Carrowdore

Carrowdore is a quiet village on The Ards Peninsula, situated close to Donaghadee. It is reputed to have one of the widest streets in Ireland!

Steeped in rich history...

The village was once home to the Carrowdore 100, a celebrated motorcycle road race first held in 1927. Famous competitors included Joey Dunlop who won the race eight times. The last race was held in 2000, but Carrowdore regularly plays host to cyclists that use its popular racecourse to practice and compete.

Louis MacNeice CBE, the renowned poet and playwright, is buried at Christ Church, Church of Ireland in Carrowdore. He died on 4 September 1963, in London and is buried beside his mother and his grandfather.

Eastwell Farm Alpacas

In the nearby countryside you will find the popular Eastwell Farm Alpacas which offers up great family friendly fun, allowing visitors to get up close to these lovely animals. Take a walk around their forest grove trail with one of their handsome Alpaca boys. Enjoy the peace, solitude and calm of the wooded area and allow the unique character of the alpaca to lead you to your happy place. Find the fairies, spot the butterflies and finish your walk in our forest picnic area. Find out more about this attraction. Find out more about this attraction.

Self Guided Town and Village Walking Trails

Learn more about the area through our Walking Trail guides which help you discover the rich history of this place, by walking in the footsteps of Normans, Vikings and Saints amongst others.

Village Trails of the Ards Peninsula

Other Walking Trail guides include:

• Bangor | Crawfordsburn and Helen's Bay | Holywood 
• Comber | Newtownards | Donaghadee

Click for detailed Maps and Guides.

Visitor Information Centres

Our Visitor Information Centres in Bangor and Newtownards have a knowledgeable team who would be delighted to help offer tips and suggestions for how to make the most of your time in the city and the wider borough.

Each of our centres has a gift shop - pick up a memento of your trip from a range of items including souvenirs, locally crafted jewellery, ornaments, books of local interest and so much more.

Bangor Visitor Information Centre | Ards Visitor Information Centre

Getting to Carrowdore

Located on north-east of Strangford Lough, between the bustling town of Newtownards and the charming village of Greyabbey which is renowned for it's antique shops, Carrowdore is best accessed by road and Translink public transport (bus).

See Sat Nav details and Distance Guide at the bottom of the page.

Plan your trip

Sat Nav details

Latitude 54°39'3"N and longitude 5°41'43"W

Driving distances (approx, depending on route):
Belfast - Carrowdore | 40 minutes
Bangor - Carrowdore | 20 minutes
Greyabbey - Carrowdore | 10 minutes
Comber - Carrowdore | 20 minutes
Newtownards - Carrowdore | 15 minutes
Portaferry - Carrowdore | 25 minutes