Local Attractions and Activities

Angling

Located in the beautiful drumlin countryside of County Down, the Banbridge District with its rivers and many lakes is a veritable angler's paradise. The area offers some of the best angling resources the Province has to offer. The region is bisected by the Upper River Bann, one of the most famous fishing waters in Northern Ireland. With rich fishing grounds offering all species of fish, including Pike, Rudd, Perch, Bream, Roache, Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout, anglers who fish in these waters are guaranteed a good catch. The main fishing grounds in the District include:

• Acton Lake
• Corbet Lough
• Kernan Lough
• Loughbrickland Lake
• Mill Lodge Carp Fishery
• River Bann
• River Lagan

Where to Fish in Banbridge Districk

The District of Banbridge, in the beautiful County Down Drumlin landscape, is bordered to the west by the Newry Canal and to the east by the tranquil Dromara Hills. In the north lies the growing Cathedral town of Dromore and the River Lagan with the magnificent Mourne Mountains stretching out in the south.

The region is bisected by one of the most famous of Northern Ireland fishing waters - the Upper River Bann - a waterway which provides rich fishing grounds for the prospective angler. In tact the entire region with its rivers and numerous lakes contains some of the best angling resources the province has to offer.

Sparsely populated, there is little chance of overcrowding, thereby increasing the chance of making a good catch of the many varied species of fish including pike, rudd, perch, bream, roache, rainbow trout and brown trout.

Coarse Angling Waters (Free Fishing)

• Newry Canal (Roache, Bream, Rudd, Pike)

• Lough Shark (Perch, Pike, Rudd, Bream)

• Drummiller [ough (Perch, Pike, Rudd)

• Drumaran Lake (Perch, Pike)

• Drumnavaddy Lake (Pike)

• Ballyroney Lake (Perch, Pike)

• Begny Lake (Pike)

• Hunshigo Lake (Perch, Pike)

• Ballyward Lake (Perch, Pike)

• Ballymagreehan Lough (Perch, Pike)

A Fisheries Conservancy Board (FCB) Coarse Fishing Licence is required for the Coarse Fisheries. Permission must be sought from the landowners who reserve the right to deny access at any time.

Game Angling Waters

• Upper River Bann (15 miles) from Rathfriland to Moyallen (Brown Trout and Coarse Fish also late Salmon). Controlled by Rathfriland Angling Club upstream from Katesbridge, by Banbridge Angling Club from Katesbridge to Lenaderg, and by Gilford Angling Club from Lenaderg to Moyallen. Licences and permits required.

•   River Lagan (5 miles) from Dromara through Dromore (Brown Trout and Coarse Fish). Licence and permit required.

• Corbet Laugh (Rainbow Trout). Controlled by Banbridge Angling Club. Licence and permit required.

• Loughbrickland Lake (Brown and Rainbow Trout). Department of Agriculture. Licence and permit required.

• Kernan Lake (near Gilford) (Rainbow and Brown Trout). Controlled by Gilford Angling Club. Licence and permit required.

• Altnadua Laugh (Rainbow Trout). Controlled by Shimna Angling Club. Licence and permit required.

•   Clifdon Cottage Fisheries (Private Fishery)
  Thatched Cottage, Scarva Road, Gilford. Tel: (01762) 831827.
  Open 9am — Sunset (7 days a week, all year)

•   Drumlough Lake (Rainbow Trout)

Note:   Club rules must be strictly adhered to at all times.

 

Cycling

Cycling enthusiasts can choose from one of several cycling routes in various parts of the Banbridge District. These routes not only take in breath-taking views of the  District's captivating landscape but also offering many points of interest along the way. They include:

• Legananny
• Newcastle
• Newry Canal
• Slieve Croob

Dining Out

If you are planning to dine out in the Banbridge District, you are guaranteed to find a beautiful bistro or an award-winning restaurant to suit your pocket and your palate. Banbridge District has an abundance of high quality food establishments specialising in all types of gastronomic delights. The opening and serving times vary by venue. It is advisable to check these times in advance particularly for restaurants.

