37 Outdoors- Other to Explore in Ulster

A majestic country park located five miles from the M1 Motorway, this Park provides an oasis of calm in the village of Maghery. Situated on the shores of Lough Neagh, the Park covers an area of 30 acres comprising 5km of woodland walks and picnic areas in natural surroundings. It is excellent for birdwatching, fishing and walking. There are foot paths around the shore of the island with lots of interesting things to see.

Melmore Head is a cape in County Donegal. Melmore Head is situated north of Gortnalughoge, west of Ballyhoorisky Point. It’s a “point” of land, which juts out into the sea in magnificent panoramas. The beach promises a nice walk, the surrounding mountains a fabulous show, and a cave called Murder Hole can even be discovered during your exploration!

Mountcharles Pier is set within a small expanse of flat land, densely populated on the rising ground immediately behind it by a dense field structure. The area was originally known as Tamhnach an tSalainn. This refers to a salt mine in the area. It was renamed Mount Charles by the local 17th century landlord Charles Conyngham after himself. Charles Conyngham was a direct ancestor of the current Lord Henry Mountcharles of Slane Castle in County Meath famous for it’s music festivals.

Lough Muckno Leisure Park is situated close to the centre of the mid Monaghan town of Castleblayney. It is set on 900 acres of wooded country with many activities including fishing, walking trails, water sports and picnic areas. The lake itself is the largest and most beautiful of Monaghan’s lakes with spectacular views of the surrounding area.

The Crom Estate is a nature reserve located in the south of County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, along the shores of Upper Lough Erne. It is one of three estates owned and managed by the National Trust in County Fermanagh, the others being Florence Court and Castle Coole mansions. The estate comprises 1,350 acres, composed primarily of riparian forest. Some trees are so ancient that physical access is restricted.

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.

A beautiful country park, which is 55 hectares of mixed woodland along with open parkland which extends along both sides of the Burntollet River. There are over 7km of stunning woodland and riverside walks including a magnificent waterfall walk.

Ness Woods is one of three woodlands – the others are Ervey Wood and Burntollet Wood – which lie within the 55 hectares of forested countryside that comprise Ness Country Park. There is plenty of wildlife and birdlife, as well as pondlife, to enjoy. There’s also an expansive meadow which can be accessed by those with limited mobility.

The Newry Canal, located in Northern Ireland, was built to link the Tyrone coalfields to the Irish Sea at Carlingford Lough near Newry. It was the first summit level canal to be built in Ireland or Great Britain. The Newry Canal Way is a 20 mile long distance route running from Portadown to Newry along the restored towpath of the former Newry Canal. This linear walk/cycle route provides a flat, level surface suitable for all.

This beautiful golf park is Situated on the beautiful north coast of County Donegal. With its par 72, 18-hole links course hugging the coast and Ballymastoker’s sandy beaches, Portsalon Golf Club must rank as one of Ireland’s most spectacular and bracing golfing locations. Golf Digest has voted it one of the top 25 courses in Ireland.

Rosguill is a peninsula situated in north-north-west County Donegal, Ireland. Lying between the peninsulae of Fanad to the east and Horn Head to the west, Rosguill is a dichotomy of heathland and ocean. With the great Sheephaven Bay with its mellow waters and pure-white strands on the one hand, and the treacherous sand banks of Mulroy Bay on the other.

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.

Saint Patrick’s Way: The Pilgrims Walk is an 82 mile signed walking trail connecting key Christian Heritage sites between Armagh and Downpatrick. The trail is suitable for walkers and pilgrimages. The Walk begins at the Navan Centre outside the ancient city of Armagh winding through beautiful landscapes and historic cities, to end at Saint Patrick’s final resting place at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick.

This stack sits off the right-hand side of the sliver strand beach by Malinbeg. This beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Donegal. Access to the stack is by a wee bit of coasteering for as far as you can from the right-hand side of the beach. A high tide approach simply paddle out direct from the beach.

Rapidly becoming known as 'Swan City', Monticello is host to over 1500, once endangered Trumpeter Swans from December thru the end of February. A protected viewing park for the public is located on Mississippi Drive, on

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.

Wild Ireland, a newly opened animal sanctuary on the Inishowen Peninsula, has given refuge to a number of animals that have been extinct in Ireland for centuries. Visitors to the sanctuary can expect to find everything from bears and wolves to otters, wild boar and more.