Glassdrumman Lodge is the ideal holiday location no matter what your interests are.

Situated 8 miles south of Newcastle, the Lodge is perfectly located for those who wish to play the world famous Royal County Down Golf Course - a favourite of Tiger Woods.

Apart from Royal County Down the following courses are nearby.

The Halls specialise in soothing, sympathising and encouraging weary golfers to get back out there and give it another shot. Come to Glasdrumman Lodge and meet golfers from all the best clubs worldwide.

Horse riding and pony trekking can be arranged nearby and other pastimes obviously include walking in the mountains or on the beaches. The Silent Valley is four miles away and the Castlewellan and Tollymore Forest Parks are but twenty minutes drive.

There is also a well stocked trout Lough at the bottom of the garden and fresh or sea fishing nearby. Deep sea fishing can be arranged.

Bicycle hire is available and the Lodge is the ideal starting point for cycling in the Mournes or the coastal road.

Come and walk.

There are walks that are gentle, and walks that are strenuous, in areas unparalleled for scenery and solitude. Our Rangerover and driver will be available to take you each day to the beginning of a new walk and collect you at the end. Walk for an hour or walk for a day; leave it to us and you will have a memorable experience in the Mountains of Mourne and awe inspiring forests.The Mountains of Mourne contain 12 peaks over two thousand feet tall and include Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland's highest mountain.
Uniquely for a mountain range, most of the high summits are grouped together in a compact area only seven miles broad. Both the Mournes northern boundary at Newcastle and southern at Rostrevor are distinguished by steep slopes which dominate the coast; in turn isolating a flat coastal plain _ the Kingdom of Moume, which lies between the hills and the sea. The main mountain area remains uninhabited and without roads, and reserves a quality of unspoiled wilderness. Miles of winding paths, many of them old quarry tracks, lead high through the hills making it possible to discover and enjoy their spectacular scenery.

We have many recommended walks in the Mournes, ranging from an easy 2 hour walk, to a strenuous 5 hour walk. They have been selected to reflect the greatest variety of mountain scenery which the Mournes have to offer. Many follow sections of the Mourne Wall or link with the Brandy pad. The Mourne Wall was built between 1904 and 1922 to provide local employment, it is an eight foot high, three foot wide and twenty two mile long wall, connecting 15 mountain peaks. The Brandy Pad is theroute whereby smuggled goods from the coast, such as brandy, wine, tobacco, tea, silk, soap, leather, spices and coffee were transported to Hilltown for distribution.

The Silent Valley.
A huge reservoir built in the early 1990's to gather waters from a mountain catchment extending over most of the high Mournes to supply water to the city of Belfast. Two dams are ringed by dramatic mountain panoramas, whilst the reservoir grounds contain parkland, lakes and ponds which supply tranquil walking terrain.

Tollymore Forest Park
There are two beautiful forest parks; Castlewellan and Tollymore. The second is our favourite. It covers an area of almost 500 hectares at the foot of the Mournes, with panoramic views of the mountains and the sea at nearby Newcastle, while within its own boundaries are many splendid vistas of woodland and river. There are many walks, again varying in time and degree. You may walk though the forest, go down by the rushing Shimna river, or visit the Arboretum containing many rare species.

Murlough National Nature Reserve has a beautiful setting on the coast below the Mourne Mountains. It is a 5,000 year old sand dune system with heathland and woodland surrounded by estuary and sea. The different habitats within the reserve are rich in insects and other animals, a wide variety of plants including delicate flowers such as the pyramidal orchid and dune burnet rose, and rare and colourful butterflies. The sea attracts nesting red bunting, stonechat and white throat, while many other species of birds; waders, ducks, swans etc. visit the estuary. The rich variety to be seen here changes with the seasons but there is always something of interest.

Come and sightsee
Hardly 85 miles from top to bottom, and only a little wider, but explore these blue mountains, forest parks and island studded lakes and you will soon discover Northern Ireland is a country that is just pretending to be small.

