Strangford Lough

Discover amazing places and spaces around Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula. The diversity of landscape, the exceptional wildlife and the ever changing views make it a wonderful place to explore - for all the family.

Strangford Lough is a haven of unique little towns and villages steeped in history which are just waiting to be discovered. We've compiled a list of our favourite places to help inspire your journey.

Walk through wonderful mixed woodland to see wildlife and wildflowers on the shores of Strangford Lough.

Enjoy a relaxing paddle through the calm open waters of Strangford Lough and catch a glimpse of the seals, birds and porpoises that inhabit it.

Explore the wild rocky headlands and sheltered beaches of Orlock Point, with stunning views across the Irish Sea to the Copeland Islands and Scotland beyond.

This short coastal route takes in the spectacular rugged coastline of the lower Ards Peninsula. With simple traditional dwellings and an unspoilt, timeless character, the National Trust village of Kearney is truly special.

Mesolithic hunter gatherers, St. Patrick, Vikings, and Norman invaders have all left their mark on Strangford Lough. The wealth of archaeological evidence tells a story of mankind’s dependence on the lough that spans thousands of years.

The kelp industry has significant commercial importance to the area. Records show the landowner could sell the rights to harvest seaweed from different areas of the shore.

The wooden traps were essentially a line of hundreds of posts driven into the sand which were then interwoven with long slender branches. This made a barrier that allowed the water through, during the falling tide, but not the fish.

Over 5,000 years ago, a man trudged up and down the shores of Strangford Lough. He was frustrated, because he was fed up eating shellfish and seaweeds from the foreshore. He knew that there was an abundance of big, tasty fish out in the deep water, but he just couldn’t get to them. But he was ambitious and had an idea.