Royal County Down Golf Club

Royal County Down sits right on the edge of Newcastle, looking out toward the Mourne Mountains - one of the world's finest golf courses, frankly, whether you play or not. The club dates back to 1889 and the layout hugs the dunes and coastal grassland with a fierceness that makes even watching golfers negotiate it rather gripping.

If you're a golfer, this is proper pilgrimage stuff. The greens fees aren't cheap and you'll need to book well ahead, but the holes roll across that dramatic coastline with genuine drama - the 9th and 14th are particularly brutal. Non-players can walk the perimeter on public paths and get a real sense of why it's ranked among Europe's best. The views alone justify the detour from your holiday park.

For families, it's less of a draw unless someone's genuinely keen on golf. Kids will get restless watching adults hack about for four hours. But if you're staying at Woodcroft, Windsor, or any of the caravan parks within a mile, it's worth a morning wander just to see the course architecture and catch the mountain backdrop.

The setting is what gets you - that collision of links turf, dunes, and the Mournes rising behind. It's windier than you'd expect and the course demands respect. Allow a couple of hours for a walk round the edges, or book ahead if you want to actually play. Best visited on a clear day when visibility stretches to the coast.