Donaghadee Beach

The lighthouse at Donaghadee is a proper working beacon, painted red and white, sitting at the end of a pier that juts into the Irish Sea like it's got somewhere urgent to be. You can walk right out to it - the path is straightforward enough, though it gets a bit breezy when the weather turns. The whole spot takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour if you're not rushing, which you won't be once you see the view across to the Scottish coast on a clear day.

What makes it worthwhile is the actual working feel of the place. This isn't a museum piece. Fishermen still use the pier, boats come and go, and the lighthouse keeps doing its job. The beach itself stretches either side and it's the kind of spot where you can sit on the rocks and watch the water for longer than you'd think possible.

Families with older kids will get more from it than toddlers - there's no play area, and the rocks need a bit of care. Walkers and photographers will find it genuinely compelling, especially if you time it for late afternoon light. It's free to access and there's basic parking near the pier.

From Newtownards it's a quick drive to get here, making it an easy half-day addition to a caravan park stay. Dunroamin in Millisle is only a couple of miles away, so you could easily combine this with a broader exploration of the Ards Peninsula coastline. Don't expect crowds even in summer - that's part of its appeal.