Strangford Lough & Ards Peninsula - National Trust

Strangford Lough & Ards Peninsula - National Trust National Trust Strangford Lough Hello and thanks for visiting! This is the page for National Trust Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula.

We are a small but dedicated team of rangers responsible for all the ‘free access’ National Trust sites, and even some islands, in and around the beautiful Strangford Lough. We love our work, based as it is in such a beautiful part of the world, and we wanted to share it with you. Maybe you’d like to get involved with the events we run (or those taking place on other National Trust properties in t

he area)? Or maybe you'd like to share your own pics of our lovely landscape – we’re looking forward to hearing from you! Our work is varied and our schedule can be erratic – the seasons and weather dictate what we do from day to day. From general maintenance of the sites (grass cutting, hedge laying, fencing and rubbish collection, to biological monitoring (bird and seal counts) and habitat management, we are out and about every day to keep your National Trust sites safe, clean and free for you to enjoy. Another element of the job involves moving livestock to the various islands for conservation grazing under National Trust care, with our new barge, the Cuan Brig. You can watch a great video of this here:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355862671419/

In addition to our events, we run a regular volunteer day every Wednesday, as well as a Saturday at the end of each month, where anyone can come along and take part in this great work caring for our environment. Please be aware that due to the nature of our work and our small team, it may take us a while to respond to your messages and post etc, but we will get back to you! If your enquiry is urgent, please call us on: 028 4278 7769. Please share our page with friends and family – and we look forward to seeing you soon! Thanks for visiting
Ranger Team
National Trust Strangford/Ards Peninsula

House Rules of our page:

We want our page to be a place where people can share how they feel about the National Trust and talk about their experiences in a fun environment. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative. It helps
us to learn and grow. These house rules aim to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves while they’re here. We ask you to be nice and polite to one another – you almost always are!- and respect each other’s views and comments. We ask all users to ensure your contributions are civil, polite, tasteful and suitable for all ages. We won’t
tolerate disruptive, offensive or abusive behaviour, unlawful or objectionable content. This includes any material which might be defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, blasphemous, indecent or otherwise unlawful or objectionable. It also includes any material which is aggressive, argumentative or likely to be construed as bullying. No spamming or repetition, please, nor off-topic material in subject-specific threads or areas.

With the vernal (Spring) equinox just past, we can now look forward to longer, lighter days. 🌞🌙Whilst the Rangers have b...
23/03/2026

With the vernal (Spring) equinox just past, we can now look forward to longer, lighter days. 🌞🌙

Whilst the Rangers have been out, they've been capturing sunrises and sunsets around the lough.

Little known fact about ground nesting birds... did you know they are elite level hide and seek grandmasters? They might...
20/03/2026

Little known fact about ground nesting birds... did you know they are elite level hide and seek grandmasters? They might only be a few days old, but do they know a thing or two about camouflage! Can you spot them in the first photo?

April to August is ground nesting season so watch your step on shorelines and if you are visiting any islands on Strangford Lough over the summer months.

It's time for episode two and get ready for some stunning Lough action!📺Watch along at 7pm on BBC2 or catch up on iPlaye...
21/01/2026

It's time for episode two and get ready for some stunning Lough action!

📺Watch along at 7pm on BBC2 or catch up on iPlayer tonight!

BBC Springwatch

It's time for   episode one, live from Mount Stewart on the shores of Strangford Lough! ❄🦡🐿🦆📺Watch along at 7pm on BBC2 ...
20/01/2026

It's time for episode one, live from Mount Stewart on the shores of Strangford Lough! ❄🦡🐿🦆

📺Watch along at 7pm on BBC2 or catch up on iPlayer tonight!

Get ready to ready to see what the wildlife cameras have been capturing at Mount Stewart and expect to see plenty of the Lough!

📷Philip Magowan

BBC Springwatch

New year, new job!We're recruiting for a Ranger on and around Strangford Lough. A large part of your work as a ranger he...
14/01/2026

New year, new job!

