This knocks the socks off Botanic Gardens any day. It's massive, wilder, nowhere near as crowded…read moreand just lovely. I used to take my spaniel Tiko here every day and he loved it - OK, dogs love anywhere they can run about, but he really did share my love of this park, as there's loads of undergrowth he could and did snuffle into and lots of space to run around. (And if the poor girl whose lunchtime Subway sandwich he scarfed is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) I haven't been back to Ormeau Park since he died, because, well, I just don't want to at the mo, but some of my happiest memories of him are at this park and it''s probably my favourite outdoor spot in all of Belfast. I love walking past the house in the middle of it and dreaming someday of living there. I'd even give up my Melbourne yearning for that... This is a stellar spot for walking, cycling or skating, and I even saw a mini orchestra happily playing near the bandstand once as well. There are bowling greens, a basketball/netball court and tennis courts, at which I would marvel at healthy types playing vigorously there at 10am on a Sunday, as Tiko and I lurched past. (And if the poor guy whose tennis ball he neatly nipped in and stole is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) A beautiful park that's a bit bittersweet for me at the moment, but hopefully will become a regular chilling out place for me again. Perfect.

Ormeau Park, the underrated green space of Belfast. I love this place its a little emerald in the…read moregrey concrete of the city. Well cultivated and kept with its grandiose gates and lots of little walks and trails, great for a little peace of mind walk or a wee day out for kids at the pretty awesome play park. My only negative is that I think there could be more done here events wise. It always seems botanic has the monopoly on those. Maybe a winter wonderland like they do at Hyde Park in London and a few Summer events to make use of the bandstand and nice open spaces.

To start off my review, I feel I should really praise the location, which just a few minutes from…read moreForestside and only 8 minutes from the city centre, which is a good start! We went here as part of a party recently and was a really good experience! I have been karting a few times and the track here is really good, with long, high speed corners and hairpins and tunnels to challenge any driver! This place can be enjoyed by all ages, as when we were there were people ranging from under ten to over 50 getting stuck into some karting fun! It is also equipped with a large function room so it may be suitable for corporate outings or team building nights out. £15 for 15mins There are a wide range of options o race including arrive and drive, "Adrenaline Rush" which is around £30 for a qualifier then a race, Grand Prix which has a more professional structure and Team endurance! The staff were friendly and all too willing to help, and were well organised in getting us out on track swiftly, which was appreciated greatly!

Enjoyable experience no doubt - physically demanding on a very intricate course -whether you…read morechoose a Grand Prix style race or a team race. There is even medals and a rostrum for the top 3 - highly recommended

We visited with grandkids who only wanted to run demonically around the grounds oblivious to Wu flu…read moreand its adverse impacts on life so we cheerfully obliged. Antrim castle and gardens are fabulous to see. Historically the castle was built by Sir Hugh Clotworthy and his son, Sir John Clotworthy, between 1610 and 1662. The name Clotworthy derived from Clotworthy near Wembworthy, Devon, England. As the surname suggests Sir Hugh and family weren't Irish natives, rather they gained land in Ireland in the Plantation of Ulster under the reign of James 1. Sir Hugh was a prominent politician during the Civil War. In 1660 he was created Baron Loughneugh (i.e. Lough Neagh) and Viscount Massereene in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his son-in-law Sir John Skeffington, 4th Baronet, of Fisherwick, the husband of his daughter the Hon. Mary Clotworthy, and in default thereof to his heirs general. Plantation is another term for colonisation and some half a million acres of land was handed over to settlers (planters) by the king. The settlers were mostly from Southern Scotland. The colonists were required to be Protestant, English-speaking, and loyal to the king in short not Irish. Imagine today taking half a million acres of Alaska and gifting the land deeds to Canadians. Anyway, back to today, with the effects of plantation still ever present and the Ulster Scots language on the playground fixtures the gardens feature a 17th century Anglo Dutch water garden, one of only three in the British Isles. They are over 410 years old with beautiful features such as the Large Parterre, Her Ladyship's Pleasure Garden and Yew Tree Pond. Within the heart of the gardens is the unique Clotworthy House also created by Clotworthy descendants the Massereene family. So it's not just a house and garden on the shore of Lough Neagh it's living history and part of the political fabric of a complex, scarred divided statelet. If you want an hour or two of serenity you'll find it here unless of course you happen to get close to our grandkids.