Come and sightsee in Down

Rowallane Gardens, Saintfield, Ballynahinch.
52 acres of natural garden containing plants from many parts of the world, daffodils and rhododendrons in spring reach their peak around the end of May to early June; summer flowering trees and shrubs continue the display. In the Wall Garden herbaceous plants, fuchsias and shrub roses will flower until autumn frost. The Rock Garden with primula, meconopsis, heathers and dwarf shrubs is interesting throughout the year and in late autumn and early winter many interesting birds are to be seen feeding in the grounds.

Castleward, Strangford
A 700 acre country estate with woodland, lake and seashore. The eighteenth century house is an architectural wonder; with facades in different styles, the west front Classical to suit the first Viscount; and the east front Gothic to suit Lady Bangor's taste. The division of styles is carried throughout the house, which is filled with furniture, decorative arts and personal objects giving the impression that the family still lives there. The stable yard recalls life below stairs in the Victorian era. The laundry is packed with equipment and garments of the period and in the pastimes centre everyone can dress in replica costumes and play with Victorian dolls and games. The farmyard with mills and slaughterhouse continues the story of the Victorian estate.

Walks though the estate pass the shores of Strangford Lough. There are formal and landscaped gardens with fine shrubs and specimen trees, fortified tower house, corn and sawmills. Many species of indigenous birds can be studied in the walled garden. In June an opera takes place each year, with a picnic in the grounds in the style of Glynebourne.

Mount Stewart, Newtownards
On the east shore of Strangford Lough a fascinating eighteenth century house with nineteenth century addition, the home of the Lord Castlereagh. Mount Stewart boasts one of the greatest gardens in Ireland. In fact a gardener from the White House visited Mount Stewart whilst staying at Glassdrumman Lodge and he considered them to be the finest gardens he had ever seen in the world. They were created by the wife of the seventh Marquis of Londonderry, with an unrivalled collection of rare and unusual plants, colourful parterres and magnificent formal and informal vistas. The Temple of the Winds, James 'Athenian' Stuart's banqueting hall of 1785, overlooks Strangford Lough.

Strangford Lough
The unspoilt natural environment of this beautiful area on the east coast of County Down is especially striking. The 18 mile long fjord of Strangford Lough is virtually an inland sea of international importance as a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. Studded with islands and surrounded by gently rolling drumlins, the Lough has for centuries provided a unique range of habitats. From the fast flowing currents of the narrows at the mouth of the Lough to the mudflats under Scrabo Tower, a rich variety of marine animals has been found. The Lough is the most important site for common seals in Ireland. Flocks of wildfowl and waders visit the Lough in winter and islands provide safe nesting for about one third of all Ireland's terns in summer. The story of Strangford Lough is told in an interpretation centre at the Strangford Lough Barn in Castle Ward.

Strangford Village is the departure point for the car ferry to equally picturesque Portaferry, which has a stone tower house and two fine waterside castles.

Downpatrick encapsulates more history; the Downe Hunt Club (the oldest in the British Isles); the 173 Southwell Charity Almshouses and Bluecoat School; the hilltop 13th/19th century Cathedral where St Patrick lies beneath a simple boulder reading 'Padric' and Denvir's Hotel with its debtor's sanctuary no longer a legal defence after a tricky day at the white fenced hilly racecourse. Also well worth a visit is the country jail where they hanged Thomas Russell, hero of the 1798 rebellion. It is now the county museum with restored cells. Spend the day, visit the Quoile riverbanks, Inch Abbey and Struel Wells all on the outskirts of Downpatrick.

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra
Situated at Cultra just seven miles east of Belfast this famous open air museum covers 176 acres of park and woodlands overlooking Belfast Lough. Buildings, which range from the humblest of cottiers' houses, to complete churches, schools, mills, shops and tiny terraces, have all been carefully deconstructed then re-erected in an open air landscape.

