Portaferry Overview

Portaferry lies on the southern tip of the Ards Peninsula and peers at Strangford town across the waters of Strangford Lough. Tourists stop in this seaside town to relax, explore the southern Ards, and enjoy Northern Ireland’s largest aquarium.

T Transportation. To reach Strangford Lough from the bus stop, follow Ferry Street or Castle Street downhill for about 100 yd. Ulsterbuses from Belfast drop off visitors at The Square in the center of town. (1hr.; M-F 15 per day, Sa 10 per day, Su 5 per day; £5.) Ferries leave Portaferry’s waterfront at 15 and 45min. past the hr. for a 10min. chug to Strangford, returning on the hr. and hr. (☎4488 1637. M-F 7:45am-10:45pm, Sa 8:15am-11:15pm, Su 9:45am-10:45pm. £1.10, children 50p, seniors free; return £2/1/8.50. Car and driver £5.30.)

Orientation And Practical Information. To reach the tourist office from the bus stop, take Castle Street downhill toward the lough. The tourist office is on the corner of Castle St. and the Strand, the shoreline’s official name, in front of Portaferry Castle. Beyond the usual brochures, accommodations bookings ( £2 plus 10% deposit), and a bureau de change, it also has a 12min. video on the medieval “tower houses” of Co. Down, precursors of the grand estates. (☎4272 9882. Open July-Aug. M-Sa 10am-5:30pm, Su 1-6pm; Easter-June and Sept. M-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 2-6pm.) Get Internet access at the library, 45 High St., at the end of the block on the right. (☎4272 8194. £1.50 per 30min. Open M and W 2-8pm, F 10am-1pm and 2-5pm, Sa 10am-1pm.) Portaferry Pharmacy, 39 High St. (☎4272 8226), is on the north side of town. (Open M and F 9am-6pm; Tu, Th, and Sa 9am-5:30pm; W 9am-5:45pm; closed 1-2pm.) Near the bus station is Northern Bank and its 24hr. ATM, 1 The Square (☎4272 8208; open M 10am-5pm, Tu-W and F 10am-3:30pm, Th 9:30am-3:30pm; closed daily 12:30-1:30pm), and the post office, 28 The Square (☎4272 8201; open M-W and F 9am-1pm and 2-5:30pm, Th 9am-1pm, Sa 9am-12:30pm). Postal Code: BT22.

Accommodations. A peaceful stay awaits residents of the Portaferry Barholm Youth Hostel , 11 the Strand, across from the ferry dock. Offering both hotel- and hostel-style accommodations, Barholm is a cut above standard hostels and is ideally located right on Strangford Lough, with a conservatory dining room and excellent views. (☎4272 9598. Weekend reservations are necessary. Wheelchair-accessible. Weekend tearoom open daily noon-5pm; sandwiches £2.20. For groups: breakfast, lunch, and 3-course dinner £16 per day. Laundry £3. Dorms £13; singles £15; ensuite doubles from £35.) The digs at Fiddler’s Green B&B , located above the pub on Church St., are unbeatable. Hardwood floors, private baths, and airy rooms with matching bedsheets and curtains add that extra touch of class. Call ahead as it fills up on weekends. (☎4272 8393, bookings 078 1603 0058; www.fiddlersgreenportaferry.com. Free Wi-Fi. Singles £ 22-35.)

Food And Pubs. Numerous fresh fruit and veggie markets and convenience stores are scattered around High St. and The Square. For opening hours, you can’t beat Spar, 16 The Square. (☎4272 8957. Open daily 6:30am-9pm.) Every Saturday from Easter through September, Market House in The Square welcomes a country market (9:30am-noon). For a quick and greasy bite, Ferry Grill , 2-8 Castle St., before Exploris and Portaferry Castle, serves Chinese food. Try the two-course weekend lunch deal (F-Su noon-5pm; £6.50) . Entrees include a wide selection of duck and squid dishes. (☎4272 9000. Most entrees £7-9. Open M-Th 5-11pm, F-Su noon-11pm.) Deli-licious 1, 1a Castle St. (☎4272 9911), has a warm interior despite the copious amounts of ice cream (from £3). It rounds out the menu with its hot breakfasts for £3 and lunches for £3-5. (Open daily 9am-3pm; July-Aug. until 5pm; during Gala Week 8am-8pm.) At night, everyone stumbles to  Fiddler’s Green, 10-14 Church St., where publican Frank and his sons lead rowdy sing-alongs on weekends. As the wall proclaims: “There are no strangers here. Just friends who have not yet met.” (☎4272 8393. F-Su live folk, trad, rock, or pop. Open daily 11:30pm-1:30am.) Across the street, locals gather for booze and billiards at The Milestone, 1-3 Church St. (☎4272 9629. £5 deposit for billiards. Open daily 11:30am-12:30am.) M.E. Dumigan’s, 9-11 Ferry St., is up from the waterfront. This pub is so small, you’ll have no choice but to rub shoulders with the local crowd. (Open M-Sa 11:30am-11pm, Su 12:30-10pm.)

Sights. Portaferry’s pride and joy is  Exploris, Northern Ireland’s only public aquarium and one of the UK’s best. Near the pier, beneath the crumbling Portaferry Castle, Exploris holds first-rate exhibits on local marine ecology. The journey begins in the shallow waters of Strangford Lough, proceeds through the Narrows, and ends in the depths of the Irish Sea, where one of Europe’s largest tanks houses sharks and other large fish. Touch-tanks and interactive displays keep kids educated and engaged. The aquarium is renowned for its seal sanctuary, which focuses its efforts on the rehabilitation of injured or orphaned seals along the coastline. Very young injured seals are kept in pens where they are carefully monitored. As they heal they are free to play in the open-air sanctuary before being released back into the wild. October through December is the best time for seal sightings; check out Ballyquinton Point and Cloughy Rocks or ask at the aquarium for the best spots. (☎4272 8062; www.exploris.org.uk. Open Apr.-Aug. M-F 10am-6pm, Sa 11am-6pm, Su noon-6pm; Sept.-Mar. until 5pm. £7; children, students and seniors £4; families £20; under 4 free.) July brings the massive Gala Week of boat races, crowds, performers, drink, and general revelry (www.portaferrygala.com). A lineup of events is available from the tourist office; alternatively, contact Caroline Mageean at ☎077 4216 7917.