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STRANGFORD LOUGH
The largest inlet in Northern Ireland is brimming with opportunities for
outdoor adventure, from birdlife to bracing waterside walks
Why go
Make the 5 0-mile loop around the UK’s
largest sea inlet and you’ll find a natural
playground of hiking trails, scenic bays and
superlative places to paddle. At nearly 60sq
miles, this vast lough is almost entirely
enclosed by County Down’s Ards Peninsula,
save for a narrow south-eastern channel where
powerful tides from the Irish Sea gave rise to
its Norse name of ‘Strangfyorthe’ or ‘strong
ord’. The Vikings mastered these mighty
currents over three centuries of visiting the
region, plundering monasteries, but it’s a
much calmer escape these days, painted in a
palette of sea blues, gentle greens and sunny
yellow gorse. The area’s also home to protected
mudflats and wetlands, where the wealth of
birdlife belies the lough’s proximity to Belfast,
some 20 miles away.
What to do
Paddle out from Strangford Lough Activity
Centre on an expertly guided kayak, canoe or
paddleboard tour around the lough. Discover
islands home to ancient fish traps, basking
seals and the remains of 18th-century kelp
kilns. Even if you’re not a Game of Thrones
fan, 1 8th-century gothic-Palladian Castle
Ward and its forested grounds is a Strangford
set piece. Explore its historic farmyard (the
location for Winterfell, backdrop for much of
season one), admire the blooms of the Sunken
Garden and navigate the ‘Whispering Wood’,
where Irish hares dart through the wild
garlic. strangfordloughactivitycentre.com
nationaltrust.org.uk
Don’t miss
‘The Narrows’ is the name of the tidal channel
between the Ards and Lecale peninsulas; the
latter was once home to St Patrick and his
eponymous, 8 2-mile pilgrims’ walk winds west
from here. A far shorter stroll from Portaferry
up Windmill Hill offers stellar sunsets — a view
surpassed only by Mount Stewart’s Temple
of the Winds, on Strangford’s northeastern
edge. To get there, follow the shore-hugging
road east, passing Grey Abbey along the way.
walkni.com nationaltrust.org.uk
We like
Make buttermilk soda bannock under the
thatched roof of Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen
in Killinchy and enjoy it with homemade jams
and hand-rolled butter. Alternatively, try a
Pizza & Paddle session: an hour’s SUP lesson
in Ballymorran Bay before heading back to the
17th-century farmhouse for wood-fired pizza
eaten hearthside or out in the sunny garden.
traceysfarmhousekitchen.com
Where to stay
Lough and ocean unfold below clifftop
Slievemoyle Cottages, a cluster of restored,
18th-century stone farm buildings (sleeping
between five and eight), with original wood-
burning stoves and wood furnishings. From
£300 for two nights. Strangford’s former
boozer-with-rooms The Cuan reopened last
year as a nine-room boutique hotel: all dark
wood, burgundy leather and lough-blue hues.
From £11 9 B&B. slievemoylecottages.com
thecuan.com SARAH BARRELL
Where to eat
Strangford village’s Scandi-chic The Artisan
Cookhouse serves an exquisite seafood
chowder with Guinness bread and Abernethy
butter, as well as Irish lamb rump with
pomegranate and tzatziki. For Michelin Bib
Gourmand-standard pub grub, head to Balloo
House, in Killinchy. Choose from the likes of
Irish charcuterie or Mourne mountain lamb
shank. artisancookhouse.com ballooinns.com
Scrabo Tower near
Newtownards, at the northern
tip of Strangford Lough
Below: Hake bouillabaisse
at Balloo House
JUNE 2022 31
SMART TRAVELLER
