The Lodge at Quarterland Bay
The Lodge at Quarterland Bay enjoys a peaceful location looking out on the rolling hills and…
Our View
Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fragile 6,000 year-old sand dune system owned by the National Trust and managed as Ireland’s first Nature Reserve since 1967. It is an excellent area for walking and bird watching due to its spectacular location at the edge of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains. There is a network of paths and boardwalks through the dunes, woodland and heath, from where you will see an array of butterflies and wild flowers, as well as be able to access one of the finest beaches in County Down. The dune fields at Murlough are the best and most extensive example of dune heath within Ireland with over 600 species of butterflies and moths, one of which, the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, is of European importance. The site is internationally important for wintering wildfowl and waders.
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About the area
Discover County Down
Geographically, County Down seems to put a long arm around Strangford Lough, over 70 square miles of water. The arm is the Ards Peninsula, the most easterly part of Ireland.
Strangford Lough is a ria (a drowned estuary), caused by rising sea levels at the end of the Ice Age It is dotted with some 70 small islands, actually the highest points of drowned drumlins (small rounded hills) formed of material left behind by glaciers. The Lough is home to large flocks of wintering wildfowl that congregate on the mudflats surrounding its shores. About 9 square miles of the lough are a designated reserve for this reason.
Bangor is at the top of the peninsula, and with its picturesque seafront promenades, a charming marina and many shops and restaurants, it is regularly voted the most desirable place to live in Northern Ireland. Much of the town dates from the Victorian era with some historic buildings as well as some more modern development, and one of the largest open-air markets in Northern Ireland.
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