Things to do
Forest parks and beaches, castles and harbours, boat trips and long lazy lunches. Here's how to fill a day out from High Mourne House, whatever the weather's doing.
Whether you've got restless kids, a dog that needs a proper run, or just a free afternoon and no fixed plan, you'll find options from quick outings close to the house to full days out further afield.
Nothing matches both of those choices. Try all types to see everything that suits.
Show all types →Silent Valley Mountain Park
Reservoir, dam, planted grounds and easy loop walks suit almost everybody. It works with children, with a dog on the lower paths and in indifferent weather.
Find out more →The coast road
The A2 north to Newcastle or south to Kilkeel is a proper short outing, with sea views and the mountains dropping straight down on the inland side.
Find out more →Carlingford Lough and the ferry
The cross-lough ferry is suspended throughout 2026, so do not plan this outing around a crossing - check the operator's website for any future restart. Carlingford itself is still well worth the drive round the lough, with medieval streets, good food and walking in a different jurisdiction.
Find out more →Annalong Harbour and Cornmill
The harbour and cornmill give you a simple first taste of the coast, especially if you have only just arrived.
Find out more →Kilkeel Harbour
A working fishing port with boats, the fish market end of things and a proper sense of a place that works for a living rather than for tourists.
Find out more →Spelga Dam and the Deer’s Meadow
Big open moorland, the dam and the well-known optical illusion hill make this more a scenic drive with a short stop than a walk.
Find out more →Tollymore Forest Park
Woodland trails along the Shimna river, stone bridges and the arboretum give you routes from a short walk to a few hours.
Find out more →Slieve Donard
This is a sustained mountain day, not a stroll. The weather at the top is not the weather at the car park, and the descent is harder on the knees than the ascent is on the lungs.
Find out more →Castlewellan Forest Park
The lake circuit is flat and easy, and the Peace Maze is a reliable win with children.
Find out more →Murlough National Nature Reserve
Dune heath, boardwalks and a long beach with the Mournes behind it make this excellent for a slow half day.
Find out more →Bloody Bridge
A short river path, a granite gorge and the coast together make this one of the best quick outings when you want a real sense of the Mournes.
Find out more →Rostrevor and Kilbroney
Forest park, the Cloughmore Stone with its view over Carlingford Lough and the mountain bike trail centre give this side of the range a completely different feel.
Find out more →Hare’s Gap and the Trassey Track
The dramatic gap, the Brandy Pad old smugglers' route and access to Bearnagh make this a substantial full-day outing.
Find out more →Slieve Binnian from Carrick Little
The track towards Annalong Wood and the Mourne Wall is a rewarding half day even without summiting; going all the way up Binnian makes it a full day for most people.
Find out more →Newcastle promenade
Beach, the front, ice cream and the mountains meeting the sea make this the easiest wet-weather-adjacent option.
Find out more →Cranfield and Greencastle
A sandy beach facing Carlingford Lough and the old castle at Greencastle make this a good warm-day outing.
Find out more →Titanic Belfast
Titanic is one of the best-known stories of all time, and here it is told on the very slipway where the ship was launched — the galleries work outwards from the shipyard rather than the sinking. The self-guided experience runs to about two and a half hours, and the same ticket takes you aboard SS Nomadic. Entry is by timed slot, so book before you leave the house.
Find out more →Plan a full day →Newgrange and Brú na Bóinne
A UNESCO World Heritage Site older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids — a 5,000-year-old passage tomb, famous for the beam of winter-solstice sunrise that reaches the chamber. You visit by pre-booked guided tour only, from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre with a shuttle bus out to the monument, so book ahead and give it the best part of a day.
Find out more →Ulster Folk Museum
An open-air museum, and that is the whole point of it: you walk backwards in time between rebuilt houses, shops, a school and farms spread across a large site, so it needs decent weather. It runs separately from the Transport Museum across the road, with its own ticket, and pre-booking is recommended though you can pay at the door.
Find out more →Ulster Transport Museum
The indoor half of Cultra, across the road from the Folk Museum and run separately with its own ticket. Trains, trams, cars and the DeLorean are all under cover, so it works whatever the weather. Allow around two hours, and treat it as its own visit; pre-booking is recommended but you can pay at the door.
Find out more →Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens
Free to walk into, and a forgiving choice when a day has gone wrong: several floors running from Egyptian antiquities to modern art. Belfast's Botanic Gardens sit right outside — the museum is the part that stays dry, while the gardens and the Palm House are open to the weather.
Find out more →Armagh Planetarium
Northern Ireland's home of astronomy, where you can follow in the footsteps of the late Patrick Moore, its first director. A 360-degree dome theatre runs immersive shows from toddler-friendly to deep space, with hands-on exhibits alongside. It is all indoors — a dependable wet-weather choice — and a visit runs two to three hours. Book a dome-show slot ahead; exhibition-only tickets are sold on the day.
Find out more →Pair it with
Allow longer for Belfast traffic and parking.
A full day in Belfast
Titanic and Belfast city centre
Titanic Belfast is a morning in itself, so the simplest way to make a day of it is to leave the car at the museum and take the Glider into town. That puts you a short walk from Victoria Square, Donegall Place and City Hall for lunch and an afternoon on foot.
The G2 stops outside Titanic Belfast and runs directly to Wellington Place. Check Translink for current times. Museum parking is underground, with a 2.1 metre height limit.
translink.co.uk →Titanic and a Black Taxi Tour
Several long-established Belfast taxi firms run guided tours of the city's murals and Peace Walls, generally an hour and a half to two hours, with drivers who talk through the history of the conflict and the peace process. Most will collect you from Titanic Belfast or the city centre if you arrange it when you book, and these tours are worth booking ahead rather than looking for one on the day.
Allow the whole day for both. The museum alone takes two to three hours before a tour starts.
visitbelfast.com →Make a day of it, then soak it off.
Check your dates and make High Mourne House your base for the Mournes.