Licensed Restaurants and Bars

Anglers Rest	42 Aughnacloy Road, Katesbridge, Co. Down BT32 5QG T: 028 4067 1515
Bannville House Hotel	174 Lurgan Road, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 4NR T: 028 4062 8884 W: bannvillehouse.co.uk
Belmont Hotel	Rathfriland Road, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 3LH T: 028 4066 2517 W: www.the-belmont-hotel.com
Bronte Steakhouse	71 Ballynafoy Road, Ballinaskeagh, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 5DN T: 028 4065 1338
Café Coco	69 Newry Street, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 3EA T: 028 4062 2244
Coach Inn	19-21 Church Square, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 4AP T: 028 4062 9774 or 4066 2195 W: www.coachniteclub.com
Dawson’s Creek	2-4 Mill Street, Gilford BT63 6HQ T: 028 3883 0717
Downshire Arms Hotel	Newry Street, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 3EF T: 028 4066 2638 W: www.downshirearmshotel.com
Halfway House	80 Halfway Road, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 4HB T: 028 9269 2351 W: www.halfwayhouse.co.uk
Halls Mill Inn	Banbridge Road, Laurencetown, Co. Down T: 028 4062 5565
Harry’s Bar	7 Dromore Street, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 4BS T: 028 4066 2794
Mill Street Restaurant	14 Mill Street, Gilford BT63 6HQ T: 028 3883 1166 W: www.millst.co.uk
Pot Belly Restaurant	59a Banbridge Road, Tullylish, Gilford BT63 6DL T: 028 3883 1404
Violet	43 Newry Street, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 3EF T: 028 4066 2446
Seven Stars	4 Main Street, Loughbrickland, Co. Down BT32 3NQ T: 028 4062 6461
The Old George	Caddells Lane, Rathfriland, Co. Down BT34 5PX T: 028 4063 0836
Wong Lee Restaurant	Scarva Street Shopping Centre, Scarva Street, Co. Down BT32 3AD T: 028 4062 9093 or 4062 7292

Leisure and Sport

If you are searching for a place that offers a wealth of leisure pursuits and sport activities, then you will  find what you are looking for in the Banbridge District. Every sports enthusiast whether your interests lie within the indoor or outdoor arena have a wide range of high quality pitches, playing fields and leisure facilities to choose from. The area also has a wide selection of park, play areas and open spaces for those who like less strenuous exercising or just want to soak up some sun. For cinema goers and theatre lovers, Banbridge's new, state-of-the art Iveagh Movie Studios offers the latest in movie attractions and arts entertainment.

• Cinema/Theatre 
• Leisure Centres
• Parks and Play Areas
• Playing Fields

Havelock Park Fitness Suite
	Situated at the Hocky club off the Banbridge Craigavon Road on the way to the Brannville House Hotel

The fitness suite opens Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday 9:0a.m. to 5:00p.m. Sunday 2:00p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Annual membership  £15.00 Members per Hour £2.00 Visitors per Hour £3.00 *** Special Lunch Time offer 12:00 to 2:00   £1.50  ***

 

Golf

Banbridge Golf Club offers you the opportunity to have an enjoyable day's golf as a visitor with a warm welcome guaranteed. It's excellent facilities include a challenging 18 hole course, well stocked pro shop, superb clubhouse, restaurant

116 Huntly Road,
Banbridge
Co Down BT32 3UR
Tel: +44(0)18206 62211

St. Patrick - Brontë Homeland

You can easily follow the story of Patrick Brontë and his family through the buildings that survive within the Brontë Homeland. The Brontë Homeland Drive starts at Drumballyroney Church and School near Rathfriland, ten miles south of Banbridge. It is well signposted along the 10-mile route.

Drumballyroney Church and School (Church Hill Road) 
The church were Patrick first preached and the school house where he taught have been restored and now include displays about the Brontë family.

Brontë Homeland Picnic Site, Knockiveagh (Lisnacroppan Road)
The picnic site at Knockiveagh is an ideal place to stop and see the rolling hills where Patrick Brontë grew up with the Mountains of Mourne in the background. The picnic area occupies the ruins of a former shebeen - an illicit drinking house.

Alice McClory's Cottage (Brontë Road) 
The cottage was the childhood home of Patrick's mother, Alice McClory. Alice and Hugh used to court secretly and some say they eloped to their wedding in Magherally Church, near Banbridge.

The Birthplace Cottage (Brontë Road)
Little now remains of the family's two-roomed cottage in the fairy glen at Emdale. The remains have been in the care of the Brontë Homeland Trust since 1956.

Glascar School (Glascar Road)
Patrick taught here in the 1790's, although the original schoolhouse was replaced by a more modern building in 1844. He is said to have used enlightened teaching methods to bring out the best in his pupils. He was later dismissed for forming a romantic attachment with one of them.

Opening Times
The Brontë Interpretive Centre is open from Friday until Sunday including Bank Holidays between 12 noon and 4.30pm from 17 March until late September. It is also open by appointment at other times.

Location
Church Hill Road, Drumballyroney, Rathfriland, Co. Down BT32 5LX
Telephone:  028 4062 3322

Dromore Mound

Dromore Mound or Dromore Motte and Bailey as it is commonly known is probably Dromore’s most recognisable feature. It was built by Sir John de Courcy after the Norman Conquest in the 13th Century. The bailey or lower courtyard was said to have been protected by palisading and the mound itself was an archery tower, which gave good vision and a reasonable field of fire.  The height and well-defined slopes provide unsurpassed views of the town and the upper Lagan Valley.

