Strangford Strolls

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Last Day of Summer?

Bank Holiday Mondays are usually spent nursing hangovers or staring at the pissing rain. Today was different - superb blue skies, roasting sunshine and everyone up early enough to get amongst it. With our new National Trust membership in the bag, we got out of the house and on the road to Killinchy for lunch at Daft Eddies.

Situated on an island in the Lough alongside the ruins of Sketterick Castle, it is always fairly good but on a sunny day really comes into its own. We got a table outside and began with oysters. As usual I stuttered on my first but it was really good. Leanne wasn't so impressed but Shannon seemed a convert. Angela threw hers down coupled with a shot of Bloody Mary. That's the way...

Afterwards, we tootled around the headland to the moored Lightship Petrel at Ballydorn. Built during WWI, it was originally used off the Dublin coast but after it went out of service in 1968 it was bought by the Down Cruising Club who have restored it and now use it as a club house.

Moving on we breifly stopped at Killyleagh Castle before arriving at Castle Ward. It's a superb building in a great location. The inside mixes renovation (The Boudoir) and the novelty (The Pugilists) with sumptuous magnificence. One of the most exepnsive houses of its day, one can't feel we'll never see a modern equivalent.

An ice-cream pitstop energised us to walk on to Temple Water, the largest ornamental pond of the period in Ireland. On this glorious day it was perfect. Dragonflies and swans completed the scene and the wild blackberries were just ripe enough to get picked. The views towards Scrabo were magnificent although the poor fella that decided to push a pram up the windier path to the Gardener's House mightn't have thanked you for it.

As we passed towards the Green Row cottages we only then realised the gate was locked. Leanne set about getting over it enthusiastically but Angela's cagier side came into play. What if we got caught? With a bit of goading we got her over the gate - oh the devilment... This brought us to the loughside and the ruins of Audley's Castle which occupied the land long before the Wards. Proceeding back up via the old house (with the unique William Ward clock face) we soon clambered back into the Mini to head home.

Rather than go straight back the way we came, we took the ferry from Strangford to Portaferry. It's a fun 10 minutes and a great way to see the strength of the 'strong fjord'. From here on it was all about getting home and the drive was lovely with the sun descending over the lough sparkling on the waves.

Good times.

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