Cairnburn park is my second fav park - see Stormont Park review for my number one!…read more This one comes in at a very respectable number two for several reaons: - it is fully enclosed, making it harder for the rugrats to go AWOL. Although not impossible I as found out the hard way. - the ground is completely covered in those safe wood bark chipping thingies. No, I'm not that outdoorsy. - it has a wide range of stuff to jump on, swing off, climb up, slide down and bounce on which saves my furniture from all of the above. There is plenty to keep my 4 and 9 year olds amused and some benches for me to park myself on. No public toilets though but I have boys and there are plenty of trees. But be warned. Another tick in the 'convenient' box is the large car park right beside the park. The only negative? The sheer amount of dog poop on the short walk between the park and the car. Dog owners of Belmont be ashamed.

Belmont gets 5 stars from me. Such a peaceful and natural place for a dander. Half an hour will…read moretake you around the main park, although you will probably want to stay for longer. It has been voted the best small park for the past couple of years. I used to take my dog here at least once per week and he knew the way around. There are lots of other dog walkers and areas to play fetch. I have seen people jogging around and the occasional cyclist possibly cutting through from Parkway to the Old Holywood road. Starting from the car park on Massey ave/ Upper Belmont road you can follow the path accross the carriageway bridge follow this around to the right will bring you to the kids play area. The play area is enclosed and dogs are not permitted. It has baby swings, a flying saucer swing, slides, rockers and cool climbing frames. The paths are always clear and the grounds are well kept. Summer events take place in Belmont park occasionally.

An absolutely class park. You feel like you're not in Northern Ireland, that's because the…read morefacilities are so good - you have an outdoor gym, a kids play park and a fully equipped cafe - not to mention an enclosed caravan park. The walk itself is short, it stretches around 2km perfect for walking a tiny dog. The views are fantastic, you can look over Belfast lough at North Down and on a clear day you can pick out individual buildings. There's plenty of informational signs at Loughshore explaining the different wildlife one might expect to see at the park. One criticism would be the amount of litter on the beach area of the park, obviously there's nothing they can do of people choose to chuck their empty beer cans on the beach but perhaps it could be better enforced! All in all a great park, a lovely fresh walk with great faciliti

This is a nice place for a stroll along the shore. The terrain is flat and suitable for prams and…read morewheelchairs etc. It's quite a short walk and has a few benches along the way to rest and take in the views of Belfast Lough. Theres also a lovely little coffee shop beside a large kids play area. The play area was packed with some very happy kids so it definitely must be a thumbs up. Theres a large parking area and a separate caravan park nearby. Worth a little stop off if you've an extra half an hour.

We took Ted here yesterday after work, but realised it was more of a children's park than a dog…read morewalking park. I don't think there was any other dogs in the park whilst we were there. The park is quite small, you could do a lap in less than 10 minutes. The park it's self is well maintained, grass cut short and nice flower beds. There is also clean toilets which it always a plus.

Recently we've been dong a voluntary tour of Belfast Parks and last night it was the turn of…read moreDrumglass Park on the Lisburn Road. Unlike other parks that act as shortcuts to get form one place to another, Drumglass is a purpose built facility for fun, sun bathing and general messing. The parks facilities include a path that runs around the perimeter that also acts as a running circuit, a play park with a nice rubber floor and some top notch equipment, a bandstand that could act as a shelter from the blazing summer sun or more likely the sun showers. Worth noting that there's at least 3 ice cream shops within 5 minutes walk of the park so if you fancy a stroll while simultaneously canceling out those burning calories you're in luck. Last night the park was littered with kids, dog walkers, joggers and sun worshipers. There's a really nice vibe t the park, I suppose that's because if you're in the park you're there to enjoy it rather than using it as a convenient walk way from one place to another. The park itself is well maintained and the council will close the gates at 9:30pm sharp in order to make sure it's looking sublime for the next day.

This is a beautiful well kept park with plenty of facilities for all ages. There is a lovely kids…read moreplay park, a large duck pond and an aviary with some very pretty birds. For the sporty type there is an athletics track marked during the better months and pitches for cricket and football. There are also a number of tennis courts and a bowling green. This is also where my local Saturday morning 5k park run is held with about 300 runners attending most weeks. If you just fancy a lovely walk Ward Park is the place to go with numerous paths to choose around the pond and lots to see on the way.

Ward park is a great place for all the family to enjoy . If you want a leisurely stroll with the…read morekids and dog this is the place to go. With an adventure play park for the kids and the ability to feed the ducks and geese as you walk along beside the stream. The setting is very tranquil and you can forget that you are only a stones throw from Bangor town centre. For those who are actively sporty there are tennis courts and a bowling green It is an ideal place to appreciate all the seasons of the year.

I have been wanting to get a good look around this park for years, as I have driven past Musgrave…read morepark many times. Finally had the chance today, but I only managed half an hour around the sensory garden. There were quirky carved table and chairs for picnics. Herb garden/allotments and a play area with a whispering wall. Good sized car park too. I will definitely go back to walk around the perimeter.

