Blog (Plan Your Trip) - Ards & North Down

Looking for family fun days out? Here are quick links to some family favourites in Ards and North Down to help you plan day trips and short breaks to remember.

Take a day, or better still, make it a getaway, just the two of you, and spend time together on Valentine's in Ards and North Down. Our stunning scenery, nestled between countryside and shoreline, cosy nights away and a place where you can just be you, makes our corner of the Isle simply idyllic and rather romantic!

Annnnnnd relax! All within an hour of Belfast, unwind and embrace a slower pace, as you experience everything that is on offer in the coastal haven of Ards and North Down.

Enjoy some quality time with your nearest and dearest, let us guide you to some of the loveliest locations in the borough…

What better way to spend quality time with family and friends than to pack a picnic and enjoy the great outdoors. With so many beautiful spots you will be spoilt for choice, from salty sea air to open green spaces or panoramic views from a hilltop the choice is yours, and what's better it's free!

Join us on immersive experiences and guided tours. Take in the natural beauty of our countryside, encounter water’s edge wonders, charming towns and villages and our delicious food and drink. Our local people are ready to welcome you and share their passion and skills.

The perfect place for time well spent with family, friends, and loved ones; make  memories this spring in Ards and North Down.

We have put together a list of highlights in the borough that you can do or visit for free, no matter the season, whether you are a local resident or a visitor to the borough. There is plenty to be enjoyed for all, for little to no money.

Northern Ireland is home to many stories, myths, and legends, with Ards and North Down laying claim to a fair few of its own. Ruined castles, holy wells, abbeys and military forts where tales of Bronze Age communities, Vikings, early Christian and Ulster-Scots heritage, and the role of this area in the Great Wars, are here to be discovered.

The National Trust in Northern Ireland play a big part of the care of Strangford Lough, An Area of Designated Natural Beauty, managing over 5,000 hectares of coast and countryside in and around Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula. Find out more about the locations in their care that you can visit.

Restore your wellbeing and immerse yourself in our place; nestled amongst our beautiful scenery, enjoy a spa break in one of our specialised accommodation's waiting to welcome you.

Groomsport Beach is one of the five Inclusive Beaches in Northern Ireland, enabled so by the Mae Murray Foundation, which means that it has been carefully planned so that people of all ages and abilities can be included and can enjoy their surrounds to the fullest. Situated in the North Down area of our borough, this village location is an idyllic spot to spend a summer's day.