Top Hidden Gems Day Trips from Armagh
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Hidden Gems Day Trips from Armagh include Coney Island, Cranfield Church & Holy Well, Peace Maze of Northern Ireland, Collin Glen, Cove Cave, Annalong River, Inch Abbey and Ballynoe Stone Circle.
Armagh sits in gentle drumlin country with a great sweep of Ulster within reach, so a day out from the little cathedral city can take you almost anywhere. Head north to the shores of Lough Neagh and you can take a boat to wooded Coney Island, or follow the water round to the ruined Cranfield Church and its holy well on the Antrim side.
Turn towards Belfast and Colin Glen offers a green wooded valley on the city's western edge. Most rewarding of all is the run south-east into County Down and the Mourne Mountains, where you will find the yew hedges of the Peace Maze, the granite mouth of Cove Cave, and the rock pools of the Annalong River.
Carry on east towards Downpatrick for the riverside ruins of Inch Abbey and the ancient ring of Ballynoe Stone Circle. None is far by car, and each rewards the drive out.
Here are eight hidden gems for a day trip from Armagh.
Coney Island
Photo: Graeme McCusker via Geograph.org.uk
Coney Island A small wooded island near the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, off Maghery, Coney Island sits out in the lough between the mouths of the Blackwater and the Bann. Trees cover its few acres, and on it stand the remains of an old motte and a later stone tower from its days as an O'Neill stronghold.
The National Trust owns it, and boat trips run out from the shore at weekends in season. Just north of Armagh, it makes an unusual half-day out on the water, a short crossing to a green speck of history set in the lough.
Cranfield Church & Holy Well
Photo: Kenneth Allen via Geograph.org.uk
Cranfield Church & Holy Well This ruined medieval church stands in its old graveyard on the shore of Lough Neagh at Churchtown Point in County Antrim. Little more than the low flint walls survive, with a holy well on the shore just to the east, long tied to a local saint.
Pilgrims have come to the well over the centuries, especially in early summer, and the ruin and the well sit together in a quiet spot right by the water. It lies across the lough from Armagh, a drive of around forty kilometres, and rewards anyone who enjoys old stones and lakeside peace.
Peace Maze of Northern Ireland
Photo: Eric Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Peace Maze of Northern Ireland Set in Castlewellan Forest Park near the Mourne Mountains, the Peace Maze is a large hedge maze planted as a symbol of Northern Ireland's peace process. Around six thousand yew trees make up its low hedges, laid out in two halves that both have to be worked through to reach the centre, where solvers ring a peace bell.
It covers about two and a half acres, with more than two miles of hedge, and was planted in 2000 before opening in 2001. Until a bigger one opened in Hawaii in 2007, it was the largest permanent hedge maze in the world, a fine day out south-east of Armagh.
Collin Glen
Photo: Eric Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Colin Glen On the western edge of Belfast, Colin Glen is a wooded glen and forest park running along the Colin River below the slopes of Black Mountain. A path follows the river through the trees past small waterfalls, and the park has grown into an adventure spot with an alpine coaster and ziplines threading the woods.
Families come for the glen walk and the seasonal trails, and it gives a welcome stretch of green ground close to the edge of the city. Around forty-eight kilometres north-east of Armagh, it pairs a gentle riverside stroll with a bit of high-wire thrill for a full family day.
Cove Cave
Photo: Eric Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Cove Cave A rounded opening in a rocky spur, wide-mouthed and shallow inside, with a floor of tumbled boulders and water running out from somewhere within: this granite cave sits high on the slopes of Cove Mountain, deep in the Mourne Mountains of County Down, above the upper Annalong valley. Getting to it is a hillwalk of several miles up the valley from the Carrick Little car park, finishing with a short scramble.
This is a feature for walkers rather than anything you pull off the road to see, so lace your boots and put the day aside for it.
Annalong River
Photo: Eric Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Annalong River In the heart of the Mourne Mountains, the Annalong River runs down a broad, open valley, and where it spills over ledges of granite it forms a set of rock pools and small falls. The largest pool is deep enough to swim in, with smaller cascade pools scattered around it.
This is bare upland country, treeless and wide, all heather and grazing sheep, with the granite tors of Slieve Binnian standing to the west. Getting here takes about an hour on foot from the road end at Carrick Little, up a stony track into the hills.
There is no shade once you are in, a proper wild day out from Armagh.
Inch Abbey
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Inch Abbey On the north bank of the River Quoile, across the water from Downpatrick in County Down, Inch Abbey is a ruined Cistercian abbey founded in the late 1100s. It survives chiefly as the church, with a row of three tall lancet windows in its east end and the low walls and footings of the rest.
The site stands in state care, free to walk around, in a quiet riverside setting. Fans of Game of Thrones may recognise it, since it stood in for the camp of the King in the North.
Around sixty kilometres east of Armagh, it makes a rewarding drive towards the Down coast.
Ballynoe Stone Circle
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Ballynoe Stone Circle A few miles south of Downpatrick in County Down, Ballynoe Stone Circle stands in a quiet field. It is a wide ring, around thirty metres across, made of more than fifty low stones set close together like a wall.
Inside lies a long low mound with a kerb around it, added later than the circle and holding burials at each end. Outlying stones near the western side frame a kind of entrance.
The circle was raised in the late Stone Age and the mound in the Bronze Age that followed. Reached by a short lane and path, it is the furthest of these day trips from Armagh.
FAQs
How far are these day trips from Armagh?
They range from Coney Island on Lough Neagh, under twenty kilometres north, out to Inch Abbey and Ballynoe Stone Circle near Downpatrick, around sixty kilometres east. Armagh's central spot in Ulster means all eight sit within an easy day's drive.
Which spots are best for a mountain walk?
The Mourne Mountains south-east of Armagh hold the finest walking, with Cove Cave and the Annalong River both reached on hillwalks of an hour or more from the Carrick Little car park in County Down. Sturdy boots and good weather are essential.
Are any of these good for families?
Yes. The Peace Maze at Castlewellan and Colin Glen on the edge of Belfast both suit children, with hedges to solve, an alpine coaster and easy riverside paths. Both make relaxed family days out from Armagh.
Conclusion
Few small cities open onto as much variety as Armagh. In one direction the still waters of Lough Neagh hold wooded Coney Island and the old stones of Cranfield Church; in another the Mourne Mountains rise over the rock pools of the Annalong River, the granite mouth of Cove Cave and the yew hedges of the Peace Maze.
Eastward towards Downpatrick, Inch Abbey and Ballynoe Stone Circle carry you deep into County Down's past. These are country outings, so pack walking boots for the hills and check boat times for the island before you go.
Whether you fancy an easy stroll or a long day on the tops, these are the hidden gems for a day trip from Armagh.