Musgrave Park is somewhere I've visited since I've been old enough to ride a bicycle. I remember…read moregoing down here with my mates from when I was about 10 years old, with a football in a plastic bag swinging from my bikes handlebars and everyone cycling like mad with the knowledge that 'last to the park does nets first'! With vast open spaces, beautiful gardens, bowling greens, tennis courts, football pitches and 'big high trees' this place was the perfect place for me to enjoy my youth until my dinner was ready, and sometimes after if I had my homework done! It is the perfect space for everyone of all ages to enjoy, and can be anything you want it to be, from somewhere for kids to play and run around, for a quiet, tranquil place to collect your thoughts, for a relaxing game of bowls, Musgrave is very well looked after and is a treasure in an area of Belfast surrounded by motorways, busy roads and densely populated neighbourhoods. A special mention must go to the stunning gardens in the park, well worth a walk around in the sunny weather and a great place to get away from the bustle and bustle of city life.

Well worth a visit…read more On 19 May 1928, the Governor of Northern Ireland the Duke of Abercorn laid the Foundation Stone for Parliament Buildings ( Front Pillars), The building was offically opened for business with a grand opening, On 16 November 1932, The Prince of Wales, Edward Windsor, opened Parliament Buildings. Architect Sir Arnold Thornely of Liverpool designed Parliament Buildings to be 365ft wide, representing one foot for every day of the year. Representing the number of counties in Northern Ireland, Parliament Buildings has six floors and there are six pillars at the entrance to the building. To camouflage Parliament Buildings during World War II, the building's Portland stone was painted with a mixture of cow manure and bitumen. Removing the paint after the war was a huge challenge with the mixture having stained the stonework. The paint mixture took seven years to remove and the exterior façade never regained its original white colour. It is one mile from the gates at the bottom of Prince of Wales Avenue to the front steps of Parliament Buildings. The avenue leading up to Parliament Buildings is lined with 305 red-twigged lime trees which have survived since they were first planted in the 1920s. Parliament Buildings is a Grade-B listed building, designed in Greek Classical tradition.

You know you're getting old when you're scouring Belfast looking for new dog walking destinations!…read more After suggesting Stormont Park would be a nice walk with the dog for the last few weeks we finally paid it a visit. It was a mild Saturday afternoon and there wasn't a cloud in the sky and to be fair the weather plays a big part in how you view this park. In the rain the trails would be muddy and the view over Belfast would be unclear but yesterday it was just perfect. The main features of the estate are; - Carson's mile - even if you don't like what goes on in parliament building you can't deny it's a pretty spectacular building and view from the gates. - the country trails through wooded land - the random excersise points - these are installed for joggers to break up their cardio with pull ups, press ups and various other activities. - the grounds are really well kept, cut grass, maintained flower beds and bins every 100 yards! There were also loads of other dogs and kids playing in the grounds and park making it a really nice atmosphere. All in all a really nice walk, could maybe do with a designated car park but apart from that it's top notch!

If you are a frequent Belfast to Bangor commuter then no doubt you will have passed this park…read morecountless times, but how many of you can say that you've stopped and had a walk around? Yesterday, mainly out of interest, we decided to take Ted (our dog) around the park. The grass had been freshly mown and despite it being a drizzly day it was a lovely walk. There's a lovely play park, parking and a maze of paths you can follow. The one thing I'd say is that if you're looking for a long walk it might be best to visit the near by beach. We did four laps of this park as the wee pup wasn't even tired.

Ballymenoch park is a place that anyone traveling from Bangor to Belfast will have past and very…read moreprobably made comment about because in spring when the ground is covered in those unmistakable yellow daffodils it would be impossible not to comment on the beauty. Equally at autumn when the leaves have changed to those gorgeous shades of autumnal hues which can't help but catch your approval. However that glimpse is only a taster as to what this park has to offer. It is an ideal place to have a family stroll at any time of the year and a great place to walk the family pet. There is about 20 acres of woodland park and there are a host of different trees with the chestnut being the predominant so remember that when the kids are looking for that prize conker ! There is a good safe play park for the children with plenty of picnic areas. It's an ideal place to visit and it's close proximity to Holywood with all of its amenities makes for a good day out.a good pair of walking shoes might be advisable.

On the inactive "thankfully" volcanic scrabo hillside this park has some steap slopes and steps and…read moremuch of it isn't accessible by wheelchair except for the lower park which can still be enjoyed by everyone. In the higher parts of the woodland you can see some of the old seabed floor fossilized on the rocks and deeply scored by the ice of the last ice age. The views at the top are worth the climb to see. There's picnic tables at the lower part near the car park ideall for bbqs and picnics as well as a walled garden. You can see grey squirrels and sometimes buzzards in the spring and summer. Toilets are five minutes drive away at the car park by scrabo tower.

Although this is only a few miles form us, we only discovered it about a year ago when we took a…read morewrong turning. Killynether is a beautiful forest park which is carefully managed and upkept so that it remains well stocked with tress, plants and wildlife and free (most of the time) from litter. Just who on earth would leave their rubbish behind in such a beautiful place anyway? I am practically allergic to walking but even I enjoy a walk through the forest here - the views are amazing out across the fields towards Strangford and the dogs and kids have a ball climbing trees (the kids) and eating sticks (the dogs). Some of the path is pretty steep, but you don't have to go that way, there's plenty of space on the flatter ground to enjoy. Even city slickers like me can't help but get excited by the blackberries and conkers in autumn and the bluebells in spring. I've come over all Enid Blyton. You can hear plenty of birds, and you can even feed the squirrels if you can be quiet enough. There is a really pretty walled garden which is off limits to dogs and makes a nice place to sit and contemplate the meaning of life and count your blessings. See? Even writing about Killynether makes me more serene. Take along a portable BBQ as there are some picnic tables with those bits for putting your BBQ on and you have all the ingredients for that rarest of things - a venue for a day out which will cost you nothing.