The dedication, skill and commitment required to complete this operation so faithfully and with such precision is awe inspiring. Yet today the museum is still growing, developing into an area which will take one all day to fully appreciate and will certainly convince the tourist they are in an environment where time stood still long ago. Exhibits include a bank, print shop, spade mill, forge and a coal yard. In the fields the land is farmed by traditional methods and there are horse drawn carriage rides and demonstrations of traditional crafts and amusements.

The transport section displays pony traps, sailing schooners, early bicycles and Ulster built early motor cars. There is also a display reflecting 200 years of Irish transport, including street trams and Old Maeve, the largest steam locomotive ever built in Ireland.

Come and sightsee in Armagh

The Orchard County
Armagh is a beautiful, highly cultivated land rich in history, heritage and rural scenery. Here you will find Navan, one of Europe's most important archaeological sites, agreed to be the oldest town in Ireland. Armagh's two cathedrals look out from their separate hills across the apple blossom filled vale. The Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Patrick is the 18th church built there since St Patrick's first. St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral on the opposite hill has distinctive twin spires.

The Argory, Armagh
Set in 315 acres of wooded countryside, overlooking the River Blackwater, this house dates from 1824 but has remained, for the most part, unchanged since the turn of the century. Fascinating furniture and interesting contents include an 1824 organ; the imposing stableyard including a coach house, harness room and laundry. There is a charming sundial garden with extensive walks.

Armagh Ancestry
Ireland was at one time rich in its sources to trace Irish Ancestry, but in 1922 a fire in the Four Courts, Dublin, destroyed much of the documentation for people worldwide to legitimately claim Irish Ancestry. Over the next few years Armagh Ancestry will be providing a pathway across the Four Courts fire. The Centre will establish a comprehensive genealogical database containing those sources now considered the most useful in establishing a family tree.

Armagh County Museum
All brass bound wood and glass. One of Ireland's finest small museums.

The Palace Stables Heritage Centre is a picturesque Georgian building which encloses a cobbled courtyard set in the undulating parkland of the Palace Demesne. The building has been lovingly restored.
and now the visitor can experience stable life in the 18th century

The Planetarium, in the grounds of the observatory has star shows and NASA equipment plus mock ups of spacecraft, as well as early astronomical equipment.

and close by …

Tyrone Crystal, Dungannon
See the blowing and cutting stages of fine glass manufacture. Each piece passes through a minimum of 25 pairs of skilled hands. There are over 700 different pieces to choose from; stemware, bowls, vases, decanters or a unique piece created and engraved for a special occasion. It is the only Irish crystal, to have both of the major quality marks.
Come and sightsee in Antrim

Travel the Antrim Coast and visit the Giant's Causeway

To the north of Antrim lie the beautiful Glens of Antrim. Each of these nine valleys has a character of its own, they form a lovely romantic realm of rivers, woodlands, waterfalls and wild flowers. Glenariff, the best known has glorious waterfalls and broadleaved woodland.

Known as one of the seven wonders of the world the Giant's Causeway is famous for its unusual rock structures; about 40,000 amazingly precise columns of dark basalt to which lichens and other vegetation add various colours. It is the result of even cooling of lava 55 million years ago - or it was a causeway to Scotland built-by the Irish giant Finn McCool! The wreck site of the Spanish Armada treasure ship 'Gironda' (1588) is found just east of the Causeway at Port-na-Spaniagh. Gold and silver treasure recovered after 400 years under the sea, is on display in the Ulster Museum.

Larrybane and Carrick.a.Rede
Limestone headland and former basalt quarry, with coastal walks leading to Carrick-a-Rede, the swinging rope bridge which is put up each spring by salmon fishermen. It swings 80ft above the sea across a perilous 60ft wide chasm to a small rocky island and access to the summer salmon which run the coast, some ending in the great fixed nets below the rock island.