I did not know that Antrim had a castle, motte, walls, and a fairly extensive park. The kept that…read moreone quiet! Or maybe I just wasn't listening... Either way, we just so happened to stumble across the grounds, having come out the High Street side of Castle Mall (ahhh, that explains the name!) and dandered over to an interesting looking gate lodge type building. There was nothing to suggest what this area was, so we took a walk down a path, under an over-pass (graffitied to the max), and appeared in an open green space. I noticed a sign, and went over to look. Reference was made to a motte (so, that's what the huge mound was in front of us...), walls (the gatelodge etc) and castle. Oooh! Where was this castle?! Well apparently all that remains of it is a wall tower, which is really a shame, as I had been hoping for a proper, full-sized castle. Oh well. Unfortunately, grey clouds were looming over us, and rain was threatening, so we didn't get much further. However, the gardens are meant to be lovely, with a canal, ponds and walks, and I would love to go back to explore these further, on a more pleasant day of course. There is also a major regeneration project ongoing within the grounds at the minute, and into next year, so I can't wait to see how it will look after the makeover.

Over here working for a few weeks. New to yoga following recurrence of an old injury, a friend in…read morethe office recommended this class specifically. The Instructor was patient, understanding and informative in a pleasant and relaxing setting. Highly recommended.

The tower itself is closed to the public but the grounds are accessible at any time,I'm not a hippy…read moreor anything but I really want to get up early some morning in the summer and walk up to scrabo tower and have a bowl of cornflakes as the sun rises. The views on a sunny day are fantastic over Belfast,comber and the Irish sea. The walks through the quarries and through killyneither woods are long and challenging in places, great for a bit of exercise and peace and quiet , bring food and a disposable bbq there's lots of picnic tables throughout the park. Great place to bring your kids or walk your dog. Would benefit from a shop here for drinks and snacks. You can have dinner in the golf club though.

The price is 5 pound it's good you get to walk up to the top went a hour ago just to look inside it…read morewas fun haven't been in while that's why I went today

My boyfriend and I went here with the intention of doing just the Detained room but ended up doing…read moreanother 3 rooms (Witchcraft and Wizardry, Area 51 and Houdini's Workshop). The rooms are excellently designed and very fun to navigate. Many laughs and brain scratching moments were had. The staff are excellent, very friendly and up for a laugh. Over all it was a top quality experience and a brilliant day out. Thank you very much guys!

This is a gym just for women.....yes you heard me right JUST FOR WOMEN!!!…read moreThis was music to my ears when I heard it, no men hogging the free weights while admiring their 'muscles' in the mirror at this litte gem of a gym :) Everything is pink and girlie, it is relaxed and friendly and you even get your own personalised programme as part of the membership package (which is also extremely competative at £29 per month), access to classes and you regularly get measured and weighed so it's easy to keep track of your progress! I've been a member for just over a month now and I love it - honestly the best gym i've ever been a member of, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Walking through the inside of Ards Lesiure Centre is like walking through a cold war bunker. The…read moregrey brick work along with the brown tiled floor makes for a really unpleasant experience. No wonder people hate the gym, the walk to it would put you in mind of the Green Mile. There's been absolutely no attempt to give Ards Leisure Centre a facelift. In fact I think it's exactly the same as it was when I last reviewed it back in 2010. Since the opening of Aurora in Bangor this place pales in to insignificance. On the positive side it does have a wealth of activities on offer, everything from badminton to fitness classes. i was actually there to attend a spin class and it was top notch. The instructor was great and you can distract yourself from the pain of peddling by questioning what era the curtains were erected in. All in all this place is a little dated - i wouldn't be surprised if NI Screen bought it up as the set of their next post apocalyptic blockbuster.

Yeah Ards Leisure Centre is just alright as far as I am concerned it could be cleaner and the staff…read morecould be friendlier. They have a health suite which you pay about £4 to use, to be honest it is very dated with swing doors on the front of the entrance. It just feels a bit grimy. The swimming pool is used by local schools for swimming lessons which means that if you are unlucky you will be swimming along side 30 splashing, noisy, snot-ridden kids. They have a gym but it is small and has that chalky feeling to it. One good thing is the classes they run - pole dancing, trampoline and archery are among those on offer but you need to be fast as the places go quick, quick, quick!

As a keen cyclist I have been familiar with lifecycles for many years, primarily due to its…read morereputation as an excellent place to have your bicycle repaired. I recently had a problem with my bike gears and so brought it down to the lifecycles workshop to have it looked at professionally. Now on first name terms with the guys working there, I always receive fantastic service from the friendly and knowledgeable workers and have to say I'm usually very happy with the work they do. My most recent problem I had with my bike was fixed within 2 days and this for me was very pleasing. They replaced a part on the bike but explained why they had to, what was causing the problem in the first place and how to prevent it in the future. Money well spent!

This place is tucked in the alleyway in Lawrence street, so you may need help with directions on…read moreyour first visit. However, when you get there you can be confident your bike is in good hands. Austin is the guy who runs the shop and I don't think there is anything he doesn't know about bike maintenance. In addition to this, he's pretty cheap compared to other similar bike repair services in Belfast. I'd advise leaving enough time for any work though- since it's a small business it can probably get busy so rush jobs may not be possible. Still, very happy I have this place so close!