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Portaferry
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Right at the very tip
of the Ards Peninsula is Portaferry, a fishing and holiday resort.
Portaferry has a truly magnificent setting looking out across the
narrow strait connecting Strangford Lough with the sea. The quaint
rows of houses, its seafront and traditional layout give Portaferry
its unique character, with many buildings of historical and
architectural interest. Portaferry is linked to the small village of
Strangford across The Narrows by a car ferry service which operates
every half hour. The powerful current which rushes through The
Narrows carries 400 million gallons of water with every tide. It is
little wonder the Vikings named the Lough the ‘Strong Fiord’.
The ruins of Portaferry Castle, dating from the 16th century, loom
above the town. There are fine Georgian buildings in the town
square, including a Market House, now used as a community centre.
Quentin Castle stands to the east of the town, guarding the approach
from the Irish Sea.
A major tourist attraction in Portaferry is ‘Exploris – A
Exploration of the Irish Sea’ just off Castle Street. This is
Northern Ireland’s premier marine life centre and aquarium,
featuring walk-through tanks which house examples of Strangford’s
Lough’s marine inhabitants.It is set in an 11 acre park with a
bowling green and an adventure playground. A recent development is
the NIE Seal Sanctuary, where seals are brought into Exploris for
rehabilitation and are then released back into the wild when they
make a full recovery.
Strangford Lough, which contains nearly three quarters of all the
marine species to be found in Northern Irish waters, is the largest
sea lough in the British Isles; a designated Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty and an Area of Special Scientific Interest
Portaferry village boasts excellent sea food restaurants and is a
popular tourist destination. Each year in June the town hosts a
regatta of classic Irish sailing ships, the famous Galway Hookers.
The village also hosts a Gala or Fair each year for a week in July. |
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Portaferry Holiday Homes - County Down, Ireland