Part 7... 2.4 Miles Of 20 Miles

Nearly everyone is familiar with the song "The Star of the County Down" which is closely associated with the town of Banbridge and goes:
"Near Banbridge town, in the County Down
One morning in July
down a boreen green came a sweet colleen,
and she smiled as she passed me by."
The River Bann rises in the Mountains of Mourne and flows through the town on its journey to Lough Neagh. The river has been integral to the historic wealth of the district and the thriving town of Banbridge in particular.

Enjoy a quiet stroll along woodland paths and country lane within this small, family owned estate located on the edge of the pretty village of Loughbrickland.

Northern Ireland’s largest and most beautiful urban park, the second largest public park in Ireland.

The Bann Boulevard is the perfect place for a short walk or as a starting point for a much longer linear walk. The wide tarmac surface makes the path suitable for all users. The towpath is a shared use path and can be busy at times, however, cyclists should give way to pedestrians.

The Windy Gap is a well know view point, off the Slievenaboley Road, in the Dromara Hills. The Windy Gap Pad is a rough farm track of just under a mile in length which joins the Slievenaboley and Legananny Roads.
The Dromara Hills, part of the Mourne and Slieve Croob Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are a compact area of hill, moorland and farms in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains.

A superb walk encompassing a variety of landscapes. Here the Upper River Bann wends it way around farmed drumlin hills set in a lowland basin of extensive birch and moss on its journey from the Mourne Mountains to Lough Neagh. Ballyroney Lake supports a variety of wintering waterfowl including mute swan, whooper swan, mallard, teal, tufted duck and coot. It is one of the most important sites in Ireland for dragonflies.

Lovely walk around the small hamlet of Ballyroney, on the banks of the Upper River Bann. Formerly a raised bog, but now completely cut over, Lackan Bog represents one of the largest single blocks of lowland peat left in County Down. 13 out of 22 Irish species have been spotted in the bog. The best time to see them is between March and October.

The Broad Water is a man made feature, built in a natural valley in order to retain a sufficient head of water to accommodate the navigation. Take a seat and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, set against the background of a thin belt of mature woodland! The Broad Water is a 3 mile towpath walk between Moira Railway Station and Aghalee and takes you along the route of the original Lagan Canal through Soldierstown. Keep an eye out for the large variety of breeding and wintering wildfowl.