Crawfordsburn Country Park and Grey Point Fort

From the main car park by the visitor centre, take the path north through the woods to the shore and follow the North Down Coastal Path west beside Belfast Lough, past Helen's Bay beach, to Grey Point, where the guns of Grey Point Fort stand on the headland. The way back goes down Church Road to Helen's Bay railway station, then by the Golf Road path and the woodland path through Chimera Wood to rejoin the coast path and return to the park.

It is 5.2 km round with 53 m of ascent; allow about 1½ hours. The grade is Easy: paths and woodland tracks, level apart from short slopes, with a little road at Grey Point and on Church Road.

The fort is a Department for Communities monument, completed in 1907 with two six-inch guns to guard the entrance to Belfast Lough. The department's page says it is open 'during opening hours', that charges may apply and sends visitors to the Discover Northern Ireland listing, giving no hours; this walk passes the outside of the fort. Nidirect says entrance to the country park is free, and Visit Ards and North Down says the park is open all year for pedestrians, with vehicle hours of 9 am to 4.30 pm from 1 November to 28 February, 9 am to 7 pm in March, April and October, and 9 am to 9 pm from May to September. Neither page gives a parking charge.

Woodland's Café, by the car park, is open every day from 10 am to 4 pm. The walk passes Helen's Bay railway station, where OpenStreetMap tags a Translink park-and-ride.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.