Strangford Lough

Strangford Lough in County Down is the largest sea lough in the British Isles, 20 miles long from Angus Rock at its mouth to the sand-flats at its northern end, and one of only three Marine Nature Reserves in the United Kingdom. The Trust counts over 2,000 kinds of marine creature here, and common and grey seals are seen all year, best at Cloughy Rocks and Granagh Bay either side of the entrance. People have fished these waters for millennia: a Neolithic log boat over 5,000 years old lies in the sands of Greyabbey Bay, and the monks of Nendrum on Mahee Island built a tidal mill dated to AD 619, the oldest known in Europe. Three Trust walks sample the shore: an easy 2.7 miles from the fishing village of Kearney, 1.5 miles through Nugent's Wood at Portaferry, a refuge of the red squirrel, and a challenging 3 miles at Orlock Point. Dogs must be on leads or under close control, and are barred from Kearney's grazing plots when cattle are present. Lay-bys and car parks ring the lough.