The Plan
The Wedding
The wedding will take place at 3pm on the 27th of April 2013 at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa in Newcastle, County Down.
Friday in Belfast
We will be having dinner at 7pm at the Europa Hotel in Belfast. The address is:
Europa Hotel, Great Victoria St. Belfast BT2 7AP
Sunday Night
We are planning to stay in Newcastle for a little while after the wedding, so we'll be staying at the Slieve Donard for an additional night (Sunday) after the wedding, so we have a little more time to catch up with people who are around on that day.
The Details
Accommodation in Newcastle
You can obviously stay at the wedding venue, the Slieve Donard Hotel. If you mention the wedding, the rate for a classic double is £160/night. However, the hotel themselves recommend a good look on-line, as you should be able to find a cheaper rate, if you get in early. They also mentioned that the hotel is half-way through a major refurb of the rooms, so it might be an idea to explicitly ask for a newer room, if you end up booking directly with them.
In addition, the following hotels/B&Bs are well reviewed and are located within walking distance of the Slieve Donard:
The Donard Hotel (Trip Advisor)
Burrenden Hotel (Trip Advisor) (it's a little further, about a mile away)
Getting to Belfast
Easyjet is the cheapest option, working out at under £100 return if you book early.
Aer Lingus and British Airways also fly to Belfast. At the time of writing, the cost was £100-£150 return.
Getting to the Wedding
Public transport in Northern Ireland is not great, so if you're staying any length of time, it's best to hire a car.
Derek Hamill, Louise's Dad, has kindly constructed the following tweaked routes and provided human-readable directions, which will be appreciated by those whose experiences of Google Map's somewhat terse directions are a little chequered:
Tourism Information
Slieve Donard Hotel
There is a spa in the hotel, and entry is included if you're staying there. It has an infinity pool, sauna, gym etc. as well as treatments, which will cost extra.
The hotel has it's own tennis court.
The Royal County Down Golf Club, next door to the hotel, is an apparently excellent golf course.
Tourist Activities Around Newcastle
The Mourne Mountains are behind the hotel. They are quite bleak, but very beautiful and feature the famous Mourne Wall. You can go walking / camping / fishing there if you're that way inclined (Lu's phrase).
More Information about hiking in the Mournes can be found here.
Tollymore Forest is also near to the hotel and is part of the mountains, although has paths, so not such rough terrain as the mountains.
Castlewellan is a nearby castle accompanied by a forest/garden. For the hedge maze fan, the largest hedge maze in the world is here.
Tourist Activities In Belfast
If you're interested in the political history of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Sightseeing do a good bus tour and show you various politically-relevant sites.
Crumlin Road Jail has tours.
Titanic Belfast is a new museum/experience at the old docks about the Titanic (it was built there).
The City Hall does tours.
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is just outside Belfast; if you are interested in peat and chamber pots, this "living museum" is the place for you.
Stormont (The Northern Irish Parliament), on the outskirts of Belfast, has tours.
Carrickfergus Castle, 10 miles outside Belfast, is an 800 year-old castle.
Mount Stewart is a stately home about 20 miles outside Belfast. It has very interesting gardens, particularly if you like topiary.
There is quite lively nightlife in Belfast if you want to go out.
Tourist Activities on the North Coast
If you want to go further afield, the North Coast of Ireland is a lovely area, with rugged coastline and bracing wind.
http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/
http://www.causewaycoastalroute.com/
The north coast has what is probably the most unique thing to see in Northern Ireland - the Giant's Causeway. This is a lot of strangely shaped and arranged rocks by the coast/cliffside here. Modernists would say these were made by volcanic activity, but actually they were made by the giant Finn McCool.
There are lots of beaches on this coast eg. Portrush Whiterocks and Portstewart Strand. These will likely be extremely cold at this time of year, so are only good for a bracing walk, diving or surfing (with a wetsuit), which they are very popular for.
Dunluce Castle is a striking ruined medieval castle on the edge of the cliff.
The Carrick-a-rede rope bridge is a fisherman's rope bridge onto a little island.
Bushmill's Whiskey Distillery do a tour.
The Glens of Antrim nearby offer walking opportunities.
The West
If you want to go west, Donegal is a beautiful and isolated county in the far West with beaches and fishing. It is quite a long drive though so probably not suitable if you are only staying for a weekend.
A bit closer, Derry is a really interesting walled city in the North-West. It is also home of the mighty Derry City, who play at the mythical Brandywell.
Armagh Planetarium is closer again and does what it says on the tin.
The Ulster - American Folk Park, also closer, is a "living museum" in Omagh which recreates both Ireland at the time when people were migrating to the US (18th and 19th centuries) and, after an apparent "boat trip", America as well!
Weather
Temperatures in Ireland are quite mild all year round, although it rains a lot, so you will need to bring suitable footwear/clothing if you plan to do outdoor activities. In April, the temperatures are quite variable from year to year - please check forecasts beforehand to get a better idea of what to bring.
Tourist Websites
The following are some potentially helpful websites with tourist information:
Please feel free to ask us if you have any queries.