Family Fun
The area has a wide variety of actvities for all the family. You can take a boat trip on Belfast Lough or for the less adventorous take to the water on a giant swan at Pickie Family Fun Park. Admire the scenery in one of the parks or take a walk along the coastal path. There is something for everyone.
Balloo Nature Reserve
Tel: 028 9127 0069
Access via Innotec Drive, off Balloo Road, next to Signal Centre of Business Excellence, Bangor
Facilities: DA,P
A new attraction made up of two reserves - woodland and a wetland. Balloo Wetland consists of two large ponds that will provide a home to a variety of wildlife including plants, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, newts, frogs and much more. It has a circular boardwalk path that is pram and wheelchair friendly, a bird hide and a picnic area. Balloo Woodland is full of mature native trees and woodland plant life, with a small pond to provide a home to some watery wildlife too. Some of the species to look out for include oak, speckled wood butterfly, goldfinch and foxglove.
Ballyholme Beach and Park
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Tel: 028 9127 0069
The Esplanade at Banks Lane car park off Groomsport Road.
Bangor
Facilities: DA,WC,P,F
Paddle in the surf along the mile-long beach, a long-time favourite for families to take a dip and build sand-castles. Take a walk along the sands to the National Trust nature reserve at Ballymacormick Point and visit the bustling Ballyholme village.
Beach and Banks Lane car park always accessible.
Bangorboat - Boat trips
Tel: 07510 006 000
www.bangorboat.com
Bangor
Experienced local skipper Brian Meharg runs two boats from Bangor. Short sea cruises run from Pickie Family Fun Park at weekends in May, June, September and daily July and August at 2pm. Additional fishing, bird watching and sight seeing trips run throughout the summer.
Bangor Seafront & Promenade
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Tel: 028 9127 0069
Facilities: DA,WC,P,F
Stroll to the Sunken Gardens to see the McKee Clock, one of the seafront's oldest and most enduring landmarks, and Bregenz House the headquarters of HM Coastguard and is named after Bregenz in Austria the twinned town of Bangor.
This area is the site of the summer funfair and events like Easter and Sea Bangor. From the Sunken Gardens you can continue along the promenade adjacent to the marina along to Pickie Fun Park and onwards to the North Down Coastal Path.
Eisenhower Pier
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Tel: 028 9127 0069
Bangor
Facilities: DA,P,F
The Eisenhower Pier is located to the north of Bangor Marina at Bangor Lifeboat Station. The mosaics on the pier depict the Borough’s crucial role in WWII, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s historic send-off to the hundreds of Allied ships gathered in Bangor Bay before the D-Day liberation of Europe. The pier (formerly known as the North Pier) was re-named in 2005 by Mary-Jean Eisenhower, the grand-daughter of former U.S. President D W Eisenhower to commemorate his relationship with the town.
Fishing and boat trips run from the pier throughout the summer months and anglers try their luck spinning for mackerel from the pierside.
Look out for the rare colony of black guillemots nesting in the harbour wall. These are known affectionately as "Bangor Penguins".
The pier is also a focal point for summer events during the holiday period with events such as the Sea Bangor Festival.
Groomsport Harbour & Cockle Row Cottages
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Tel: 028 9127 0069
Groomsport
The beautiful village of Groomsport, just ten minutes from Bangor, is known for it's picturesque harbour that was once a major fishing port and it's two fishermans cottages known as Cockle Row.
Cockle Row is one of the main attractions for the visitor in Groomsport. The old fishermen's thatched cottages have not lost their original charm with the heritage cottage depicting what Cockle Row would have been like around 1910.
The second cottage is now a Tourist Information Centre and provides information and events in the area and houses a small shop.
Throughout the summer months, June through August, the cottages host a variety of entertainment every weekend afternoon. Activities range from wildlife road shows to craft activities and live music
Groomsport is famous for the heroic attempt of the 'Eagle Wing', the first ship to set sail for the New World to establish the first settlement of Ulster-Scots. This journey is commemorated in the village's annual Eagle Wing Celebrations which celebrates Groomsport's American links.
Visitors are attracted by to the landscaped picnic and play areas around the harbour, the sandy beaches, quality pubs, restaurants and the picture-postcard beauty of the place.
The village also has a recreation ground with 2 football pitches, also a village hall situated in the historic boathouse at the harbour which dates back to 1884. A bus service links the village with Bangor which is only a few miles away.
Groomsport: Accessible all year.
Cockle Row Cottages: Seasonal
Kingsland Play and Picnic Area
Kingsland: 028 9145 6964
Bangor Castle Leisure Centre: 028 9127 1028
Bangor Tourist Information Centre: 028 9127 0069
Seacliff Road near Ballyholme.
