St. Patrick's Ballinderry

The ruins of St. Patrick's Ballinderry rise from a small peninsula jutting into Lough Neagh, and they're worth the drive north from Antrim town to see properly. What remains is a medieval church, simple and austere, with enough of its walls standing to get a real sense of the place. You can walk right up to it - no fences, no visitor centre faffing about - and stand where worshippers stood centuries ago, looking out across the lough's vast grey expanse.

Historically minded visitors will spend a solid half-hour here, picking over the stonework and imagining the monastic settlement that once thrived on this spot. Families with younger children might find twenty minutes enough - there's not much to do beyond look and wander - but teenagers interested in archaeology tend to find it atmospheric. The lough view is genuinely fine, especially on a clear day when you can see right across the water.

It's free to visit and accessible year-round, though the ground can be boggy after rain so bring decent shoes. Allow forty minutes if you're coming from Antrim itself, combining it with a proper visit to one of the parks nearby - Sett on The Lough is only five miles away and worth staying a night or two to make the most of the lough itself. Winter's actually the better season here: fewer midges, clearer sightlines, and you've got the ruin more or less to yourself.