Other places of interest are the world" s oldest licensed distillery at Bushmills, a picturesque headland ruin: Dunluce Castle and the celebrated Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Come and sightsee in Belfast

The city of Belfast sits in a saucer of green hills astride the mouth of the River Lagan. Look along any of its streets and on three sides green hills or heathered mountains dominate. On the fourth you look seaward towards Belfast Lough past 'Samson' and 'Goliath' the great cranes of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, where the ill, fated Titanic was built. There is currently much speculation regarding Harland and Wolff' s bid to build "Titanic 2", and exact replica of the notorious mighty 'floating palace'. The idea has been conceived by a Japanese consortium wanting to build an unusual holiday complex. Macabre it may seem, however fascination with the Titianic is still immense. She is reputed to have been the greatest liner the world has ever seen. Harland and Wolff built the first liner for less than £2 million. The Japanese are willing to spend £ 100 million on the replica.

Historic Interest
Knockbreda Parish Church (1737) is the city's oldest, but the first Presbyterian Church in Rosemary Street (1783) is not much younger. St. Malachy's in Alfred Street has a superb vaulted ceiling. St Ann's Anglican Cathedral on the edge of the City's "Fleet Street" area is 20th Century.

Belfast City Hall
The centre piece of Belfast City, the City Hall was completed in 1906 and has since been the scene of many of the proviences most signifigant moments in history.

Crown Liquor Saloon Great Victoria Street, Belfast
A magnificent high Victorian public house built at the end of the nineteenth century, providing a warm and welcoming blend of mahogany snugs, old mirrors and original gas lighting. The Crown is both ageless and priceless, a gem of Victoriana, and without doubt one of the great bars of the world. The Crown Liquor Saloon was perhaps the greatest of Victorian gin palaces which once flourished in the industrial cities of Britain. Today wonderfully preserved by the National Trust, the Crown is cherished and still well used by the people of Belfast.

Robinson's
Next door to the Crown, rebuilt in 1993, Robinson's offers a complex of restaurants and bars. Robinson's Saloon bar itself is a revival of the 1857 railway hotel's original. Fibber Magee's a fine spirit grocer with its traditional bar food. The Spot is a live band venue, whilst right down in the basement stands Rock Bottom, a bikers' and juke box bar.

Perhaps less well known, are the more traditionally Irish pubs situated adjacent to Belfast docks. The Rotterdam is gaining a good reputation for Irish music, session style, by the city's younger generation of folk musicians. Pat's bar however is still a well kept secret. Not a 'plushy bar' Pat's has little coal burning fires, an undulating foot worn stone floor, wooden benches and nooks and cranies. Whoever you are, the welcome is genuine and so is the stout. If you speak a little Irish, brush up on it. You'll find this is the 'native tongue' in this rare little bar which is one of a kind.

The Grand Opera House
When architect Robert McKinstry went into Belfast's Grand Opera House in 1975, an unturned chair floated in the orchestra pit, in the bar three years dust topped the liquid in the half finished glasses, the house manager's black jacket hung on the back of his office door and in the projection room lay a pamphlet 'How to Emigrate'. In 1980 the refurbished Opera House reopened with a pantomime; Cinderella. Cinders from the Ashes symbolising the rebirth of the City's night life.

The Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens
The province's best known, best loved and complete museum, in the grounds of the Botanic Gardens. (Complimented by the Armagh Museum and Down Museum) .

Located in the university quarter, the Ulster Museum is one of the finest in Europe boast many award winning exhibits. Artefacts range from Egyptian mummys to dinosaurs to modern art.

Botanic Gardens also provides access to the many departments of "The Queens University of Belfast". The University's facade and the famous old "Arts Library".

Downpatrick Race Course has the deserved reputation of being the friendliest in Ireland. Horse racing has taken place on this course for over 300 years. In March 2000 a new covered grandstand and associated facilities were opened, catering for over 2500 people. The course has Tote and betting facilities, bar, food, seating, tables. There are magnificent views of the Mourne Mountains and surrounding Drumlin (rounded hill) countryside from the new grandstand. The course is the first in Ireland to have all its races sponsored. Downpatrick is home of the Powers Ulster National.

There are eight meetings held throughout the year. Please contact the Club for times of meetings.
DOWNPATRICK RACE COURSE,71 Ballydugan Road, Downpatrick, Co Down
Tel: +44 (0)28 4461 2054