THE BEST OF THE NORTH:IT'S JUST UP the road and yet, for many of us, it's another world. We've rounded up 10 of Northern Ireland's best-kept secrets, any one of which will make it worth the trip.
1 Watertop Farm
Patsy and Terry McBride, or “brothers in farms”, as they call themselves, pioneered the open farm concept in Ireland when they opened their working sheep farm to the public in 1986.
And they’ve gone on innovating. Rather than the by-now familiar petting zoo style of open farm, they have introduced a range of family-friendly activities to Watertop Farm, which is located six miles from Ballycastle in the scenic Glens of Antrim. Adventure activities include horse riding, boat rowing, pedal-powered go-karts, 4x4 excursions and a low-ropes assault course. There’s a museum of farm implements, and campers and caravanners are welcome, with tenting prices starting at £5 a night per person.
[ watertopfarm.co.ukOpens in new window ]
2 Glenarm Estate
Northern Ireland has numerous estate houses that are open to the public, many of them either owned or managed by the UK’s National Trust.
Glenarm Castle, by contrast, is first and foremost a family home. Indeed, it has been the family home of the Earls of Antrim for 400 years.
The house itself is only open on occasional dates throughout the year for guided tours. The real star, however, and worth a visit in its own right, is its glorious walled garden which is open to visitors from April to September.
Originally the castle’s kitchen garden, it is now famous for its “hot border” summer display of bright red, pink and orange herbaceous plants.
There’s an old fashioned tea room – housed in the former mushroom house – and when you’re finished continue your perambulations to Glenarm Forest, originally part of the demesne and open to the public.
If you’re here around July 13th, don’t miss the Highland Games.
[ glenarmcastle.comOpens in new window ]
3 Orchard Acre Farm
For a camping trip with a difference, check out Orchard Acre Farm, in the beautiful Fermanagh Lakelands district near Irvinestown.
For a start, you’re staying in an Indian-style teepee tent. What’s more, there’s only you.
Owner Teresa O’Hare caters for just one guest family at a time, allowing visiting children plenty of opportunity to help feed the chickens, pigs and sheep on the family’s small holding.
Bookings are available for weekends at about £240, including breakfast delivered to your tent flap. For a little extra O’Hare can make up a special value-added activity package, including a half-day’s fun canoeing on Lough Erne.
facebook.com/Orchard.Acre.Farm
4 Artisan ice creams
Forget Italy. When it comes to artisan ice creams, Northern Ireland is the place to go. There are a number of top-class producers here, including Tickety-Moo in Irvinestown which prides itself on keeping its cows happy.
Visitors are welcome to go see cows that are milked on a voluntary basis, groom themselves on specially installed brushes and lie down on proper mattresses.
You can also see cows at Braemar Farm Ice Cream, a family business based in the hills of the Castlerock countryside on the north coast.
The farm has a little viewing gallery where you can watch at milking time but look out too for the Braemar Farm trailer which the family takes to the beach at Castlerock on sunny days.
[ tickety-moo.comOpens in new window ]
5 Tollymore Forest Park
Right beside the seaside Mecca of Newcastle is the much more tranquil scene of Tollymore Forest Park.
Covering an area of almost 630 hectares at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, its highest points offer panoramic views out over the surrounding countryside and down to the sea.
Tollymore is famous for its garden follies, including an 18th-century barn disguised as a church. But it also has way-marked long distance trails and beautiful short walks along the Shimna River with wonderful features, both natural and artificial, including rocky outcrops, bridges, grottos and caves.
There are experimental forest plots too, with monkey puzzle and eucalyptus, giant redwoods and Monterey pines. It also has a slow-growing spruce which dates to 1750 and is reckoned to be the oldest tree in any arboretum in Ireland. And it’s right next door to an outdoor adventure centre, so the kids are happy too.
nidirect.gov.uk/forests; tollymore.com
6 Seaforde Butterfly Farm
For an even more exotic afternoon, check out Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House, on the Seaforde demesne in Co Down.
If the sun is shining it makes for a beautiful day out, and even if it isn’t, the tropical butterfly house is always steamy and warm. It is home to hundreds of free-flying exotic butterflies, as well as parrots and reptiles.
Outside there’s an 18th-century walled garden, a mind-bending maze and a tower from which you can survey it all.
[ seafordegardens.comOpens in new window ]
7 Castle Espie
A twitcher’s paradise, Castle Espie is situated on the shores of Strangford Lough, near Comber, Co Down, a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).
Later in the year it will play host to 30,000 Brent geese, arriving from their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada almost 3,000 miles away. It’s a mammoth journey which takes them via Iceland and Greenland and, when all are present and correct, it’s a sight not to be missed.
All through the summer, too, the place teems with bird life and is well worth a visit, being home to the country’s largest collection of ducks, geese and swans.
Visitor facilities include bird hides and viewing points, waterfowl gardens and woodland walks. There’s a nature centre, art gallery, shop and cafe. Check the website before you go as there are all sorts of events and exhibitions at the visitor centre.
[ wwt.org.uk/visit-us/castle-espieOpens in new window ]
8 Mac Theatre
The Metropolitan Arts Centre, the Mac, has been creating a huge buzz since it opened in the city’s Cathedral Quarter as part of the Titanic commemoration events in April.
The centre is intent on bringing the best of local and international talent under one roof, be it music, theatre, dance and art. The venue has two theatres, art galleries, a cafe and bar.
Even if you are not heading to a show, it’s worth visiting the foyer alone to see The Permanent Present, Mark Garry’s art installation consisting of 400 rainbow-coloured metal rods.
[ themaclive.comOpens in new window ]
9 W5
The Titanic Exhibition Centre is garnering all the headlines this year but, for some people, the real star of the city’s Titanic Quarter is W5, in the Odyssey Arena.
An award-winning science exhibition centre, (its name stands for who, what, when, where and why) gives children terrific demonstrations of the powers of science.
W5 has more than 250 interactive exhibits including special age-appropriate ones for under-fives and under-eights, which run from designing a butterfly or bringing robots to life to racing your own Knex car.
Your entry ticket also covers you for the programme of live science demonstrations it runs throughout the day.
[ w5online.co.ukOpens in new window ]
10 Ulster American Folk Park
The Ulster American Folk Park, just outside Omagh, is a fantastic open-air museum with beautifully restored buildings and recreated houses providing a terrific view of 18th- and 19th-century Irish life.
Staffed by costumed workers who provide lessons in everything from bread and scone making to arts and crafts, as with all the best family day trips it’s both entertaining and educational.
Even just getting out on its windy country roads, knowing you’re not going to be hit by a car, is a joy. Just give yourself plenty of time and wear comfortable shoes – it’s huge.
