Warrenpoint

Compact seaside town on Carlingford Lough, with Mourne Mountain views from the waterfront

Warrenpoint is a compact seaside town on the southern shore of Carlingford Lough in County Down, just six miles from Newry. The lough is a narrow sea inlet bordered by the Mourne Mountains on one side and the hills of County Louth on the other, and the views from the waterfront are among the best in Northern Ireland.

The town has a pleasant promenade along the lough, a small square that fills up in summer, and a lively social scene driven by its proximity to Newry. Warrenpoint hosts a number of festivals through the summer months, making it a livelier stop than its size might suggest. The journey from Newry along the A2 is itself scenic, hugging the lough shore — and a short drive out brings you to Narrow Water Castle, a Plantation-era tower house guarding the entrance to the river. East along the same coast, Kilbroney Park at Rostrevor is the trailhead for the walk up to the Cloughmore Stone, a 30-ton granite boulder dropped by a glacier and explained by local legend as the work of Finn McCool.

Guide

Things to Do

Warrenpoint is small, but the setting does most of the work. The promenade and town square are pleasant places to wander on a sunny afternoon, and the lough views toward the Cooley and Mourne mountains are first-class. A handful of nearby sights — a 16th-century tower house, an enormous granite stone left over from a mythical fight, and a forest park climbing the slopes above Rostrevor — make for an easy half-day's exploration.

The waterfront is the obvious place to start. From there it's a short drive or scenic walk out toward Narrow Water and the foot of Slieve Foye on the southern side of the lough.