Overview
The best thing near Newtownards isn’t in the town at all – it’s the gardens at Mount Stewart, a few miles east, good enough to have been put forward as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town itself is a working market town of nearly 30,000 at the head of Strangford Lough, on the southern tip of the Ards Peninsula in County Down, under the finger of Scrabo Tower on its hill. It’s compact and easy on foot: the Georgian market house on Conway Square, the restored town hall and the tower are all a short walk apart.
History and heritage
The story starts up on the hill, where St Finian is said to have founded Movilla Abbey around 540 AD; it weathered Viking raids, became an Augustinian house and was dissolved in 1542. Down in the town, the Dominican Black Friary on Court Street was founded in 1244 by Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, and its ruins are the only surviving example of their kind in Northern Ireland.
The modern town was laid out in 1606 by the Scottish planter Hugh Montgomery under the Plantation of Ulster, and trade grew around the market house built on Conway Square in 1771 – the largest market house in Ireland. The Belfast–County Down railway arrived in 1850 and closed in 1950. Newtownards has had its turbulence too, from a part in the 1798 rebellion to the Great Famine; today the economy runs on engineering, agriculture and services.
What to see and do
Scrabo Tower and Country Park This 41-metre (135 ft) tower was built in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, and it lords it over the town with views across Strangford Lough to the Mourne Mountains. Note the tower itself is closed to visitors – but the surrounding Killynether Wood and parkland are open daily, free, with on-site parking. The climb up Scrabo Hill is the reward here, not the building.
Newtownards Priory The substantial 13th-century ruins on Court Street mark the Dominican friary. Conservation work is ongoing, so it’s best seen from the street, but the stonework is a solid link to the medieval town.
Ards Arts Centre Housed in the restored Georgian town hall, this hosts changing exhibitions, live music and workshops. Galleries are free; opening days vary, so check ahead before making a trip of it.
Somme Heritage Centre Between Newtownards and Bangor, on the edge of the Clandeboye Estate, this museum covers Ireland’s part in the First World War, with reconstructed trenches and material on the 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish) divisions.
Mount Stewart A short drive east, this National Trust house and its renowned 98-acre gardens are the standout in the area. Non-members pay for both house and garden (free for members); the estate has guide-dog access, accessible toilets and wheelchair hire. If you do one thing outside the town, do this.
Kiltonga Nature Reserve A wetland reserve with a one-kilometre wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, free to enter, with parking nearby – an easy stop for families.
The Ark Open Farm A family-run farm of about 40 acres with domestic and exotic animals, charging a small admission; hours are seasonal, so check before setting out.
Walking and cycling
Newtownards links to National Cycleway 99, which runs the full length of the Ards Peninsula, so you can ride south along the lough shore toward Portaferry with little traffic. Walkers have the lough shoreline and the paths up Scrabo Hill on the doorstep.
Practical information
Getting there
- By road: The A20 runs to Belfast in about 40 minutes and on down the peninsula to the coastal villages.
- By bus: Translink runs regular Ulsterbus services to Belfast and Bangor and down the Ards Peninsula to Grey Abbey and Portaferry.
- By rail: The Belfast–County Down line closed in 1950, so there’s no station in the town now; the nearest trains run from Bangor, about 10 miles north.
Parking and accessibility
Scrabo Country Park has on-site parking and accessible paths. In the town centre there’s street parking and pay-and-display (Mill Street among others). Mount Stewart has the fullest accessibility facilities, including wheelchair hire and adapted garden paths.
Accommodation
Options run from self-catering apartments in town to hotels in nearby Bangor; many cater to families and offer accessible rooms.
Markets
Conway Square holds a Saturday market in the old trading tradition, with produce, crafts and antiques. The Ards Visitor Information Centre by the bus station has maps, bookings and tickets.
If you only have an hour, take the Saturday market on Conway Square, then walk up Scrabo Hill for the clearest view of the lough before it fills up.