Another weekend, another opportunity to explore what our wee country has to offer… and this time it was the turn of Hillsborough. Home to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, the main reason for our visit. Little did we know this pretty little village had so much more to offer…
Where is Hillsborough Castle and Gardens?
The Square, Hillsborough BT26 6GT
Getting to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
Car
The main entry and car park is located on the A1 Southbound. If you follow the brown coloured signs for Hillsborough Castle you can’t go wrong. There is ample car parking on site.
Public Transport
We took the Newry express (Route 238) from the Europa Bus Station in Belfast.
At the time of writing (August 2020) the entry from the Village is not open. You can walk around to the main entrance, it only takes about 20 mins, but we would recommend jumping in a taxi and saving your legs for the walk around the Gardens.
If you are coming via train, Lisburn Station is the closest and the bus number 38 will bring you close to the Castle.
Opening Times & Cost
We paid £34.20 for our tickets (2 adults and 1 child) which got us entry into the Castle and Gardens. You can choose to just pay for a ticket for entry to the Gardens, but if this is your first visit we recommend paying a little extra for the Castle tour. Up to date pricing can be found on the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens website.
Opening hours can be found here . Last access time is 1 hr before closing, but we honestly wouldn’t recommend arriving this late. You are going to want a good 2-3 hours to really take your time and wander the grounds, especially if you plan to do the tour of the castle also!
Is Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Covid-19 Safe?
Obviously right now safety is the number one priority. So it is important to us to know in advance what measures are in place before we decide to book anywhere to visit, especially indoors. You can read any up to date information on their website.
Our experience was perfect! Booking online in advance is essential. On arrival there are hand sanitising stations, and a screened reception area. Our booking was checked before we were given a map and directions to the Castle itself.
Throughout the Gardens there are reminders to social distance when possible. A few areas and paths are closed off to encourage a one way flow, and to avoid gatherings in areas of the grounds where social distancing just isn’t possible.
Entry to the Castle is limited to small groups every 15-20 mins. Again there are reminders and hand sanitiser points throughout.
Accessibility
The Castle and Gardens seem well set up for accessibility, there is loads of information available on their website , should you need it.
What to expect at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens?
Walled Garden
The first part of the tour led us through the beautiful Walled Garden.
The Walled Garden is a 4 acre area which dates back to the 1700’s. Originally the Walled Garden would have been used to grow produce for the Castle. Today, however, it is the gateway into the main Castle Grounds.
The Gardens are still used to grow fresh produce. If you fancy, you can purchase some from the stall beside the gift shop.
The Gardens
Here we were free to explore the beautiful trails, gardens and lakes, covering hundreds of acres of land.
After a heads up from one of the guides about the wildlife living in the grounds, Megan was on Otter and Cygnet watch. The Otter alluded her, but she did find the Cygnets.
Megan decided to try her hand at being a tour guide, bringing us round the beautiful ‘Granville Gardens’ full of brightly coloured rose beds just to the side of the Castle. Our tour guide was extremely informative and professional, until a wasp decided to land on her hand mid sentence!!! One for the bloopers reel!!
Make sure you bring a picnic, grab a trail map from reception and get lost from all your day to day worries. The Gardens cover over 200 acres, so you could easily spend hours in this part alone.
The Castle
At the time of writing the tours of the Castle are self guided, with information boards in each room. Staff are on hand throughout the rooms. They are very informative and happy to talk away and answer all questions big or small.
State Entrance
The first room of the tour is the State Entrance Hall. Immediately Megan had the most important question to ask… ‘Daddy, does the Queen come in this way when she visits?’ The answer ‘Yes’ clearly impressed her; ‘WOW, I’m actually standing where the Queen has been, COOL!’
Red Room
Next up was the ‘Red Room’, which on entry is pretty obvious where it gets its name from, due to the red silk fabric that hangs from the walls. The walls are also lined with portraits of all the past Monarchs. It was in this room in 2005, that the Queen met President Mary McAleese of Ireland, the first time the two heads of State had ever met on the Island.
State Dinning Room
From the ‘Red Room’ we could see into the State Dining room where the Queen and guests would attend dinner parties during their stay. Here we also seen a replica of a tiara worn by the Queen during a party to celebrate her coronation in the 1950’s.
Throne Room
We continued on into the ‘Throne room’ where Megan announced to everyone’s amusement that this is what Granny calls the toilet! At one end of the room sit two ‘thrones’ which are actually Chairs of State representing the Monarchs in their absence. The room plays host to all sorts of events including weddings, press conferences and an annual event held by Prince Charles.
State Drawing Room
This room has a living room feel to it with beautiful views out onto the gardens. Many important historical events have taken place in this room, including the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985 by then British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and the Irish Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald.
Lady Grey’s Study
The final room on the tour is Lady Grey’s study. Although how much work she ever actually got done in here is a mystery, because the view from the desk is stunning. However, this is now a very historical room in the Castle –
The room was used by Sinn Fein during the peace talks, while Tony Blair and George W Bush sat in this very room when they decided to progress with the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Megan also found out the wallpaper in this room is hand painted and can be purchased for multiple thousands of pounds per roll.
An absolutely fascinating tour and while it did seem short, the amount of history and knowledge we took away was something else.
Food and drink
There is a cafe in the grounds, it was very busy, and we had other plans so we didn’t stop by. We did notice it was popular as a place to meet up with friends, and enjoy an afternoon tea.
Would we recommend Hillsborough Castle and Gardens?
Yes. You could easily spend a full day here. We recommend you bring a picnic and explore the wonderful Gardens.
What else to do in the area?
Having never been to Hillsborough village we were taken back by how much there is to actually do in the area.
Hillsborough Fort
Entry to Hillsborough Fort is just above the ‘Plough Inn’ and opposite the Tourist Information centre, which is no more than a 5 minute walk from the Main street.
Hillsborough fort built in 1650 was once home to the Hill family, after whom the village got its name. Over the years the Fort has hosted numerous large scale events including the marriage of Arthur Hill, Lord Hillsborough attended by around 4,000 guests. Sadly for us the Fort was closed under Government restrictions, luckily we were able to sneak a look inside and it is huge.
Hillsborough Forest Park
We didn’t think we could coax Megan into walking around the forest after such a long walk around Hillsborough Castle. However, surprisingly she was more than happy, especially when she spotted the rope bridge. There are any number of walks covering the 200 acres which will suit everyone’s ability.
Please note, if you’re bringing your dog to stretch their legs, the park is home to a large amount of animals and birds.
Hillsborough Parish
This Church stands just off the Main Street in Hillsborough. The original church burnt down in 1641 during the Rebellion. As a result the church that now stands was rebuilt by Arthur Hill in the early 1660’s. At the time of writing access to the church isn’t available for the general public.
Eat & Drink
You certainly won’t go hungry or thirsty in Hillsborough, that’s for sure! We visited the ‘Hillside’ and ‘The Parson’s Nose’, both were very busy for a Saturday lunch time. Other places we recommend are; ‘The Plough Inn’ and ‘Hara Hillsborough’ .
Overall
We really enjoyed our visit to Hillsborough. We spent the full day here, between the Castle and surrounding area, which made for a great family day out.
The Lewis Family.
If you enjoy reading about our days out in Northern Ireland. Check out our other blog posts here – Northern Ireland