Delamont Country Park, Co Down
posted in Days Out, Down, Outdoors, Weekends |Park Life - Delamont Country Park
After running up and down sand dunes for a good hour the kids wanted to find a playground. To be honest the sand dunes hds actually dried us off a bit. Dry sand is easier to shift than wet sand.
Delamont Country Park is situated about 5 minutes from Downpatrick near Killyleagh in Strangford Lough Nature Reserve and is very well sign-posted. There is a charge for entry to the park for cars and buses in high season. First thing we spotted was the Miniature Railway. I hoped it was running and it was:) A small charge is made, £2.50 for adults and £1.50 for kids, though I did not really need to ride it with them; my kids are probably old enough to ride alone. The track is mostly visible from the café area. The train went round a portion of the park and passed the Adventure play area. That was obviously our next stop. The kids enjoyed the ride and as we were the only ones on the train, they were able to sit at the front.
We headed to the playground which is very impressive. It is separated into 4 sections and gives you plenty of room to sit and picnic. It is huge and well spaced out. There is a younger childrens section but to be honest it all looked safe and well maintained (and I know a three year old that would give it all a good go). It was very muddy in places when we were there but it is out of season, it all added to the fun. Not that it mattered to us. The playground kept them busy for a good while though it had been a long day and I could see the kids slowing down.
We stopped for ice cream and a much-needed coffee at the little café onsite. The train driver was covering the café and the train so had to keep popping off for a quick spin on Freddy the Train. It was quite funny to watch but he was in good sprits and no-one seemed to mind waiting at either place.
I let the kids choose a walk, trying to direct them to the shorter of the five trails on offer. I don’t think I would have been able to cope with a 7 km hike after the exertions of the day 
The Garden walk was picked, which is only 1.2 kms and very do-able we thought. So, following the red markers we headed up the hill and came across the Strangford Stone.
An impressive structure which was put in place in 1995. A group of local people decided to fulfill an ancient tradition and bring one thousand young people together to celebrate the start of a new millennium. They erected this stone by pulling up the one-thousand-centimetre-high Strangford Stone by hand. This, they hoped, as the peace process was gaining momentum, to involve young people from all backgrounds in Northern Ireland and creat a lasting testament to a shared future. I must admit it is impressive! There is a very detailed description of how they acheived this and full list of names of everyone who helped. I think it would have been very moving to see it happen.
Moving on we headed along the red path to the bird hide. The first thing that hit me was the view. Strangford Lough is stunning. A highlight for my son was a little tractor heading over the water! (I’m still not sure if it was actually driving from one island to another or if there was a bridge close to the surface but it looked like a cool trick!) The bird hide was well laid out and we spent a good while in there looking for a heron or two. Binoculars in tow (from the Downpatrick Cathedral!!) Suddenly we saw them in the trees straight in front of us. They were sitting in their nests. It was good to see (and the binoculars did help!).
Just after the hide, we spotted a sign for a lookout tower. Decision made and off we went! The lookout had an impressive view out towards the Lough but it was not very easy for the kids to see. Too high for them to see over and I wasn’t really happy for them to stand on the wall. This detour actually gave us a short cut back to the car park and Ithink we were all secretly pleased to cut the walk short.
WOW Overview
Kids Say
6 year old: We did a lot of walking today. The park was good fun and there was a big scary slide. When you went down it it was not as fast as you thought it would be. I liked the bird house and looking at the Herons.
6 year old: I liked the train and the ice creams. There is a tractor that can drive on water here.
Stress Level: 0 (It was a super place and very relaxed. Out of season admittedly but still a good place for the kids to let off steam.)
Fun Level: 4 (The kids really enjoyed themselves. Lots to keep them amused)
Cost Level: 1 The train and the refreshments were reasonable, although there will be a cost for entry for cars and buses in season)
Back in the car and off home for the day..
