Tourism in Ulster
Northern Ireland is a land of blue mountains and forest parks, mazy lakes and windswept moors, white Atlantic sands, an inland sea. In fact, it's a country that is just pretending to be small.
Dozens of small towns are hidden away
down among the green places of the countryside, and fishing villages string out along the
shores. The towers and steeples of parish churches mark the high ground beyond trimmed
hedgerows. The country's turbulent past, which still resonates today, has also helped
shape the landscape.
Distinctive field patterns, for instance, are especially striking, and so are ruined castles. Built from the 12th century onwards, and once symbols of both oppression and reassurance, they are now among Ulster's finest architectural treasures.
Driving in Northern Ireland is to recapture motoring's
glad confident morning. The roads are excellent, with miles of motorway and dual
carriageway, and you are never much more than half an hour from the sea. Minor roads are
well signposted and there are convenient places for picnics and sites for caravanning or
pitching a tent. The only traffic jams are flocks of sheep or cattle changing fields. In
the summer you may have to pull over occasionally to let the music-makers and traditional
parades pass, with their pipes, flutes, drums and brilliant banners, marching to a
festival or Demonstration in town.
The weather can be fickle but the rain keeps the land a magical emerald green and, when the wind blows the clouds away to sea, the sky like the mountains is blue. The air is clean - and so sweet that you will want to open the car windows to let the breezes in.
Because Northern Ireland is only 5,500 square miles in area - about the size of Yorkshire or Connecticut - you can see most of the main attractions in a week without clocking up more than 500 miles.
The heritage of Northern Ireland is largely rural. Ulster people are outdoor people. They spend their leisure time pottering around the coast or going on family expeditions to the mountains at weekends.
The rivers are full of fish, with friendly hotels and B&Bs along the banks to welcome anglers at the end of the day, and lively musical evenings in nearby hostelries. For golfers there are the famous fairways of championship courses and whole series of lovely links, many in enchanting cliff-top settings.
There are 50 miles of cruising waters on Lough Erne, sailing on Lough Neagh - the biggest lake in the British Isles - sea fishing off Strangford and the Antrim Coast, and many other Water sports. You can go cycling and pony trekking along the seashore and backpacking in the Mournes.
And if that's too strenuous a thought, try your hand at painting or birdwatching or touring the gardens and stately homes of Ulster.
Source: Northern Ireland Tourist Board
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