Saturday, June 15, 2013

A Tour through the Ards Peninsula


The Ards Peninsula is situated in the North East corner of Ireland in between the Irish Sea and Strangford Lough. The Peninsula is a microscopic version of the rest of Ireland featuring all the history, landscape and folklore Ireland is renowned for without the hordes of tourists.

This is the land where St Patrick first came ashore on his way to converting the pagans to Christianity and would be later followed by the conquering Normans.


Today the landscape is dotted with colorful villages, fishing ports, cool pubs and beach towns set among a rolling majestic green landscape dotted with sheep, horses and cattle alike


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The mild year round weather lends to a vast agricultural industry and many's a small palm tree graces The Ards topaz blue shoreline. The air has a uniquely clean, fresh Irish scent about it; as a mixture of salt spray, green turf and the wild pollen's of purple heather, yellow buttercups and golden wind bushes. Off in the distance one can hear the sheep and cattle.





The largest towns on the Ards are Bangor and Newtonards, both of which offer a lively pub culture set among historical down-towns. Popular beach destinations include Donaghadee, Cloughey and Groomsport. Portaferry, Kircubbin and Portavogie are traditional little farming and fishing towns offering the freshest of seafood at any one of their fine traditional pubs. From Kircubbin there is also a majestic view of the Mourne Mountains as they tower over and grace the opposite side of the Strangford Lough.


Alas The Ards Peninsula is a truly unspoiled and friendly reprieve from today's otherwise hectic world.