Posted on March 23, 2010 @ 10:00 AM in 
With St Patrick’s Day come and gone, the next big event on the calendar is almost upon us. Easter provides a fantastic opportunity to spend some quality time with the family. We have finally been relieved from the depths of winter, the evenings are getting longer and we all have a few days off work.
So it is time to lock up the Playstation and get outside with your kids and enjoy Northern Ireland’s outdoors. You will certainly be spoilt for choice. I began writing this blog with the intention of writing a Top 5 but as you will see it has developed into a Top 10 Easter Family Adventures. Even then I have had to leave some quality adventures off the list, so check out our Events page for a full selection of outdoor activities on offer this Easter.
Whether you are staying at home this Easter or visiting Northern Ireland on a short break then this Top 10 list will certainly provide some inspiration for those seeking an adventure in Northern Ireland’s outdoors. What better way for parents and kids to enjoy some quality time together?
Easter is always a busy time for activity providers so please ensure to book in advance to avoid disappointment. As I am sure you can tell from reading this – these adventures will be popular!
So in no particular order here we go:
1 Easter Activity Shindig – Action Outdoors, Delamont Country Park, Co Down
Easter is full of activities at Delamont Country Park. From Friday 2nd – Monday 5th April there are five activities on offer including canoeing, orienteering, archery, tree climbing and a bouncy castle. Try a few or give all of them a go. Booking is available on the day.
£6pp for 2 activities
£12 for 5 activities
2 Easter Extravaganza – Share Holiday Village, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh
Share Holiday Village has a range of activities available throughout Easter week Friday 2nd – Sunday 11th April.
Day visitors may enjoy the thrills in a variety of land and water activities; one hour, two hours or even taster sessions in sailing, kayaking, canoeing and banana skiing or archery, climbing and pedal go karting.
Discounts are available so value for money is guaranteed:
Premiere activities - 1 hour sessions in Climbing, Banana Skiing or Canoeing - £7.50/£8.50pp
Land Activities - 1 hour sessions in Archery or Pedal Go Karting - £6.00/£7.50pp
Taster Sessions - 2 hour sessions in Kayaking, Windsurfing, Sailing or Combat Corps - £12.00/£15.00pp
3 Strangford Sea Safari – Clearsky Adventure Centre, Strangford Co Down
High speed boat trips will be departing Strangford Quay every 40 minutes on Easter Sunday 4th April.
This 12 seat-purpose built boat will allow you take in sights such as
- Angus Rock Lighthouse
- Seal Colonys at Cloghy Rocks Nature Reserve
- Great Whirlpools at the famous ‘Routen Wheel’
- Sea Gen (First electricity generating tidal turbine in Europe)
………as well as plenty more surprises along the way!
Prices from £10pp – Minimum age 4 years - Pre booking essential
4 Come and Try Coasteering – The Adventure Team, Ballintoy, Co Antrim
Coasteering involves walking, scrambling, jumping, swimming and sometimes crawling around the coast and what better place than Northern Ireland’s spectacular Causeway Coast.
This family session will start off on easy climbs and jumps and build up to the bigger ones once you gain confidence.
Price from £25pp – suitable for kids aged 8+
5 Eggstreme Egghunt and Bunny Cruise – Share Holiday Village, Lisnakea, Co.Fermanagh
This is perfect for younger families. Hunt for the Easter bunnies on an orienteering egg hunt! On completion of the hunt you will win an Easter egg!
Then cruise aboard the bunny boat (the Share Inishcruiser) with balloon modeling, face painting, Easter egg hunt and games and prizes. Free Tea and Coffee for adults.
Prices – Adults £8pp Children £7pp
6 Easter Family Fun – Arclinis Outdoor Adventure, River Bann, Co.Londonderry
Take the family away on a canoe trip down a section of the Lower Bann Canoe Trail passing through constantly changing scenery accompanied by qualified instructors.
The excursion runs from 10am to 1pm, leaving the rest of your day free to explore the towns nearby!
Prices from £15pp
7 Easter Sea Kayaking – Xplore Outdoors, Portrush, Co Antrim
Spend Saturday 3rd April with Xplore Outdoors exploring all the nooks and crannies on the North Coast by sea kayak. No experience necessary, the day will start with learning the basic skills and you will be accompanied by a guide throughout.
