Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [547]
Curran’s Bar ( 4484 1332; 83 Strangford Rd, Chapeltown; mains £10-19; food 12.30-9pm) This popular pub, 2.5km north of Ardglass on the A2 towards Strangford, has an atmospheric restaurant with worn wooden floors, a crackling open fire and old family photographs. It specialises in local seafood (try the smoked haddock with pea risotto and chorizo butter) and prime Irish beef accompanied with potatoes and other vegetables fresh from farmer Doyle along the road.
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SOUTH DOWN & THE MOURNE MOUNTAINS
Newcastle
pop 7500
In recent years the Victorian seaside resort of Newcastle (An Caisleán Nua) has undergone a multimillion-pound makeover, and now sports a snazzy new promenade, stretching for more than a kilometre along the seafront, complete with modern sculptures and an elegant footbridge over the Shimna River. The facelift makes the most of Newcastle’s superb setting on a 5km strand of golden sand at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, and there are hopes that it will transform the town’s fortunes from fading bucket-and-spade resort to outdoor activities capital and gateway to the proposed Mourne National Park.
One short stretch of main street is still a gauntlet of amusement arcades and fast-food takeaways, which can get a bit raucous on Friday and Saturday nights, but the town is still a good base for exploring Murlough National Nature Reserve and the Mourne Mountains – accessible from here on foot, by car or by public transport. Golfers from around the globe flock to the Royal County Down golf course, voted the ‘best in the world outside the US’ by the magazine Planet Golf in 2007.
ORIENTATION
As you exit the bus station, Main St stretches ahead towards the mountains, becoming Central Promenade (with the tourist office on the left) and then South Promenade. Turning left out of the bus station leads to a mini-roundabout; straight ahead is the beach, to the right is Downs Rd and the youth hostel, and to the left is the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa.
If you’re driving, be aware that the town can be a major traffic bottleneck on summer weekends.
INFORMATION
Coffee-Net ( 4372 7388; 5-7 Railway St; per 15 min £1; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) Internet access in the coffee shop in the bus station.
Mourne Heritage Trust ( 4372 4059; www.mournelive.com; 87 Central Promenade; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Books, maps and brochures on the Mourne region, plus information on walking in the Mournes.
Post office ( 4372 2651; 6 Railway St) Opposite the bus station.
Tourist information centre ( 4372 2222; newcastle.tic@downdc.gov.uk; 10-14 Central Promenade; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat, 1-7pm Sun Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun Sep-Jun) Sells local-interest books and maps, and a range of traditional and contemporary crafts.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Newcastle’s main attraction is the beach, which stretches 5km northeast to Murlough National Nature Reserve (admission free, car park May-Sep £3; 24hr), where footpaths and boardwalks meander among the grassy dunes, with great views back towards the Mournes.
Back in town, Tropicana ( 4372 5034; Central Promenade; adult/child £3.50/3; 11am-7pm Mon & Wed-Fri, 11am-5pm Tue & Sat, 1-5.30pm Sun Jul & Aug) is a family entertainment centre with outdoor heated fun pools, giant water slides, and paddling pools for toddlers.
At the south end of the seafront is the Rock Pool ( 4372 5034; South Promenade; adult/child £1.80/1.50; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat & 2-6pm Sun Jul & Aug), an outdoor seawater swimming pool that dates from the 1930s. If it’s too cold for outdoor bathing, you can simmer away in a hot seaweed bath at nearby Soak ( 4372 6002; www.soakseaweedbaths.co.uk; 5A South Promenade; 11.30am-8pm Thu-Mon Sep-Jun, daily Jul & Aug), where a one-hour session costs £25.
The little harbour at the south end of