Mourne Country Adventure

Not just one centre of attraction, but many ...

The towns and villages of Mourne country are exciting destinations in their own right.  A good base for discovering the magic of the Mourne Mountains is the popular resort of Newcastle, where Slieve Donard really does 'sweep down to the sea'.  Newcastle offers family fun, picturesque surroundings of mountain and beach and of course the Championship golf course Royal County Down.

Natural environment and stunning scenery are not the only features of Newcastle.  The town has recently been redeveloped and refurbished.  It has so much to offer its visitors, whether for specialist activity or for all round family holidays, Newcastle is renowned for the variety of visitor accommodation from family run guest houses and bed and breakfasts to top class hotels and high quality self catering properties.

Nearby Bryansford and Tollymore are centres for outdoor adventure - from the sublime to the extreme. There is pony-trekking, bouldering, canoeing, abseiling, hillwalking and even Ireland's only mountainboarding facility!  Both Tollymore and Castlewellan Forest Parks have unique chartacteristics, at Tollymore you can see the oldest tree in any arboretum in Ireland, the slow-growing spruce, Picea Abies 'Clanbrassiliana' which originated nearby in 1750.  Whilst Castlewellan has the largest hedge maze in the world (3.5km); known as the Peace Maze, it is planted with 6,000 yew trees.

The picturesque and tranquil Silent Valley acts as a gateway to the upper Mournes and is a walkers' paradise.  Towns in the Mourne area such as Annalong, Kilkeel and Rostrevor all have their own story to tell and are waiting to be explored.  If you enjoy shopping, the city of Newry is well worth a visit too, with its many attractions and museums.  With beautiful scenery and blue flag beaches the Mourne Area has a lot to offer.