Antrim and NI Food/Craft Festival

Today we had a visit to Antrim Castle Gardens, with the bonus that the NI Food and Craft Festival was being held there this weekend! So we made a day of it by booking onto a walking tour and visiting the market stalls.

Antrim Castle Gardens This is a great spot for both a gentle stroll admiring the landscaped gardens, or a more active walk along Six Mile Water River to the shores of Lough Neagh and Antrim Loughshore Park. There is free parking on-site next to Clotworthy House (although on this occasion we had to park at the Centre Carpark due to the festival). A full circuit of the gardens itself takes around 30 minutes and dogs can be let off lead if under control. Ours were a bit crazy today so we kept them on! If you cross over the stone Deerpark Bridge and turn right (which takes you onto the walk towards Lough Neagh), you will find Antrim Dog Park. This consists of two enclosed off-lead areas (one each for small and large dogs) with agility equipment and a water drinking station.

Belfast Mic Tours With 8 years of tour-guiding experience under his belt, Donal Kelly offers walking, cycling and coach tours around Northern Ireland with Belfast Mic Tours. Dogs are welcome on the walking tours. We joined a special variant of his Antrim Town tour for the NI Food and Craft Festival, which included a wine and food tasting experience. The 2-hour tour began at Clotworthy House in Antrim Castle Gardens, where Donal told us about the history and previous owners of the land. Rita was particularly interested in learning about Lady Marian’s wolfhound, who saved the people of the castle a couple of times, from wolves and approaching armies. She has big boots to fill if she wants a statue like the wolfhound’s. We then took a walk into Antrim town and learned more about the history and buildings of the area. Did you know Metallica, Thin Lizzy and Status Quo have all played at the Antrim Forum? We got access to Pogue’s Entry, childhood home to Alexander Irvine, writer of My Lady of Chimney Corner. The wine and food tasting took place here, hosted by Patrick Magill of Vintage Wine Merchants. An independent winery attracting customers from all over the country, the team has an extensive knowledge of the speciality and can source wines from virtually anywhere in the world. They are in the process of developing a dedicated wine tasting room. We got to try the Holy Snail Chardonnay alongside some culinary delights from local suppliers like Greenthumb HQ and Indie Füde. Our tour continued with visiting All Saints Antrim Parish, and then we headed back towards Antrim Castle Gardens, where we explored what was left of the castle itself and heard more stories about the gardens, one featuring Donal himself! Our tour ended back at The Garden Coffee House at Clotworthy House (with dog-friendly outdoor seating) and we received a lovely Belfast Mic Tours gift made by Piecemakers.

Our tour group. Photo courtesy of @belfastmictours

Wine tasting + dogs: what’s not to love?

Manns Café Bar at the Old Courthouse We had originally intended to visit Third Day Coffee, but got there to discover it was no longer dog friendly. Instead we visited Manns Café Bar at the Old Courthouse, next to the castle. They don’t advertise as specifically dog-friendly but they have a large outdoor seating area with which there were no issues with us bringing the dogs to. There are also robust railings suitable for tying-up. They are known for their scones (they sell 1,300 every week!), so we each got one and they were indeed delicious. Also available were soups, stews, toasties and salads. Coffee and a traybake was an alternative option!

Our water bottles kept falling off the table, through the railings and onto the road

Twilight Market This was the first year of the NI Food and Craft Festival and it certainly set the bar high for the future. Local producers set up stalls in the Market Square with live music in the evening. The goods on offer included jewellery, pot plants, breads, fudge and jams and preserves. However, we couldn’t not pay a visit to the two doggy stands: Electric Pup and the Woofternoon Tea Company. From the latter, we purchased a few bags of treats for the doggies, including grain-free Cheese and Apple Hearts. They also make personalised birthday cakes and bundles for your dog and offer home delivery or collection from Dundonald.

With Carolyn at her stand for The Woofernoon Tea Company

Overall, we would recommend Antrim for a fun doggy day out, with lots on offer for both human and dog….and a great deal to learn about this often-overlooked county town!

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Loughbrickland and Scarva