Holiday Homes at Ballyhalbert Holiday Park, Northern Ireland

Cloughey is situated on the East coast of Ards Peninsula. It’s only a 30-minute drive from Belfast yet a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The peninsula is full of quiet villages, unspoilt abbeys, historic castles and welcoming locals.

With everything from stately homes to long coastal walks sometimes the best thing to do when you’re planning your trip to Cloughey is to block off a day with no plans and see where your feet take you.

Between Cloughey and Kearney lies the picturesque and historic Slann’s Graveyard. An ideal rest point for a day’s walking, there is evidence of human occupation at the site that dates back to the first millennium AD.

The graveyard sits within a former ring fort and offers exquisite panoramic views of the Irish sea and Cloughey beach (which is only a mile away). In the centre of the graveyard is the ruins of a medieval church, believed to be the Church of Ardmacossce or Ardmacaisse. This church was mentioned in Pope Nicholas’s 1306 taxation. A nice footnote in history and a must see for any archaeology buffs.

Not actually a mountain, Mount Stewart is a stately home on the Western side of Ards Peninsula, North West of Cloughey. Voted one of the top ten best gardens in the world, the neoclassical home is a must see for any horticulturist or architecture lover.

You can take a turn around one of Mount Stewart’s many distinct gardens (With a tour from one of the houses very knowledgeable tour guides) or learn the story of the house’s original owner, Edith Lady Londonderry.

Licensed in 2013, Echlinville Distillery became Ireland’s first distillery to gain a license in 125 years. Their mission is simple, to create the finest whiskey conceivable. They do this by refusing to compromise at any stage of the distilling process. Their whiskey is available to purchase at the distillery and they run regular tours that let people see the fascinating workings of an active distillery.