Co. Down

We took a drive down to Castlewellan Forest Park last Sunday, our first visit to the park despite being told by friends and family that it was an excellent place for a day out.

We weren't disappointed. The forest park is full of things to do. There are excellent forest and lakeside walks, the picturesque castle set in the hillside and probably lots more that we didn't see after the rain came on! Oh, did I forget to mention that it also hosts the world's largest maze? Well it does.

We paid a visit to the Downpatrick & Co. Down Railway on Sunday and managed to have a good look around as well as a ride on the train. Of course, the weather for an afternoon in July left much to be desired, but there was plenty to do to keep us (and the kids) busy until the train came along.

The Ulster Folk And Transport Museum is what I believe to be one of the jewels in the crown of Northern Irelands heritage attractions, and well deserves its title of Irish Museum of the Year.

Ulster Folk Museum

The Ulster Folk Museum was set up in 1958 to illustrate the way of life and the traditions of the people of the north of Ireland. This was primarily in response to the speed at which the countryside and people's way of life was changing and the need to preserve and record a heritage in danger of disappearing.

We took a little trip to Inch Abbey in Downpatrick a few weeks ago, a secluded spot just off the main road before you come into the town. It was late afternoon/early evening as we arrived and the Abbey was vitrually abandoned except for the odd dog-walker passing through. Although it's not immediately obvious, Inch is an island which is accessed by a causeway. The River Quoile runs to the south with marshland surrounding it to the north.