Fergusons Irish Linen Centre

A visit to Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen offers visitors a rare opportunity to see Irish linen at its various stages of production. These include design, weaving, specialist cutting and hemming and ornamenting. The Ferguson Irish Linen Centre tells the story of linen production through interpretative material. Visitors can purchase products from the Centre's fabulous linen collections. The Linen Centre is open to the public during the times specified below and no appointment is necessary. The Linen Centre is open as follows:


Opening Times

Monday-Thursday	9am - 4.30pm
Friday	9am - noon

Factory Tours
Tours of the factory are available by appointment only for groups of at least six people. The tour costs £3.75 per person and £2.00 per person (for groups of more than ten people). You are required to give at least 3 days notice if you would like to book a tour. The tour lasts for about 45 minutes and is not suitable for children under 7 years.

Contact:
Fergusons Irish Linen Centre
54 Scarva Road, Banbridge, Co. Down BT32 3QD
T: 028 4062 3491
F: 028 4062 2453
W: www.fergusonsirishlinen.com

Finnis Souterrain

“A souterrain is an artificially built or dug underground structure. Most common is the dry-stone souterrain, made by digging an open trench building up dry-stone walls within it, roofing them with large lintels, and covering the whole with soil.  Souterrains were also cut or tunnelled into rock or clay...” (DoE (1987) Historic Monuments of NI;HMSO)

Finnis Souterrain, locally known as ‘Binder’s Cove,’ is a hidden gem for the intrepid heritage enthusiast. It is located off the Carrigagh Road towards its junction with the Slievenaboley Road, approximately 2 miles north west of Legananny Dolmen, and approximately 2.5 miles south of Finnis/Massford. The souterrain is a scheduled ancient monument on private land but was opened to the public under an agreement between the landowner and Banbridge District Council in 2003. It is a securely built underground structure of dry stone construction made up of three passages located in a shallow depression 120m across a field. The main passage runs for approx. 29 m/95 ft and two shorter side passages run off this to the northeast. This souterrain is thought to date from around the 9th century AD and was probably used as a hiding place, and possibly for storage. Solar powered lighting has been provided in the souterrain, parking and interpretation are also provided. 

Advice: There are three pedestrian gates along the fenced access path and wooden steps down to the entrance. This is a narrow, confined, underground structure which requires bending and stooping to enter. A low level of solar lighting is provided but it advisable to bring a torch as well. No entry charge.

The souterrain is normally open at all times but floods for most of the winter months making much of the structure inaccessible.

Combine with a visit to nearby Legananny Dolmen and a tour of the Slieve Croob area.

To get there from Dromara: Take the B7 to Finnis/Massford, about 1 ½ miles south of Dromara. At Finnis take the first road on your left past the chapel, the Carrigagh Road (signed for Legananny Dolmen). Continue on this road until you reach a crossroads, continue straight ahead (continuation of the Carrigagh Road). Ignore the sign for Legananny Dolmen. About 400 yards further on you see a small lay-by on the left with a wooden sign marking the souterrain.  To visit nearby Legananny Dolmen retrace your route along Carrigagh Road, and follow the road signs, taking a right into Legananny Road and continue until you reach the junction with Dolmen Road, turn left into Dolmen Road and park at the lay-by provided.

Legananny Dolmen

Situated on the slopes of Slieve Croob near the village of Leitrim, you can find one of Ireland's most frequently illustrated and photographed dolmens. This megalithic monument rests nestled between a farmer's stone wall and a small back road.

Dating from the megalithic period, it is the portal grave of a chieftain. The heavy stones would have been dragged some distance before being set in place. The three supporting stones are unusually long and there are slight traces of a cairn which must have been far more extensive. Court cairns were probably temples of a kind, where farming communities paid respect to departed ancestors and invoked magical help to ensure good harvests.

Legananny Dolmen is situated off the B7 7 miles south of Dromara, signposted from Dromara and Castlewellan. There is no entrance free and visitors are welcome to visit Legananny Dolmen all year round.

Newry Canal Towpath

Newry Canal Towpath, Britain's first summit-level canal, navigates its way through a natural trough in a part of the countryside, which abounds in interesting places and stories guaranteed to fascinate any traveller. Whether it be the important archaeological sites around Scarva, the extensive Linen history of Gilford and Tandragee, the famous and infamous characters who passed this way, the Monastic and commercial importance of Newry or, simply, the superb engineering displayed by the Canal itself, there will be something to amaze and enthral every visitor to the area.

Terryhoogan Lock
With its original lock gates still intact, Terryhoogan is the thirteenth lock on the Canal. Facing Terryhoogan House where John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, is reputed to have stayed in the mid-Eighteenth Century.

