Ards Peninsula

The Ards Peninsula stretches into the Irish Sea on the north-east coast of Ireland, separating Strangford Lough from the North Channel. It is a long, low landform with towns and villages along its edges, from Donaghadee in the north to Portaferry at the eastern tip. Burr Point marks the furthest reach of the island of Ireland here. The peninsula’s shape creates calm waters inside Strangford Lough and open sea views outside. Newtownards and Bangor sit where the land joins the mainland. Millisle and Portavogie face the sea along the eastern shore. This place has layers of history from different centuries. In the Middle Ages the Uí Echach Arda clan lived here before Anglo-Norman invaders arrived in the late 12th century. Later the Savage family held the southern part for three hundred years. Scottish settlers came in the early 17th century as part of the Plantation of Ulster. The Hamiltons and Montgomerys brought new communities to the Lower Ards. Remains of earlier times still stand in raths, abbeys and castles across the peninsula. Visitors find a tower on a hill above Newtownards, a grand 18th-century house with gardens near Greyabbey, and the ruins of a Cistercian abbey. There is a motorsport circuit at Kirkistown and coastal routes around Portaferry. Castles at Kirkistown and Portaferry recall the peninsula’s past. Scenic roads run past fishing villages like Portavogie and Ballywalter. The contrast between quiet lough waters and open sea gives the land its character.