Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights near Bangor
The eastern fringe of Northern Ireland is populated mostly by people who consider them-
selves true-blue British citizens with a history of loyalty to the Crown that goes back more
than400years.TwosightswithinreachbycarfromBangorhighlightthisarea'sfirmroots
in British culture: the Somme Heritage Centre and Mount Stewart House.
Getting There: Patchy bus service (bus #6) can be used to reach these sights from
Bangor (check schedule with Bangor TI first). I'd rent a car instead. Enterprise Rent-
A-Car has a handy outlet in Bangor (10 Enterprise Road, tel. 028/9146-1616,
www.enterprise.co.uk ) . You can also rent cars from nearby George Best Belfast City Air-
port (described on here ) , which is only 15 minutes by train from Bangor or 10 minutes
from Belfast's Central Station. Because the airport is east of Belfast, your drive to these
ruralsightsskipstheheadacheofurbanBelfast.Callaheadtoconfirmsightopeninghours.
Somme Heritage Centre
World War I's trench warfare was a meat grinder. More British soldiers died in the
last year of the war than in all of World War II. Northern Ireland's men were not
spared—especially during the bloody Battle of the Somme in France, starting in July of
1916 (see the “1916” sidebar, earlier). Among the Allied forces was the British Army's
36th Ulster Division, which drew heavily from this loyal heartland of Northern Ireland.
The 36th Ulster Division suffered brutal losses at the Battle of the Somme—of the 760
men recruited from the Shankill Road area in Belfast, only 10 percent survived.
Exhibits portray the battle experience through a mix of military artifacts, photos, his-
torical newsreels, and life-size figures posed in trench warfare re-creations. To access the
majority of the exhibits, it's essential to take the one-hour guided tour (leaving hourly, on
the hour). Visiting this place is a moving experience, but it can only hint at the horrific
conditions endured by these soldiers.
Cost and Hours: £5; July-Aug Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 12:00-17:00; April-June
and Sept Mon-Thu 10:00-16:00, Sat 12:00-16:00, closed Fri and Sun; Oct-March Mon-
Thu 10:00-16:00, closed Fri-Sun; 3 miles south of Bangor just off A-21 at 233 Bangor
Road, tel. 028/9182-3202, www.irishsoldier.org . A coffee shop is located at the center.
Mount Stewart House
No manor house in Ireland better illuminates the affluent lifestyle of the Protestant as-
cendancy than this lush estate. After the defeat of James II (the last Catholic king of Eng-
land) at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the Protestant monarchy was in control—and
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