20 Attractions to Explore Near Audleystown Court Tomb

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. It is open to the public and includes 332 hectares 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. From 1985 to 2010 it has also hosted Castleward Opera, an annual summer opera festival.

Audley's Castle lies in the grounds of the Castle Ward estate, north west of the village of Strangford, in County Down, in Northern Ireland. It is named after its late 16th-century owners, the Audleys, an Anglo-Norman family who held land in the area in the 13th century. It consists of a tower set within a yard which is enclosed by a thin wall, with a simple gate.

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.

This gentle walk is through a mature wood of mixed broad leaved trees. Visitors will enjoy spectacular views across the Strangford Narrows, towards Audleys Castle and Castleward. Nugent’s Wood is home to Red Squirrels, badgers and has an impressive display of spring flowers such as bluebells, stitchwort and honey suckle.

Portaferry Castle is a 16th-century tower-house, built by the Savage family and prominently located on the slope overlooking Portaferry harbour within sight of Strangford and Audley's Castles across the water. It is a square building with a small projecting turret on the south corner. It is three storeys high plus attic and there is no vault. Most of the eastern corner is in ruins. This house is a State Care Historic Monument in the townland of Ballyphilip.

Exploris is a public aquarium situated in Portaferry, Northern Ireland. The facility is located on the shores of the Marine Nature reserve of Strangford Lough, which is an important winter migration destination for many wading and sea birds. The lough is home to almost 75% of the marine species found in Northern Ireland, including common seals, basking sharks and brent geese. The aquarium is also a rescue centre for sick.

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.

A stunning park situated on the shores of Strangford Lough in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This beautiful 200-acre Country Park offers a great day out for visitors of all ages. Whether you are a keen walker, a nature lover or simply looking for a great day out for all the family you will find plenty to entertain you in Delamont Country Park. It is home of the Strangford Stone - the tallest megalith in Ireland.

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.

Kilclief beach is located on the northeast coast of Ireland, on the western shore of Strangford Lough’s narrows. It is one of the iconic location for a picnic with your family and also there are so many things to see and do here.

This cairn is next to an abandoned house. The excavations of this tomb occured in 1953, and the bones of at least 15 persons were found, all sorted by bones type, all the skulls together in a stack, all the long bones in another stack and so on. But since then things have changed a lot here, and most of the tomb revealed after the excavations is now lost again under the mound. Only a dozen stones are visible, with heights around 50-60 centimetres.

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.

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.

Struell Wells was built around a stream flowing through a secluded valley. It was a popular place of pilgrimage from the 1600s until the 1840s. The waters were believed to have curative powers and the site has a ruined church, two bath-houses and two roofed wells, all fed by the stream.

Lecale is a peninsula in the east of County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies between Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay. In the Middle Ages it was a district or túath in the Gaelic Irish kingdom of Ulaid, then became a county in the Anglo-Norman Earldom of Ulster. The peninsula has a high concentration of tower houses. Much of it is part of the 'Strangford and Lecale' Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.