Kilclief Beach - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

A beautiful tower house built between 1413 and 1441, reputedly by John Sely, bishop of Down. Features include a machicolation arch, projecting towers and spiral staircases.The castle is tall with four floors. The first floor is vaulted in stone, with two projecting turrets. One contains a spiral stair and the other a series of garderobes with access from three of the four floors These unusual features may have been a blueprint for those at Ardglass, Strangford and various other sites.

The Bell Rock Lighthouse, off the coast of Angus, is the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock. The lighthouse operated in tandem with a shore station, the Bell Rock Signal Tower, built in 1813 at the mouth of Arbroath harbour. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.

Cloghy Rocks is a wonderful location popular for wildlife watching. As the Strangford Lough tide ebbs, seals haul out to rest on this group of rocks. The nature reserve is a magnet for visitors during the summer months because it is a wonderful vantage point from which to watch one of the largest seal colonies in Ireland. Both Common and Grey seals may be easily viewed. Common seals favour the site for breeding, with pups being born in July.

The recently restored wells are near Tara Bay, around 2 miles south east of Portaferry in the shadow of Tieveshilly Hill. In the mid 1970’s the site was extensively restored by members of the local parish and a modern altar which houses some of the stones was built. Pilgrimage to the site takes place annually on the Sunday nearest to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

A beautiful sandy beach named after a corn mill which stood here. On the horizon it is possible to see the Isle of Man. It’s in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where you can enjoy the bird life and seals while walking along the rugged shoreline with grassy paths and sandy bays ideal for picnics.

Strangford Castle lies in the village of Strangford, in County Down, in Northern Ireland. The present Castle is a simple, small, 3-storey, rectangular tower house built in the late 16th century, however a blocked door of 15th century type at first floor level, seems to indicate the remodelling of an earlier tower. The castle has no vault or stone stairway; there would have been ladders to the upper floors.