Bangor
Facilities: DA,WC,P,F
Follow the Seacliff Road past the Bangor Tourist Information Centre and then the Lifeboat Station, past the Long Hole, then follow the road along the rocky panoramic shoreline to Kingsland which overlooks Ballyholme Beach and Ballyholme Yacht Club.
Play a round on the elevated pitch & putt course with its breathtaking views of Ballyholme Bay and the Antrim Coast, or enjoy a game of tennis or putting. Great playground and picnic area too.
* 9 Hole Pitch & Putt
* 2 X 18 Hole Putting Greens
* 4 X All weather Tennis courts
* These facilities open for the Easter Week and re-opens July until the end of August.
Opening Hours:
* 10am - 9pm Monday - Friday
* 10am - 5pm Saturday & Sunday
Charge for games
North Down Coastal Path
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Tel: 028 9127 0069
Runs along southern shore of Belfast Lough from Holywood to Portvoe.
Bangor
Facilities: DA,WC,P,F
The North Down Coastal Path is one of the finest shoreline walks in Ireland. It extends along the southern shore of Belfast Lough from Holywood to Portavoe near Groomsport. The path has historic and wildlife features adding interest to every step. You can park your car at any one of the many access points including Holywood, Seapark, Marino, Cultra, Craigavad, Helen’s Bay, Crawfordsburn and Carnalea or take a bus or train and join the path at one of many places along its 16 mile route.
On a walk along the coastal path you can enjoy a variety of geological features, some 400 to 500 million years ago making them among the oldest in Ireland, or identify the many different wild flowers, shrubs and bushes. This beautiful environment, with its contrasting shoreline, provides a number of differing habitats from rocky shores through salt marshes and mud flats to sandy beaches, and a wide variety of bird species can be observed and a special treat are the grey or Atlantic seals which bask on the rocks at Ballymacormick, Orlock and Rockport.
The seals are from the colony on the Copeland Islands where "Lighthouse Island" is an important bird observatory. In a morning stroll, one can observe numerous wading birds, cormorants and many other species vary season to season, and in winter we are visited by the Northern Divers from the Arctic. The area is perhaps most noted for its colony of Black Guillemots or "Bangor Penguins" which nest in the holes of the Eisenhower Pier. The path boasts two areas managed by the National Trust - Ballymacormick Point and Orlock Point, both rich in wild plant life.
Pickie Family Fun Park
Tel: 028 9127 0069
West side of marina at Marine Gardens, gateway to North Down Coastal Path.
Bangor
Facilities: DA,R,WC,P,F,S
One of Northern Ireland’s favourite attractions and the great for everyone of all ages.Children an play in the Adventure Playground, with its maritime themed equipment, have fun in the Pickie Paddling Pool or climb aboard the Pickie Puffer for a narrow-gauge railway journey around the colourful landscape.
All the family can paddle a giant Swan around the shallow waters of the lovely Lagoon or take a break in the Windjammer cafeteria.
The fun park is at the gateway to the Marine Gardens, a delightful stretch of coast for leisurely walks. There are panoramic views of Bangor Bay and the hills of Antrim beyond. Just take a seat, relax and marvel at the wonders all around, or eat your picnic before making your way round to Wilson's Point. This is a great place to watch the container ships, big tankers and fast ferryboats constantly on the move in Belfast Lough or a World Class Sailing Events.
Opening Hours: Easter-Oct: Mon-Sun 10am-10pm. Nov-Easter: Sat & Sun and holidays 10am to dusk. Charge for rides.
Seapark Recreation Area
Tel: 028 9042 2894
The area and car park are situated at the end of Seapark Road, off the (A2) Bangor Road, a half-mile from Holywood town centre.
Holywood
Facilities: DA,WC,P,F
Choose from a variety of activities at this bracing seafront facility famous as the venue for fireworks displays. The seasonal attractions here are putting, tennis and bowls plus a safe playground.
Opening Hours: Seapark and play area open all year. Sports open Easter-Sept. Charge for activities.
Holywood's main parkland and recreational area has a variety of activities including tennis courts, bowling green, putting green and a children's safe playground.
The area is right on the seafront and has panoramic views overlooking Belfast Lough. This is also the starting point of the North Down Coastal Path which runs for 16 miles from Holywood to Portavoe. An annual Halloween Fireworks displays and other special events are staged here.
Strickland’s Glen
Tel: 028 9127 0069
Glen Road off Bryansburn Road Roundabout, 1 mile west of central Bangor.
Bangor
Facilities: P,F
Stricklands Glen in the residential area of Bangor West is an enchanting wooded glen which follows the Bryansburn, a bubbling stream which runs from Connor Park into Smelt Mill Bay.
You can ramble amid the shaded tree lined pathways which take you along a series of small waterfalls and ponds eventually Belfast Lough.
Opening Hours: Accessible at all times. Upper pond area only is accessible to wheelchairs.
Opening Hours: accessible at all times and car parking is available