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WARRENPOINT |
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WARRENPOINT is as picturesque as Rostrevor, with a colourful
esplanade of seafront housing and a spacious central square. It's a much
more traditional seaside resort than its neighbour and has been
attracting visitors since the early 1800s, when an enterprising local
man advertised warm baths for the "gentry, nobility and public". The
tourist office (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, plus weekends in summer; tel 028/4175
2256) is in the Town Hall on Church Street. There are handy boat trips
across to Omeath on the opposite shore of Carlingford Lough in the
Republic, which leave from just in front of the Marine Tavern (every
20min, tides permitting; June-Sept daily 1-6pm; £2 return). You can rent
bikes at East Coast Adventure Centre (tel 028/4173 9716), at
Knockbarragh Lodge on the way to Rostrevor; they'll also set you up with
jet-skis, wind-surfing boards, canoes and all the information on local
sports you could want. For horse riding try Annett's Equestrian Centre,
Rath Rd (tel 028/4177 2976).
Less than a mile northwest of Warrenpoint along the Newry Road is the
Narrow Water Castle (guided tours July & Aug Mon, Tues & Fri-Sun
11am-4.30pm; free). The original was built in 1212 by Hugh de Lacy to
guard against access to Newry via the river, but this was burnt down
during the 1641 Rebellion and the ruins here are of a building erected
some twenty years later. In this serene setting, it's hard to grasp the
fact that sixteen British soldiers were blown up here by the IRA, on the
same day in 1979 that Lord Mountbatten was killed in Mullughmore Bay.
There are very slight remains of the earlier castle nearby, and on the
other side of the road an avenue leads up to New Narrow Water Castle (a
private residence but can be viewed on request; 75p). A couple of miles
to the north is the Burren Heritage Centre (June-Sept Mon-Fri 9am-1pm &
2-5pm; Oct-May Mon-Fri 9am-1pm; £1), a small interpretive museum which
traces the locality's development through from prehistoric times.
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