Two very different sorts of walking sit on this list. The Mournes account for much of it: Tollymore Forest Park at Bryansford, where the Shimna River runs under sixteen stone bridges through 630 hectares of woodland; Bloody Bridge on the coast road out of Newcastle, where the old smugglers’ track climbs inland along the Brandy Pad; Ben Crom, reached on foot from Silent Valley now that driving to the dam is no longer allowed; and above all of them the Mourne Wall, close to twenty miles of dry-stone granite over fifteen summits.
The rest is gentler and further north. Broad Water at Moira is three flat tarmac miles of abandoned canal towpath, and the Comber Greenway runs seven traffic-free miles from east Belfast out to Comber past CS Lewis Square. Both are level and neither needs boots. Helen’s Tower sits at the end of a 4.2km woodland walk on the Clandeboye Estate near Bangor, and Scrabo Tower crowns its hill above Newtownards, the country park open daily even when the tower itself is shut.
East of that lies Lecale, the low peninsula between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay, where the 76km Lecale Way strings together Norman tower houses, Saul and Downpatrick. The high Mourne ground is exposed and needs settled weather and proper navigation; the towpaths and greenways will take a wet afternoon without complaint.
Northern Ireland's first state forest park, with an accessible arboretum, riverside paths past the Hermitage and Gothic follies under the Mourne foothills.
A working fishing harbour ringed by four medieval tower houses, more than any town in Ireland, with a links course running along the Irish Sea.
The stone crossing where smugglers once carried contraband inland, and still the usual start for the Brandy Pad pony track into the high Mournes.
22 of 22 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Bryansford, down
Northern Ireland's first state forest park packs 630 hectares of woodland at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, threaded by the Shimna River, Gothic follies and 16 stone bridges. Walk the accessible arboretum, follow the river past the Hermitage, or find the spots where Game of Thrones filmed its Haunted Forest.
Ardglass, down
Ardglass has more medieval tower houses than any town in Ireland – four of them – clustered around a fishing harbour that still works the herring and prawn grounds. Its golf club plays from a clubhouse dated to about 1405, with the Irish Sea in view from every hole.
Newcastle, down
Ben Crom is a 526 m granite peak deep in the Mourne Mountains, standing over a mass-concrete dam that holds 1.7 billion litres of water. Most visitors never climb it; the draw is the walk in from Silent Valley along the reservoir road, with the crags and water opening up ahead. Driving to the dam is no longer allowed, so come ready for a proper walk.
Newcastle, down
Protestant settlers captured during the 1641 rebellion met a brutal fate on Bloody Bridge, their bodies cast into the river and staining its waters red. Centuries later, smugglers used the same stone crossing to ferry contraband up the Brandy Pad, a legacy still traced by hikers who follow the worn mountain-pony trail.
Moira, down
Broad Water is a flat, tarmac 3-mile towpath along the abandoned Lagan Canal, running from Moira railway station to Aghalee through Soldierstown. The canal was given up in 1954 and the banks have re-wilded; the lagoon draws breeding and wintering wildfowl, and an 1833 railway bridge still shows the tow-rope notches worn into its iron rails. It is one of the most accessible heritage walks in County Down.
Dromore, down
Dromore is a working market town in the Upper Lagan Valley, gathered around a 40-foot Norman motte raised by John de Courcy in the early 13th century and later destroyed by Edward Bruce. A signposted historical walk links the motte, the cathedral, a restored high cross and the ruins of a flax mill along the river.
East coast of County Down, down
A low, sea-ringed peninsula in east County Down, between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay, and by tradition the burial place of Ireland’s three patron saints at Downpatrick. Norman tower houses ring the coast, the 76 km Lecale Way links them, and it all sits inside the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Geopark.
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The Mourne Coastal Route links Belfast to Newry, but the stretch worth planning a day around is the middle, where the granite of the Mournes drops almost straight to the sea between Newcastle and Rostrevor. Expect fishing harbours, Blue Flag strands, a car ferry into County Louth and the road that gave Percy French his song.
Mourne Mountains, down
Built over 18 years by stonemasons working March to October, the Mourne Wall runs close to 20 miles over fifteen peaks above Silent Valley Reservoir. This dry-stone granite barrier was raised to protect Belfast's water supply, and it now doubles as a navigation aid for walkers on some of the range's most exposed ground.
Newcastle, down
National Cycle Route 99 links Belfast to Newcastle through County Down, taking in the traffic-free Comber Greenway, the Ards peninsula and the shores of Strangford Lough. Most of it is on quiet roads rather than segregated path, with the free Portaferry–Strangford ferry as a highlight of the ride.
Downpatrick, down
The Quoile River Walk links Downpatrick's Mound of Down, the ruined Quoile Castle and a freshwater nature reserve created when a barrage sealed off the estuary in 1957. It's free, mostly level, and the reserve's bird hide is the real reason to come.
Saul, down
Saul is where, by tradition, Saint Patrick was given a barn for his first church in Ireland in 432. The village holds a 1930s church built in early Irish style, complete with a replica round tower, and a steep climb up Slieve Patrick to a giant bronze statue of the saint. Pilgrim paths run from here to Down Cathedral, where Patrick is said to be buried.
Scrabo Hill, down
Scrabo Tower is a Victorian folly built in 1857 as a memorial to the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, standing on a 540-foot hill above Newtownards. When it's open, 122 steps lead to a parapet with views over Strangford Lough, the Mourne Mountains and, on a clear day, the coast of Scotland. Most of the time the tower is shut, but the surrounding country park stays open daily.
Slieve Meelmore, down
For twelve years Slieve Meelmore was counted as one of the Mourne Sevens, until a walker in 2004 worked out it falls just short of 700 m. It is the seventh-highest of the Mournes at 680 m, its summit crossed by the Mourne Wall and marked by a small stone shelter, with views on a clear day to the Sperrins, Lough Neagh and Strangford Lough.
Slievenaboley, down
Slievenaboley is a modest 324 m rise in the Dromara Hills with no waymarked route to the top – you follow farm tracks and climb a series of wire fences to reach a rocky plateau. The reward is a wide, quiet panorama of the Mournes, Slieve Croob and the Belfast Hills, and the near-certainty of having it to yourself.
Comber, down
Bangor, down
Hilltown, down
Downpatrick, down
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Northern Ireland, down
Belfast, antrim
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