iNua Collection invited us to spend a few days at their 4-star Fairways Hotel near Dundalk and arranged some activities for us to enjoy during our stay. As Carlingford is so close, we spent the day at this popular town. Here are the activities that we really enjoyed with our three teenagers.
Carlingford Skypark
After breakfast at Fairways Hotel, we headed to nearby Carlingford Skypark. A twenty-five minute drive away, this is the perfect family-friendly activity centre as it caters for children of all ages. There’s plenty of parking and the car park is close to the action.
We were booked in for the aerial adventures which involved different lives of high ropes and ziplines. We were exhausted after only three hours.
It’s a lovely spot with plenty of picnic tables, benches and space to relax. There is a shop where you can buy cold drinks and snacks and a cafe on site too that sells food. The only let down were the toilets which were not clean at all even at that early stage of the day. I was however really impressed with the emphasis on safety. Getting fitted for harnesses took time and there was a lengthy safety briefing followed by a circuit on the training ropes.
To book your own aerial adventure, book tickets online at Carlingford Skypark
Picnic Lunch
When we headed off from the hotel that morning, we knew we would be out all day so we brought a picnic from The Brasserie restaurant which kept us going. There was a selection of sandwiches and wraps with lots of fruit and cakes for dessert.
Carlingford is a really pretty village that was very busy that day with visitors. Luckily we managed to secure a parking space and charge our electric car in the car park beside the playground. We then had time to to enjoy our picnic overlooking the lough.
Carlingford Boat Tours
In the afternoon, we drove to Carlingford Marina to enjoy a boat tour with Carlingford Lough Sea Tours. Be sure to drive beyond the castle to the Marina and don’t park at the harbour. There’s plenty of parking at the Marina and a restaurant and clean public toilets there too.
You need to prebook tickets online from their website or contact them through their Facebook page or Instagram profile.
When it was time to board, Alan arrived and took us down to the Discovery Catamaran. There was plenty of seating and even some undercover in case of rain.
Paddy, the owner and skipper, is a wealth of knowledge and is clearly passionate about sharing the beauty of Carlingford Lough with visitors. Alan, his colleague, regaled us with stories about the history of the area and the water. We even saw Carlingford’s most famous local, Finn the Dolphin who happily swam alongside the boat.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay with your family while you’re exploring Carlingford, head to the iNUA Collection 4-Star Fairways Hotel which is only 30 minutes away near Dundalk.
Disclaimer :
We were guests of Fairways Hotel and iNUA Collection in exchange for this honest review. All photos and words are 100% honest and our own.
