Newcastle, County Down

Newcastle's accommodation runs from a grand Victorian railway hotel on the seafront to small family-run guest houses a short walk from the beach, with the choice largely shaped by whether you want golf, a spa, or simply a bed within reach of the mountains. The Slieve Donard, now operating as Slieve Donard under Marine & Lawn Hotels, remains the town's landmark property, its red sandstone facade and gardens running down almost to the beach at the foot of the mountain it is named after. Burrendale Hotel & Country Club, a short drive inland on the Castlewellan Road, offers a similar four-star standard with a spa and leisure club aimed at both golfers and families.

For something more distinctive, The Brambles - the renamed and refurbished former Glassdrumman Lodge near Annalong - offers an entire luxury house for exclusive use, with a hot tub and space for larger groups, a short drive south along the coast from Newcastle itself. Between the grand hotels and the smaller guest houses sit properties like Enniskeen Country House Hotel, set in its own grounds in the Shimna Valley with mountain and sea views, and Harbour House on the South Promenade, a long-standing family-run hotel, bar and restaurant right on the seafront.

At the more modest end, Newcastle has a good run of guest houses and B&Bs close to the beach and golf course. Golf Links House, on the shore side of Dundrum Road, combines a boutique guest house with its own restaurant and function rooms. Conlyn House, recently refurbished, sits directly on the Central Promenade with sea views from its front rooms, while The Briers, on the Middle Tollymore Road, is an eighteenth-century country guest house a few minutes from Royal County Down with its own cottage annexe. Between them these eight properties cover most budgets and most reasons to visit, whether that is a golf trip, a family beach holiday, or a base for walking the Mournes.

The town and its surrounding coast and mountains offer a genuine mix of walking, history and family days out.

• Slieve Donard - the classic route up Northern Ireland's highest mountain starts from Donard Park, following the Glen River through forest before the open climb to the summit tower, with views to Scotland and the Isle of Man on a clear day.
• Tollymore Forest Park - Ireland's first forest park, laid out from the 1780s with follies, grottoes and an arboretum, and now equally known as a filming location for Game of Thrones; the Hansel and Gretel-style stone gate and Mourne Wall entrance are the most photographed spots.
• Royal County Down Golf Club - one of the world's most acclaimed links courses, set in the dunes below Slieve Donard; visiting golfers can play the Championship Links or the gentler Annesley Links by prior arrangement.
• Murlough National Nature Reserve - a few miles north near Dundrum, this was the National Trust's first Irish property, a system of ancient sand dunes with boardwalks, heath and beach access, and good birdwatching over Dundrum Bay.
• Dundrum Castle - the ruins of a Norman castle on a hill above Dundrum village, with a keep dating from around 1210 and open views over the bay; free to visit and a short detour from Newcastle.
• The Mourne Wall - a dry-stone wall built between 1904 and 1922 that runs for around 22 miles over fifteen mountain summits including Slieve Donard and Slieve Bearnagh; sections near Meelmore and Slievenaglogh make manageable half-day walks.
• Castlewellan Forest Park - a few miles inland, home to the National Arboretum, Castlewellan Lake and the Peace Maze, one of the world's largest permanent hedge mazes.
• Newcastle promenade and beach - a long Blue Flag beach with the seasonal outdoor Tropicana pool, amusements and cafes, popular with families through the summer months.

Dundrum Bay and the surrounding coast are known for seafood, and Newcastle's harbour-facing restaurants make the most of it, with mussels, oysters and locally landed fish featuring on menus around the town. Mourne lamb, raised on the hill farms above the town, turns up on pub and restaurant menus as a regional speciality.

The promenade is the place for Newcastle's simpler pleasures - fish and chips eaten looking out at Dundrum Bay, and locally made ice cream from the seafront shops, a Northern Ireland tradition that runs particularly deep along this coast. Whistledown Brewing Co, a Newcastle-based craft brewery, supplies a number of the town's pubs and is worth seeking out for a pint with genuine local roots.

Inland, Castlewellan and Dundrum have their own smaller cafes and delis worth a detour, and Newcastle's own Saturday markets and farm shops are a good source of local produce, from Mourne lamb and beef to seasonal vegetables and preserves, for anyone self-catering or simply provisioning for a day on the mountain.

Camping around Newcastle means pitching somewhere between mountain and sea, and the town's three main sites reflect that range. Bloody Bridge Campsite, on the Ballagh Road at the southern edge of Newcastle, markets itself as the closest campsite to the town and sits right where the Mourne coast road meets the foot of the mountains, with tent, caravan, campervan and motorhome pitches plus a couple of self-catering cabins for those who want a roof rather than canvas. Its position gives easy access to both the beach and the southern stretches of the Mourne Wall without needing a car.

Windsor Holiday Park, on the Dundrum Road at the edge of Newcastle, is a longer-established, multi-award-winning holiday park geared towards static caravan owners and touring visitors alike, with a shop, launderette, games room and children's play area that make it a straightforward choice for families wanting facilities on site. It sits within walking distance of the seafront and at the base of Slieve Donard itself.

For a base squarely in the mountains rather than the town, Meelmore Lodge near Bryansford, a short drive from Newcastle, runs a seasonal campsite alongside its hillwalkers' bunkhouse and on-site bistro, set directly below Slieve Meelmore and the Hare's Gap. It suits walkers heading into the high Mournes more than beach-goers, with the trade-off of being a drive rather than a walk from Newcastle's promenade. Between the three, campers can choose beach proximity, family facilities, or direct mountain access depending on what the trip is for.