Canal Summit Level
This is the point where the lower end of the Canal meets the higher level and the water is raised to level the difference. This feature can be seen at Poyntzpass where the Canal rises to 78 feet above sea level. Newry was the first in the British Isles to construct a summit level. In all, the Canal has 14 locks, 9 of them south of the summit level.

Scarva, Poyntzpass and Jerrettspass
These three small villages grew up around the Newry Canal. Scarva is famous for its "Sham Fight", a re-enactment of the Battle of the Boyne carried out each 13th July to celebrate King William III's victory there in 1690. It takes place beside the very Spanish Chestnut tree in Scarva Demesne that King William is believed to have camped under on his way to the Boyne all those years ago.

Scarva Bridge
The existence of Scarva Town is due to the construction of this bridge. The bridge which stands today was built in 1744, however, it incorporates many parts of the bridge built previously to this date.

Scarva Visitor Centre
Located at the dock on the Canal where vast quantities of coal were unloaded for use in the local Linen industry. The centre helps to explain the building of the Canal, its trade and Scarva's role within this. Linked to this development, the Towpath has been restored from Poyntzpass to the quaintly named Tally-Ho Bridge at Terryhoogan Locks, passing, on the way, Acton Lake.

Newry Canal Restoration Project
The Newry Canal Restoration Project is a major long-term programme involving Newry and Mourne and Banbridge District Councils, Craigavon Borough Council and Armagh City & District Council, all of which are committed to bringing the full Canal back to life without disturbing what is natural and historic along its route. The project is sympathetic to its environment, as will be the activities which occur on the Canal itself.

Newry Canal Towpath holds tremendous potential for such recreational pursuits as:

• Wildlife Observation Sites
• Angling/Course Fishing
• Boat Cruises with access to Lough Neagh
• Guided Tours
• Additional Interpretive Centres
• Canoeing/Rowing
• Pony Trekking
• Cycling/Walking Trails

Walking and nature trails within 20 miles

1. The Newry Canal Towpath: A 20 mile cycling and walking route between Portadown and Newry. Nearest point of access from Loughbrickland is Scarva. The towpath offers all users the opportunity to observe the varied flora and fauna and to discover the historical and archaeological heritage of the area.
       
2. Murlough National Nature Reserve: Fantastic walking country and a haven for bird watchers. A network of paths and board walks enables you to explore this amazing nature reserve. Access all year; Admission charge when facilities open. Email: murlough [at] nationaltrust.org.uk.
3. Castle Espie Wetland Centre: Set on the shores of the stunning Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland where almost the entire population of Light-bellied Brent Geese reside during the winter months.
4. Drumkeeragh Forest, Castlewellan: A range of walking trails varying in length and difficulty. Choose the trail you wish to walk from the map on display in the car park. Admission free.
5. Quoile Countryside Centre, Downpatrick: Wander through lush woodlands and wetlands of this tranquil riverside haven where wildfowl nest among the reeds and riverbanks. Open every day April - August; Saturdays and Sundays only September - March. Email: quoilecc [at] doeni.gov.uk.
6. Tollymore Forest Park: One of Northern Ireland's largest and most attractive forest parks. Admission charge. Open all year. Email: customer.forestservice [at] dardni.gov.uk
7.  Strangford Lough Wildlife Centre: Located within Castle Ward Estate, the Wildlife Centre provides information on the marine,plant life and birdlife of Strangford Lough. Open March 17 - September 30th. Varying hours. Admission charge. Email: strangford [at] nationaltrust.org.uk
8. Hillsborough Forest Park. A comfortable 20 minutes drive brings you to this lovely park with a circular walk (about 1 hour) around the picturesque lake with swans and ducks. Admission free all year. Parking.
9. Slieve Gullion Forest Park: Just off the southern roundabout of the Newry bypass. Open all year; No admission charge. Farm animals.
10. Clare Glen: A park in a winding river valley in County Armagh. Open all year; No admission charge.
11. www.mournelive.com: The Mourne Heritage Trust also runs guided walks.
12. Seasideat Cranfield, Tyrella, Dundrum, Murlough Bay (25 miles)
13. The Lagan Valley Regional Park runs a series of events throughout the year including guided birdwatching, discovery walks treasures hunts, butterfly and mothhawk observations, spider safaris and art in the park.
14. Lough Neagh Discovery Centre Oxford Island

       

Historical and cultural sites

Banbridge is a good base for excursions such as St. Patrick's County, visits to the historic cathedral city of Armagh with its two cathedrals, the prehistoric Navan Fort, the Archbishop's Stables, the County Museum, and the Planetariumetc. Gosford Forest Park and Castle, in County Armagh, are well worth a visit.

You can also venture south to Co. Louth and explore the towns of Dundalk and Drogheda (famously sacked by Cromwell). And the famous prehistoric sites (Newgrange) and monastic sites (Mellifont, Monasterboice) of the Boyne Valley are but a step down the road .