Apr-Aug, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun Sep-Mar), with displays of marine life from Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea. Touch tanks allow visitors to stroke and hold rays, starfish, sea anemones and other sea creatures. Exploris also has a seal sanctuary, where orphaned, sick and injured seals are nursed back to health before being released into the wild.
Walk up to Windmill Hill above the town, topped by an old windmill tower, for a good view over the Narrows to Strangford. The Vikings named this stretch of water Strangfjörthr, meaning ‘powerful fjord’, because when the tide turns, as it does four times a day, 400,000 tonnes of water per minute churn through the gap at speeds of up to eight knots (15km/h). You get some idea of the tide’s remarkable strength when you see the ferry being whipped sideways by the current.
There are pleasant walks on the minor roads along the shore, north for 2.5km to Ballyhenry Island (accessible at low tide), and south for 6km to the National Trust nature reserve at Ballyquintin Point, both good for birdwatching, seal spotting, or just admiring the views of the Mourne Mountains.
From May to September, Des Rogers ( 4272 8297; desmondrogers@netscapeonline.co.uk) and John Murray ( 4272 8414) organise fishing and birdwatching trips, as well as pleasure cruises on the lough (per half-/full day around £75/150) for up to six people. Book in advance.
SLEEPING & EATING
Barholm ( 4272 9598; www.barholmportaferry.co.uk; 11 The Strand; dm/s/d from £14/18/40;