The best road cycling routes around Castle Espie

The Tommy Givan Velodrome is a small but beautiful cycling track in Belfast, which has its own special atmosphere, especially in sunny weather. Nestled in green areas and surrounded by tall trees, it offers cycling enthusiasts the opportunity to do a few quick laps on the asphalt track. It's not about high-tech and hectic, but about pure riding pleasure in a peaceful environment. The slightly inclined curves invite you to take the momentum with you, and with every lap you feel the special flair of a velodrome, which may seem rather inconspicuous, but precisely because of that has its own charm. A perfect place to just pick up the pace and clear your head.

Nendrum Monastery was a Christian monastery founded in the 5th century. The monastery finished somewhere between 974 and 1178, but the church survived until the 15th century. You can visit the ruins if you're riding past.

In September 2024 opening hours Wed-Sat 10-4

Follow this flat, paved path along the northern strand of Strangford Lough near Newtownwards. You're afforded great views out over the water and also of Scrabo Tower, which looms above the town.

This tower-house, said to have been built in 1570 by an English soldier, Captain Browne, is badly ruined but is still of considerable interest. Rectangular and fairly small in ground plan, it was entered by a door in the north-west wall which has a draw bar socket and a murder-hole. To the left of the door was a stair to the next floor. There are two ground floor rooms, the larger with a semi-circular vault built on plank centring and the smaller with a pointed vault built on paired wicker mats. The smaller room, once thought to be a secure boat bay, may be just a storeroom (compare nearby Sketrick). There were two storeys above, but the upper parts are ruined. Part of the bawn wall survives to the south-west, cut into the hill.

WWT Castle Espie is home to the largest collection of ducks, geese and swans in Ireland. Wide open spaces, and wetlands full of the sights and sounds of nature. Surprised by just how much there is to see and do including a Cafe / Gallery, plenty of walks, and places to just sit and take it all in.

Yes we have a Velodrome ! This 396 metre outdoor banked oval track is the only surviving facility of its kind in Northern Ireland. It opened for competition in 1957 and was used extensively throughout the 1950s and 1960s when track cycling was extremely popular. It continues to be used today. It was re-named the Tommy Givan track in 1981 in honour of the former National Track Champion, one of the stalwarts of track cycling in Belfast.

Movilla was associated with Saint Finian in the 6th-century. As with many early monasteries, it was plundered by Vikings in the 9th century, but was refounded as an Augustinian abbey in the Norman 12th century and survived until the suppression of religious houses in the 1540s. It has the best collection of 13th Century coffin lids with foliate crosses in the Province. These are built into the inside north wall. Only one stone from the Pre-Norman period survives; it is marked with “Or do Dertrend”, “pray for Dertrend”. Later structures include the ruins of a 13th century church which was rebuilt in the 15th-century. A really fascinating stop.