Stories from the shore

Take time to unwind along the shores and meander beside the riverbanks in Mid Ulster. Savour the views between the shore and the high horizon. Stay a while in on-water glamping pods. Step out along boardwalks to drink in views of the water or catch glimpses of blue as you wander through woodlands.

Immerse yourself in the stories of the Lough shore and its legends and unwind the way you want beside the water from sunrise to sunset.

Ballyronan Marina

Make Blue Flag Award winning Ballyronan Marina the first port of call on your Lough Neagh adventure. There’s something for everyone at this idyllic harbour set on the shores of the lough, just five miles outside Magherafelt.

Whether you want to get out on the water or stay on dry land enjoy the shoreline. There’s an activity for you at Ballyronan: take a trip with Lough Neagh cruises and boat tours, bring your canoe or kayak, and enjoy fishing trips and water sports - they all start at Ballyronan Marina.

There’s also a beach, children’s play area, woodland nature trail and a host of accommodation options including on-water glamping pods, so you can anchor here and extend your stay in these beautiful surroundings.

A new shuttle bus service will run during July and August, leaving from the Bus Centre in Magherafelt town centre to Ballyronan Marina.  Leaving at 11am the 89e bus will get you to the Marina in just 15 mins.  Take time to explore, get a picnic or lunch in The Scullery or the Chat & Chew before catching the return 89d in the afternoon!  The timetable for all 89 buses can be found at www.translink.co.uk.

Lough Neagh Cruises

Set sail from Ballyronan Marina aboard the Maid of Antrim for a Lough Neagh cruise or charter one of the several other boats offering boat trips on Lough Neagh. Enjoy a refreshing cruise on the impressive body of water with expert guides to talk you through the history, traditions and wildlife of this place.

There are still around 200 Lough Neagh fishermen working on the lough. Some, such as seventh-generation Lough Neagh fisherman Gary McErlain, of Ballyronan-based Lough Neagh Stories, will take you out in their boats for tours or Lough Neagh fishing experiences.

Alternatively, you might like to go angling on the shores of Lough Neagh or the banks of one of the dozens of rivers and streams that flow into it. Just make sure you have the right licence and permit to fish the stretch of water you have in mind.

Lough Fea, Cookstown

Dive deeper into the wild scenic mountains of the Sperrins as you journey inland to Lough Fea, just six miles from Cookstown. Lough Fea is an idyllic lake which is ideal for walkers with even, mostly flat tracks that border the edge of the water and skirt through fields of heather with vistas across the horizon. Facilities include 4.1km circular walkway, picnic areas, and children’s play park. Fly fishing is available and day licences / permits can be purchased from the Visitor Information Centre at the Burnavon in Cookstown.

Seamus Heaney HomePlace Open Ground

The Strand at Lough Beg

Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘The Strand at Lough Beg’ takes its name from a place where his family’s cattle once grazed. Heaney had fond memories of visiting the Strand with his father at the end of the day to check on the herd.

Lough Beg is a wetland Nature Reserve, where you can watch wildfowl, woodland birds and the seasons come and go – just as Seamus Heaney used to do in one of his favourite places.

Moyola River at Castledawson

The fields at Mossbawn, the family farm where Seamus Heaney was born and spent his early years, ran down to the Moyola River. With the Moyola just half-a-mile from his front door, the young Heaney would walk along the river to the stone arches of the railway bridge at Castledawson.

The poem ‘A New Song’ recounts time spent by the water. Follow the riverbank for yourself and discover the birds, rocks and trees that inspired Heaney.