We're recruiting for a Ranger on and around Strangford Lough.

A large part of your work as a ranger here, will be spent on and around the water, working on power boats, carrying out habitat management on islands and seal counts on behalf of NIEA and moving livestock to and from islands with the Cuan Brig barge.

Applications close 18 January, to apply search National Trust Jobs

As 2025 draws to a close we want to thank all the people who visited the many places we care for and all our incredible ...
31/12/2025

As 2025 draws to a close we want to thank all the people who visited the many places we care for and all our incredible volunteers who have helped look after them.

Happy New Year from all the Strangford and Ards Peninsula team.

📷Sarah Harkness

Storm Bram has left our Strangford & Ards Peninsula team with a mountain of extra work to do. Not only do they need to c...
11/12/2025

Storm Bram has left our Strangford & Ards Peninsula team with a mountain of extra work to do. Not only do they need to check all the places we care for, to make sure they are safe for visitors to enjoy again, but there's also the clean up.....

The Rangers and their dedicated team of volunteers have been making their way round the Lough and cleaning up the mess left by the storm, which definitely falls under one of their less glamourous jobs!

A massive thank you to the Rangers and Volunteers who have worked so hard to make these special places safe and tidy again!

The view from Scrabo Tower across Strangford Lough. 👀Strangford Lough is the largest sea lough in the British Isles, cov...
04/12/2025

The view from Scrabo Tower across Strangford Lough. 👀

Strangford Lough is the largest sea lough in the British Isles, covering an area of over 150 square kilometers and is one of only three marine nature reserves in the whole of the UK.

Its name is derived from Norse meaning 'strongfjord', referring to the dramatic currents in the Narrows which are some of the fastest in the world.

Over a third of the entire protected area of Strangford Lough is managed by the National Trust.

Fun facts and Winter walks inspiration

Did you know Scrabo Tower was built in 1859 by the Londonderry family as a memorial to Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry and was originally known as the Londonderry Monument.

Head up to Scrabo Tower to take in the views of the Lough and the Mournes, then follow the trail signs and take a wander through Killynether Woods which is also cared for by the Strangford Ranger team!

🎄🌳🎋🌴

What lies beneath...🐟The Strangford team were delighted to get out on Strangford Lough with the QUB Marine Team and thei...
02/12/2025

What lies beneath...🐟

The Strangford team were delighted to get out on Strangford Lough with the QUB Marine Team and their remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to film the seabed for potential locations for Tern Rafts. Stay tuned to find out more on this exciting conservation project.

Queen's University Marine Laboratory .ni

Thanks To Jade, Bernard, Rebekah and Will for the 📷

Winter has reached Strangford❄The Rangers have been capturing some spectacular shots over the last week, going about the...
22/11/2025

Winter has reached Strangford❄

The Rangers have been capturing some spectacular shots over the last week, going about their duties around Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula.

With the temperature dropping to 2 degrees on Wednesday, the weather has turned truly wintery and the rangers have been seeing flocks of birds really focusing on foraging!

📷Ranger Tomasz

Inspiring Autumn walks around  the Ards Peninsula 🍂📍Kearney Village🎟 Kearney, Portaferry, County Down🚗Free ParkingKearne...
24/10/2025

Inspiring Autumn walks around the Ards Peninsula 🍂

📍Kearney Village
🎟 Kearney, Portaferry, County Down
🚗Free Parking

Kearney is a traditional fishing village full of unspoilt, timeless character. On this short coastal walk from the village car park, look out for quaint, whitewashed cottages and an abundance of wildlife, from oystercatchers, rock pipits and shelducks, to winter waders and turnstones.

17/10/2025

This page provides links to documents that should be referred to by all water users, including the general public, for best practice guidance to avoid marine wildlife disturbance. There is guidance for a wide range of marine and coastal users, from boat users, to paddle boarders/kayakers, to dog wal...

Address

Portaferry Road
Newtownards
BT222AJ

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