Prices from £60 – Minimum age 12 years old
8 Crazy Canoe and Kayak Sessions – Life Adventure Centres
Life has adventure centres in both Castlewellan Forest Park and Castle Island in Enniskillen. They are offering 1 hour canoe or kayak sessions on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th April 2010. You can also add on a session of Archery or Orienteering and make a day of it!
Prices £14 per child £16 per adult – Minimum age 4 years old
9 Watersports and Biking Action Day – Clearsky Adventure Centre, Castle Ward, Co Down
Clearsky Adventure Centre is based in the picturesque Castle Ward Estate. On Sunday 4th and Monday 5th April you can paddle a ‘sit on top’ kayak around the sheltered bay or ride a bike around the stunning estate trails.
Suitable for everybody – no previous experience required
Prices from £7.50pp – Minimum age 4+ kayak / canoes or 12+ for bike hire
10 Easter Camp – East Coast Adventure, Rostrevor, Co Down
If you just want to relax then why not send the kids on their adventures and you can chill out at home.
This residential camp runs from Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th April including accommodation, meals, 24 hour supervison and a t-shirt. Activities include rock climbing in the Mounre Mountains or kayaking on Carlingford Lough, all under the watchful eye of the highly experienced East Coast Adventure team.
A day camp is also available for Saturday with bus pick up from Warrenpoint.
Residential Camp £100pp all inclusive
Day Camp £30pp
Have a great Easter!!
Chris Scott Activity Tourism Manager (aka Big Chris)
Big Chris has worked with the marketing team for the past 4 years with responsibility for adventure activities and canoeing.
He has made it his personal mission to get as many people as possible out enjoying Northern Ireland's outdoors.
Having 'retired' from competitive sailing he is trying to find something new to fill the void. A recent convert to cycling and running - triathlon is quickly becoming an appeal despite the fact he can't really swim!
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Posted on March 23, 2010 @ 9:36 AM in 
I discovered a whole new world of canoeing a few weekends ago via the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland (CANI). You have to understand that is a very embarrassing statement for me considering I have worked very closely with key staff from CANI for the past few years.
To further the embarrassment I was previously a qualified Level 2 canoe coach and a fully signed up member of the aforementioned organisation. But enough of the confession and back to the whole new world.
Over the weekend 13th & 14th March I was at the Share Holiday Village in Co.Fermanagh for CANI’s annual ‘Paddlefest’ event. I had always wrongly assumed that this was for the elite paddlers refining their well honed skills and that attendance by a mere mortal like me would be a waste of time.
However on arrival it quickly became clear that the event was certainly not full of world beating paddlers. This is not meant to be derogatory to those in attendance but rather as an encouragement for those, who like me, previously have not attended the event before to get along next year.
Paddlefest is CANI's annual paddlesport event to bring paddlers of all ages and abilities together to enjoy our sport. It is open to all abilities and disciplines and provides the choice to either develop existing skills or try a new discipline.
The theme of this year’s event was flat water paddle sport and what better location than the Share Holiday Village, Ireland’s largest activity centre and situated on the shores of Upper Lough Erne. The centre is actually a designated access point on the award winning Lough Erne Canoe Trail.
The sessions were delivered by top class coaches from across the United Kingdom and Ireland with intriguing titles such as:
‘Ray Goodwin – Open Boat King’
‘Nick Cunliffe – Sea Kayaking Legend’
‘Jim Morrissey – Marathon racer and expedition paddler’
However the session titles were much less daunting and very pragmatic. For example
‘Turning your canoe’
‘Fundamentals of paddlesport’
‘Tandem open boat skills’
can hardly be classed as elite sessions, in fact they are essential for people like me. The weekend was rounded off with an opportunity to get out and explore with a trip on a section of the Lough Erne Canoe Trail on Sunday morning.
The on the water sessions were also accompanied by enlightening talks ashore, what can only be described as an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of new canoes, kayaks, clothing as associated equipment; and of course plenty of fun and games in the bar in the evening.
The event was certainly not intimidating, in fact it was the opposite and I would encourage paddlers to get along next year. You don’t have to be a CANI member, although that will be strongly encouraged and with a full calendar of recreational trips being planned by CANI along the canoe trails for the summer then annual membership certainly seems an attractive option.
