3 Best Sights in Northern Ireland

The best-known and most accessible of Antrim's glens opens on to Red Bay at the village of Glenariff (also known as Waterfoot). Inside the park are picnic facilities and some easy hikes. Bisecting the park are two lovely rivers, the Inver and the Glenariff, which help sculpt the rocky gorges here and culminate in the famous 5½-km (3½-mile) Waterfall Trail, marked with red arrows, which passes outstanding views of the Glenariff and its three small waterfalls. Its higher expanses are a less charming mix of bare moorland, scarred by the remnants of commercial conifer forestry. There's an abrupt transition back to a patchwork of trim fields as you head back toward the coast.

Escape from the summer crowds by taking one of the longest trails, such as the Scenic Hike (9 km [5½ miles]) or the shorter Viewpoint Trail and the Rainbow Trail, both half a mile. Pick up a detailed trail map at the park visitor center, which also has a small cafeteria.

A huge maze, grown to symbolize Northern Ireland's convoluted path to peace, comprises 1,150 acres of forested hills running between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Croob. There are also signposted mountain-biking trails, ranging from short routes of 4 km (2½ miles) up to 19 km (12 miles), and 7½ km (5 miles) of walking trails. Look out for the multi-stemmed sequoia, a giant redwood in the walled garden dating from the 1850s, which, in 2018, was named as Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year by the Woodland Trust, a conservation charity. With the maze, lake, secluded arbors, and arboretum, the park makes an excellent introduction to the area. Bike and canoe rental is available at the center starting from £18 for three hours.

Deep in the wild Sperrin Mountains of Tyrone a lack of light pollution allows for astonishing views of the night sky and creates an ideal location for seeing crystal-clear star constellations. Northern Ireland's first dark-sky observatory opened in Davagh Forest in the secluded foothills of the mountains in spring 2020 at a cost of £1.2 million. The new center houses a retractable roof, observatory, and telescope showcasing the dark-sky site, combining technology from holographic installations to virtual reality headsets and interpretation panels to explore the solar system. On a cloud-free night you may be lucky enough to see the Milky Way, the Perseid meteor shower (if here in August), or deep-sky objects such as the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, and depending on conditions, the northern lights. The centerpiece of the observatory is the 14 inch LX600 Meade telescope which enables stunning images to be captured. Talks and star-gazing events are held in the evenings to account for night sky activity at certain times of the year. VIP tours can also be arranged in advance and cost from £40. The significance of the stars to ancient life, forms part of the experience linking the landscape with the archaeological and astronomical heritage of the Sperrins. This entails a delightful walk along a new adjoining boardwalk leading to the Beaghmore Bronze Age stone circles, a wonderfully atmospheric location classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The circles were uncovered by turf cutters in the 1940s and evidence was revealed of a ceremonial site with alignments and cairns while the concentration of stones was dated to between 1500 and 800 BC. Catch the right day and this bleak landscape glows with a magnetic quality when the sun appears.