Next time you are in Conway Square taking a break from the hectic Saturday market, or chomping on a…read moredoner kebab in the early hours of a Sunday morning, take a minute to consider local and highly decorated war hero Lieutenant Robert Blair Mayne who's statue has stood proudly in Ards town centre since 1996. Most commonly known by his nickname "Paddy" he has been hailed as a hero of the rugby pitch and battlefield alike. With caps for Ireland, the British Lions and most famously recognized as a founding member of the SAS there is clearly good cause for a statue in his memory. It is said that many men owe their lives to his heroics behind enemy lines in WW2 and, by all accounts, his gallant actions would not have been too far out of place in an Indiana Jones movie! With locals still campaigning for a posthumous award of the coveted "Victoria Cross", and lingering rumours of a film documenting Paddy's life, there is every reason to acquaint yourselves with this legendary statue in Conway Square!

Who knew this great man was right beneath our noses this whole time? Not me, well until recently…read more While shopping on a busy Friday in Ards with my mum I waited outside another one of those women's clothes shops I was being dragged into all afternoon. It was after she had been away for around ten minutes I decided to go have a closer look at the life size Iron statue that stood proudly in Conway Square. Underneath it said Blair "Paddy" Mayne and I thought that name sounds familiar. So like any former student I did my research and it turns out Mayne was a Newtownards and Northern Irish legend. He fought in the Second World War, He won an Irish Boxing Title and he could drink too. The statue is in Conway Square to commemorate all these achievements, except drinking, and a noble mans life. Mayne tragically died in a car collision in December 1955 and the whole country came to a standstill. The people of Newtownards erected this statue in honour of a great man who defended the county at war and on the battlefield. If you want to be inspired I suggest you pay his statue a visit and read up on his life.

I feel like I've been very cultured lately, from evening walks around a 12th Century priory to…read morevisiting arguably the biggest man made hill in Ireland. This hill I talk of is situated in Moat Park just off Dundonald's main shopping street. So why am I reviewing a hill? Well I'm not really; I'm reviewing the park the hill is situated in. But I'll start with the hill itself - it has a lot of history. The hill used to be the site that a 12th century fort stood on - this fort overlooked the district of Castlereagh. It's worth researching the full history to get a bit of perspective - if you don't it is kind of just a big mound plonked in the middle of a park. The general upkeep of the park isn't great and more could be made of the history of the hill or 'motte'. This park provides a nice walk in Dundonald and it's an ideal place to take your dog for a run about. You'll often find patients or staff from the adjacent Ulster Hospital walking around the park during the day. I suppose it's a nice place to get away from it all.

I have been going for walks at Island Hill for many more years than I care to remember and I have…read morenow reached the stage in life when I take my own nippers there for some fresh sea air and a little bit of old fashioned exercise. The most exciting thing for children is that there is an actual island which is cut off at high tide, with a concrete walk way linking it to the land. So depending on when you visit, you may have a clearly exposed path to the island, a path just above the water or no path at all! When you can cross the walkway, you can get onto the island, which while tiny, still seems very exciting for children. There's a car park, toilets and a few picnic tables so if we ever get a nice warm sunny day you could happily spend a few hours at Island Hill. The views across Strangford are stunning, so it's a good little spot to take visitors to Belfast and let them see some great scenery.

Island Hill is a local secret. It's a little island with a circumference of about half a kilometre…read more There is a clear walkway around the island if you want to stay on dry land or you can walk along the shore. The fun part of Island Hill is that it's sometimes closed -there is only one way out to the island and when the tide is in that walk way gets totally submerged. To get out to the island you have to walk, often on a slippery path that is only broad enough for a bicycle or a horse. This can only be reached at particular times during the day as it will flood over and anyone who is on the island will have to either, swim, call the coast guard or wait the tide out. This sounds far fetched but people do get stuck out there. The views around Island Hill on a nice day are beautiful with Scrabo Tower on the hill to your left and Strangford waters all around. The car park has a grand Totum pole and other pieces or art on the cemented flood barriers. There are also picnic tables that are often used by families on sunny days. I walk my dog here at least once a week and so far I have avoided getting stranded on the island but I have had to roll up my trousers and wade back a few times. It's a lovely place to clear your head, look at the birds, and to poke the strange miniscule crabs and the large purple jellyfish that wash up.