Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [541]
Scrabo Country Park
Newtownards is overlooked by the prominent landmark of Scrabo Hill, located 2km southwest of town. It was once the site of extensive prehistoric earthworks, which were largely removed during construction of the 41m 1857 Memorial Tower ( 9181 1491; admission free; 10am-6pm Easter-Sep, noon-4pm Sun only Oct-Easter), built in honour of the third Marquess of Londonderry. Inside there’s an audio-visual display on the tower’s history and a 122-step climb to the superb viewpoint at the top – on a clear day you can see Scotland, the Isle of Man, and even Snowdon in Wales. The disused sandstone quarries nearby provided material for many famous buildings, including Belfast’s Albert Memorial Clock Tower.
Somme Heritage Centre
The grimly fascinating Somme Heritage Centre ( 9182 3202; www.irishsoldier.org; 233 Bangor Rd; adult/child £4.25/3.25; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-5pm Sat & Sun Jul & Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, noon-4pm Sat Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, noon-4pm 1st Sat of month Oct-Mar) vividly illustrates the horrors of the WWI Somme campaign of 1916 from the perspective of men of the 10th (Irish), 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) divisions. It’s a high-tech show with short films and reconstructions of the trenches, but there’s nothing celebratory about the exhibits, which are intended as a memorial to the men and women who died. A photographic display commemorates the suffragette movement and the part that women played in WWI.
The centre is 3km north of Newtownards on the A21 towards Bangor. Bus 6 from Bangor to Newtownards passes the entrance every half-hour or so.
Ark Open Farm
Opposite the Somme Heritage Centre, on the other side of the dual carriageway, is the Ark Open Farm ( 9182 0445; www.thearkopenfarm.co.uk; 296 Bangor Rd; adult/3 to 16 years/under 3 years £4.40/3.70/free; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun Apr-Sep, closes 5pm Oct-Mar). Hugely popular with families, the farm has displays of rare breeds of sheep, cattle, poultry, llamas and donkeys. Kids get to stroke and handfeed the lambs, piglets and ducklings.
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STRANGFORD LOUGH
Almost landlocked, Strangford Lough (Loch Cuan; www.strangfordlough.org) is connected to the open sea by a 700m-wide strait (the Narrows) at Portaferry. Its western shore is fringed by humpbacked islands – half-drowned mounds of boulder clay (called drumlins) left behind by ice sheets at the end of the last ice age. On the eastern shore, the drumlins have been broken down by the waves into heaps of boulders that form shallow tidal reefs (known locally as ‘pladdies’).
Large colonies of grey seals frequent the lough, especially at the southern tip of the Ards Peninsula where the exit channel opens out into the sea. Birds abound on the shores and tidal mudflats, including brent geese wintering from Arctic Canada, eider ducks and many species of wader. Strangford Lough oysters are a local delicacy.
Castle Espie Wildfowl & Wetlands Centre
About 2km southeast of Comber, off the Downpatrick road (A22), is the Castle Espie Wildfowl & Wetlands Centre ( 9187 4146; www.wwt.org.uk; Ballydrain Rd, Comber; adult/child £5.95/2.95; 10.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 11am-5.30pm Sat & Sun Jul & Aug, to 5pm Mar-Jun, Sep & Oct, 11am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4.30pm Sat & Sun Nov-Feb). At the time of research, a new visitor centre was under construction, and redevelopment work will continue till December 2010.
The reserve is a haven for huge flocks of geese, ducks and swans – around 75% of the world’s population of light-bellied brent geese spend the winter here – and is a paradise for fledgling ornithologists. The best time to visit is in May and June, when the grounds are overrun with goslings, ducklings and cygnets.
SLEEPING & EATING
Anna’s House B&B ( 9754 1566; www.annashouse.com; Tullynagee, 35 Lisbarnett Rd, Lisbane; s/d from £55/85; ) Just west of Lisbane, Anna’s is an ecofriendly country house set in a superb garden with views over a little lake (free angling for residents). The hospitality is second to none, the food is almost all