St Patrick's Church

The graveyard at St Patrick's Church is what stops you in your tracks first - ancient headstones tilted at odd angles, some so weathered you can't read the dates anymore. The church itself sits on high ground just outside Antrim town, and it's the sort of place that rewards a proper wander rather than a quick look-in.

This is a working church with real historical weight. The building has been added to and patched up over centuries, which means you get a jumble of different periods if you know what to look for - medieval bits rubbing shoulders with Victorian repairs. The graveyard's the real draw though, especially if you're into genealogy or just like the quiet contemplation that comes with old burial grounds.

It's free to visit and there's no formal opening times as far as I can tell, though you'd be sensible about it - early morning or afternoon rather than dusk. Budget twenty minutes to half an hour unless you're doing serious gravestone research. Families with restless kids might find it a bit slow, but if you've got older children interested in history or you're a walker who appreciates a bit of atmosphere, it's well worth the detour.

If you're basing yourself at Sett on The Lough nearby, this makes a nice quiet stop between longer walks. It's not a spectacle, but there's something genuinely affecting about a place this old still doing what it's done for centuries.