Donard Park

The path up Donard Park rises steadily from Newcastle, skirting past gorse and rough grassland before the terrain gets properly serious. This is the gateway to Slieve Donard itself - Northern Ireland's highest peak at 850 metres - and the park serves as both nature reserve and serious hill-walker's territory rolled into one.

What you're actually doing here depends entirely on your legs and lungs. Casual visitors potter about the lower reaches, where the walking is gentle and the views across County Down open up nicely without requiring much effort. Serious hikers use it as the launch pad for the full Donard ascent, which takes the better part of four hours return and rewards you with views that stretch to the Isle of Man on a clear day. The moorland habitat itself - heather, bilberry, the occasional golden eagle if you're fortunate - makes it genuinely interesting ground, not just a hillside with a path worn into it.

Walkers will absolutely get the most from this. Families with young children will find the lower sections manageable, though anything beyond forty minutes in either direction becomes a proper slog. The reserve is free to access and open year-round, though winter conditions on the upper slopes demand respect and proper kit.

Staying at one of the nearby sites - Enniskeen Estate, Tollymore Forest Park, or Bloody Bridge Campsite - puts you within striking distance. You could tackle Donard in a morning and still have time to explore Tollymore's river walks in the afternoon. Worth doing in one trip rather than treating them separately.