Chris Scott Activity Tourism Manager (aka Big Chris)
Big Chris has worked with the marketing team for the past 4 years with responsibility for adventure activities and canoeing.
He has made it his personal mission to get as many people as possible out enjoying Northern Ireland's outdoors.
Having 'retired' from competitive sailing he is trying to find something new to fill the void. A recent convert to cycling and running - triathlon is quickly becoming an appeal despite the fact he can't really swim!
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Posted on March 22, 2010 @ 3:09 PM in 
A few days off work coupled with some good weather (fingers crossed!) gives us all a chance to get out on our bikes…even if it is just an excuse to get it out of the garage – where my bike has been sitting for quite a while!
Here are a few ideas below to whet your appetite!
The most popular cycle rides on CycleNI.com…
- Lagan and Lough Cycle Way – a 21 mile traffic free cycle route from Lisburn to Belfast and onto Whiteabbey. Cycle it all or try out short sections. A popular stretch is from Lisburn to Lagan Meadows stopping at the Lock Keeper’s Cottage for a cup of tea!
- Comber Greenway – a 7 mile traffic free path from Belfast to Comber. There are plenty of options to take a break in Comber.
- Newry Canal Towpath – a popular cycle route following the River Bann stretching from Portadown to Newry totalling 20 miles in length. If you want to cover the whole route, a good stopping point is the Scarva tea rooms. If you want to cycle shorter sections of the route, facilities exist in all the main towns.
- Belfast Lough – a 7 mile traffic free cycle route, taking in fantastic views over Belfast Lough, starting at Whiteabbey and finishing in Belfast. Highlighted along the way include Hazelbank Park, Clarendon Dock and Lagan Weir.
- Craigavon Lakes – this 6.5 mile purpose built mountain bike trail creates a challenging and also scenic riding experience. Craigavon Watersports Centre is at the start and end points of the route to stop off and grab something to eat.
Download maps for these routes on CycleNI.com.
For those looking something a bit longer and tougher why not try some of the following…
- Ballycastle - Rathlin - Cushendall (35 miles/56 km)
This section uses part of the 425km route from Larne to Ballyshannon. Catch the boat out to Rathlin Island where an almost traffic free, 12 mile cycle trail takes you from its famous bird sanctuaries over to its seal colonies. Back to the mainland and off toward Torr Head, one of Northern Ireland's most infamous climbs by bike. Coast into Cushendall for a well earned break.
- Cookstown - Omagh (42 miles/68 km)
Start off in Cookstown on the Belfast to Ballyshannon route which totals 390km. The Sperrin Mountains steal the limelight as you pedal through one of Northern Ireland's great unspoiled wildernesses. From Wellbrook Mill, Beaghmore Stone Circles and down the valley into Gortin, the endless landscapes and rich colours repay all the effort. As always, a warm welcome awaits you in Omagh town.
- Portaferry – Comber (41 miles/66km)
The Strangford Lough Cycle route follows quiet country lanes and coast roads, making this a great introduction to cycle touring. At Portaferry wheel your bike onto the ferry and cross the surging water to sleepy Strangford village. A short pedal from here takes you to Downpatrick… Saint Patrick's town. The last 10 miles of the trip brings you past Castle Espie, an important wildlife centre where walkways and hides get you right up close to nature. Park up at Comber, grab a cuppa and with your appetite whetted, plan your next cycle trip in Northern Ireland.
- Giants Causeway - Benone (22miles/36km)
For a stunning cycle ride along the North Coast, follow NCN Route 93 between the Giant’s Causeway in the east and Benone in the west, passing through the resort towns of Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock. Significant stretches of the route are along traffic-free paths.
Either bring your bike with you or hire a bike when you get here.
Bike Hire is available throughout Northern Ireland, please click here for a list of providers.
For longer or shorter options please visit CycleNI.com.
Beverley Pierson Marketing Officer
Beverley has been with CAAN since 2005 and has a keen interest in all 4 legged friends, spending alot of her time walking with her 8 stone Rottweiler - who is nearly the same size as her!! She also enjoys riding horses whether its completing rounds of jumps or out doing cross country in the fields.
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