20 Attractions to Explore Near Clough Castle

Seaforde Gardens, Maze and Tropical Butterfly House promises a truly plant rich and nature-filled experience for visitors. Situated in the historic Demesne of Seaforde in County Down, which has been a family home for almost 400 years, visitors will discover an historic walled garden that has something for everyone. The Tropical Butterfly House is set in beautiful grounds, with avenues of mature trees, a maze set in the middle of an old walled garden.

A beautiful bay located next to Dundrum, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is divided into the Outer Bay, and the almost entirely landlocked Inner Bay. The bay was home to a roughly year-long "shipwreck" of the SS Great Britain; in actuality, the "wreck" was a period of time in which the ship had run aground of a sandbar. The Dundrum Coastal Path, a part of the larger Lecale Way, is a popular hiking trail that winds along the fronts of the bay; the trek is especially popular with birdwatchers.

Newcastle is a small seaside resort town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It comprises of sand, pebbles and larger stones and is approximately 2.5 km in length. The major part of Newcastle Beach is backed by a promenade and the seaside town of Newcastle, which has lots of shops, amusements and other attractions. It also offers opportunities for watersports and amazing walks in the Mourne mountains.

The Annadorn Dolmen is an imposing dolmen from Down County, more precisely located near Loughinisland. Built on a mound overlooking the Loughinisland Churches, this dolmen is said to date from the Neolithic period, and is today classified as a Historic Monument . To see: it is really worth the detour.

Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fragile 6000 year old sand dune system owned by the National Trust and managed as Ireland’s first Nature Reserve since 1967. It is an excellent area for walking and bird watching due to its spectacular location at the edge of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains. The sand dunes were extensively used by the US Army during the Second World War.

It is a wide, flat, sandy beach two kilometres long and backed by 25 hectares of mature dunes in a conservation area offering scenic walks and an insight into the habitat of local flora and fauna. An ideal destination for locals and visitors alike, the clean waters invite water sport enthusiasts and the beach provides a safe haven for families and groups who wish to picnic in a clean environment.

Downpatrick Racecourse is situated one mile away from the historic town of Downpatrick. Racing has been held on the current course for more than 200 years. The first race meeting at Downpatrick was held in 1685. The course now stages only National Hunt racing following the discontinuation of Flat Racing at the track. The feature race at the course is the Ulster National Handicap 'Chase run over a distance of about 3 miles 4 furlongs 110 yards.

A very large circle of over 50 stones up to 1.8 metres high encloses a space about 35 metres across. It was possibly built as a counterpart to the circle at Swinside in Cumbria. Inside the circle is a long low partly kerbed mound lying east–west. It originally held two burial cists with cremated human remains, one at each end of the mound. The mound has similar (two end burial chambers) features to the Audleystown Court Tomb.

This is one of the most outstanding tree and shrub collections in Europe, located in a dramatic setting of mountains and sea. The garden is a mixture of informal and formal design with terraces, fountains, ornamental gates and flower borders. It was opened to the public in 1967 after the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture purchased the land from the Annesley family. Features of the park include the National Arboretum, the Peace Maze and Castlewellan Castle.

Slievenaslat is a mountain summit in the region in the county of Newry, Mourne and Down, Ireland. Slievenaslat is 272 metres high with a prominence of 109 metres. An iconic attraction in this area and also a good trekking destination.

The Downpatrick and County Down Railway is a five-foot, three-inch gauge heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. The railway has approximately three miles of track in a triangular-shaped layout, which connects the town of Downpatrick with the historical sites of Inch Abbey to the north and King Magnus’ Grave to the south.It also houses a museum of railway artefacts and rolling stock originating from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Down Cathedral is a Church of Ireland cathedral. It stands on the site of a Benedictine Monastery, built in 1183. Saint Patrick's remains are buried on the site. Magnificent stain glass windows, box pews and beautiful organ case enhances this interesting building. Souvenir shop and toilet facilities. It is one of two cathedrals in the Diocese of Down and Dromore in the County of Ulster. The cathedral is centre point in Downpatrick.

Europes largest permanent hedge maze was designed to commemorate the peace and reconciliation efforts of Northern Ireland in the past century. The paths of the maze are quite narrow, with large hedges growing on either side. The surface is flat, except for a shallow incline which winds round to the centre of the maze where the “Peace Bell” is located. A smooth ramp then connects from this upper level to a path to the East of the maze.

A ruined Cistercian monastery on the outskirts of Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. It was founded by Anglo-Norman John de Courcy in the twelfth century at the site of a previous monastery which had operated from the 9th until earlier in the 12th century. De Courcy established the monastery as penance for his destruction of Erenagh Abbey in 1177.

The Saint Patrick Centre is one of Northern Ireland's leading attractions and a must see destination on the way from Dublin to Belfast. It is a permanent interpretative exhibition centre featuring interactive displays on the life and story of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The exhibition explores the legacy of Patrick, ancient and modern, and recalls the saint’s own story – in his own words.

This is a special museum, where the rich heritage of County Down is brought to life in fascinating exhibitions, lively events, hands-on activities and award winning education programmesIt has one of the most significant collections of farming artefacts in a local museum in Ireland which will be housed in the new ‘Harvests from Land and Sea’ Gallery. The objects held by the Museum range from large pieces of machinery such as a reaper and binder and a Ferguson tractor, to small hand tools.

Castle Ward is a highly unusual house built in 1762-60 by an unknown architect for Bernard Ward, later 1st Viscount Bangor and his wife. Castle Ward is open to the public and includes 332 hectares (820 acres) of landscaped gardens, a fortified tower house, Victorian laundry, theatre, restaurant, shop, saw mill and a working corn mill. It has a shore on Strangford Lough.

Royal County Down Golf Club is a golf club in Northern Ireland, located in Newcastle, County Down. It opened on 23 March 1889 and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland. It has two 18-hole links courses, the Championship Course and the Annesley Links.

Down Arts Centre is the operational base for the arts in Downpatrick and the surrounding area. It produces a busy programme of events all year round, including exhibitions, live theatre and music events and a wide range of classes and workshops for all ages.