Holiday Cottages In Newry Mourne and Down

Newry, Mourne and Down has around 20 self-catering cottages on selfcatering.co.uk, most of them gathered at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and along the County Down coast. This is walking country, with the Mournes, Strangford Lough and the sea all close by, and 14 of those cottages take dogs while one has a hot tub.

Best areas and towns in Newry, Mourne and Down

This district sweeps from the city of Newry and the Ring of Gullion in the south-west, across the Mourne Mountains, and out to the County Down coast around Downpatrick and Strangford Lough. Most cottages cluster around the Mournes and the coastal villages below them.

• Lisnacree: a small rural settlement near Kilkeel and the southern Mournes, close to the sea
• Annalong: a working fishing village on the Mourne coast, with a little harbour below the mountains
• Greencastle: a quiet spot on the shore of Carlingford Lough, looking across to the hills of County Louth
• Bloody Bridge and Bryansford: starting points for the high Mournes, one on the coast road south of Newcastle, the other by Tollymore
• Dundrum: a coastal village on its bay, below a Norman castle and beside the Murlough dunes
• Downpatrick: the historic County Down town linked with Saint Patrick, inland from Strangford Lough
• Warrenpoint: a Victorian port town on Carlingford Lough with a wide seafront square
• the villages of Meigh and Bessbrook sit near Slieve Gullion and Newry, with Ballyward, Creggan, Maghera and Milltown scattered through the countryside between

Newcastle, just over the district line, is the main resort at the foot of the mountains, while the southern villages line the shore of Carlingford Lough.

The Mourne Mountains and the Down coast

The Mourne Mountains are the great draw here, a compact range of granite peaks that rise straight from the sea, crowned by Slieve Donard, the highest summit in Northern Ireland. The dry-stone Mourne Wall marches over the tops, and the Silent Valley Mountain Park holds the reservoirs in the heart of the range. Below the mountains the forest parks of Tollymore Forest Park and Kilbroney Park run up from the coast, and the dunes and shore of the National Trust's Murlough National Nature Reserve stretch along Murlough Beach at Dundrum Bay. To the south-west, the Ring of Gullion circles the old volcano of Slieve Gullion, and to the north-east the sheltered waters of Strangford Lough open out below Downpatrick. There are no award-flagged beaches in the district, but the strands at Murlough and Tyrella give miles of open sand.

Things to do in Newry, Mourne and Down

Walking and the outdoors come first. Climb or circle the Mourne Mountains, wander the trails of Tollymore Forest Park, or visit the reservoirs at Silent Valley Mountain Park. Families head for Kilbroney Park above Rostrevor, where a path leads up to the huge glacial boulder known as the Cloughmore Stone, and the riverside woods of Slieve Gullion Forest Park circle the mountain on a scenic drive. On the coast, the National Trust's Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fine place for a dune walk, Dundrum Castle keeps watch over its bay, and Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House sits inland near Downpatrick. In Downpatrick itself the St Patrick Centre tells the story of Ireland's patron saint, said to be buried in the town.

When to visit Newry, Mourne and Down

Late spring through early autumn is the prime season for the Mournes, with the longest days for the high walks and the forest parks at their greenest. Summer is busiest around Newcastle and the coast, while September often brings settled, clear weather for the hills. Autumn colours the forest parks at Tollymore and Kilbroney, and winter can be wild on the high tops, so the mountain walks need care and good gear. Out of season the coastal villages are quiet and cottage rates ease.

Dog-friendly and hot-tub cottages in Newry, Mourne and Down

More than 10 of the cottages in Newry Mourne and Down take dogs, and one has a hot tub.

Getting to Newry, Mourne and Down

The district sits in the south-east corner of Northern Ireland, with Newry about forty minutes from Belfast and a similar distance from the border city of Dundalk on the A1 and M1. The coast road from Belfast runs down through Newcastle to the Mournes. Trains on the Belfast to Dublin line call at Newry, and Belfast City Airport is the nearest, with Dublin Airport around an hour to the south. A car is the easiest way to reach the mountain villages and the Strangford shore.

Useful links

• Discover Northern Ireland
• Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
• Murlough National Nature Reserve (National Trust)
• Tourism Northern Ireland

Newry, Mourne and Down is a district in the south-east of Northern Ireland, reaching from the city of Newry and the border with the Republic, across the Mourne Mountains, to the County Down coast and the western shore of Strangford Lough. It takes in some of the finest upland and coastal scenery in the north of Ireland, and is built around the towns of Newry, Downpatrick, Kilkeel, Newcastle and Warrenpoint.

The Mourne Mountains dominate the south of the district, a tight cluster of granite peaks that the poet described as sweeping down to the sea, with Slieve Donard the highest of them all. A long dry-stone wall, the Mourne Wall, runs over the summits, and the range shelters the reservoirs of the Silent Valley that supply much of the region with water. West of Newry the Ring of Gullion encircles the old volcanic cone of Slieve Gullion, while to the north-east the land softens towards the drumlins and inlets around Downpatrick and the bird-rich waters of Strangford Lough. The coast runs from Carlingford Lough in the south to Dundrum Bay, where the dunes of Murlough fringe a wide sandy strand.

The area is rich in history. Downpatrick is closely tied to Saint Patrick, who is said to be buried there, and the landscape is dotted with raths, Norman castles and the harbours of old fishing and trading ports. Granite quarried from the Mournes paved cities across Britain and Ireland. Today the district lives on farming, fishing and tourism, drawing walkers and visitors to its mountains, loughs and shore.