Guests booking a room with us are often surprised by how much there is to do within a short drive of Crookedstone House. Aldergrove sits right on the doorstep of Antrim, Templepatrick and the wider Co. Antrim countryside, which makes it a genuinely useful base whether you’re here for a weekend, a stopover either side of a flight, or a longer stay. Here’s what we’d point guests towards first.
Junction One Outlet Shopping Centre
Junction One is one of the closest and most popular stops for our guests, with a wide range of high-street and outlet stores under one roof, plus places to stop for coffee or lunch between shops. It’s an easy, low-effort way to spend a few hours, particularly on a changeable Northern Irish afternoon, and it’s close enough that it doesn’t eat into a short stay.
Antrim town and Antrim Castle Gardens
Antrim town itself is a short drive away and worth a wander, but the real draw nearby is Antrim Castle Gardens, restored 17th-century gardens with walking paths, a walled garden, and plenty of space to stretch your legs after a day of travelling. It’s a pleasant, unhurried stop rather than a major attraction, which suits the pace most of our guests are looking for.
Lough Neagh
The UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake is close by, and several access points around its shores make for a good half-day out: walking, birdwatching, or simply taking in the water and open skies. It’s a proper change of pace from an airport terminal or a motorway drive, and one of the more underrated things to do in the area.
The wider Co. Antrim coast
If you’ve got more than a night or two, Aldergrove makes a workable base for exploring further afield along the Causeway Coast: the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and the string of villages and beaches along the north coast are all reachable by car within roughly an hour. Plenty of guests use us as a first or last night’s stop either side of a longer coastal trip, rather than basing themselves on the coast the whole time.
Staying close to the airport, without feeling like it
What ties all of this together is the setting itself. For more on why Aldergrove works so well as a base for exactly this kind of trip, particularly around flight times, see our piece on a weekend escape near Belfast International Airport. Whichever of the above you make time for, you’ll come back to the same quiet gardens and a proper breakfast the next morning.
Planning your visit
None of the above requires much planning: most of these places are 10 to 30 minutes away by car, so you can mix and match depending on the weather and how much time you have. If you’d like local recommendations tailored to your stay, just ask when you arrive; Primrose knows the area well and is always happy to point guests in the right direction.
Ready to make the most of the area yourself? Get in touch to check availability and book your stay at Crookedstone House for your next visit.