Holiday in the green spaces of Northern Ireland

The UK is known for its wonderful gardens, parks and forests and Northern Ireland is no exception.

The National Trust property Mount Stewarton the Ards Peninsula, has a wide range of internationally-themed gardens, including Italian and Spanish-style spaces, an English 'Sunken' garden and a garden influenced by Irish shamrock.

You can also see Japanese, South African, Australian and South American influenced gardens on the property’s extensive grounds. Paths from the formal gardens go into the woodland around the property, which also includes a large lake.

If you are planning to visit in the summer, then you can also enjoy a monthly music event at Mount Stewart – an outdoor jazz concert in the garden that takes place on the last Sunday of the month throughout the summer months.

The Ards Peninsula in County Down on Northern Ireland’s northeast coast also has other gardens, parks and forests to visit.

Crawfordsburn Country Park, just outside Belfast, has views across Belfast Lough, a series of mudflats, lagoons and sandy bays by the sea.

Holidaymakers can explore the paths through the area's woodland and see the park's waterfall and five-arch railway viaduct.

Among the more unusual trees and shrubs bordering the path are Alaskan Salmonberry plants, exotic relations of the raspberry.

For another view of Belfast Lough you can head to Cave Hill Country Park, where there are a number of walks to go on.

Holidaymakers can visit the five different caves on the hill as well as MacArt's Fort on the summit, which is 2,700 years old.

There are a number of other sites of archaeological interest on the Hill, dating back to the stone age, including several ring forts and a lake dwelling at Hazelwood.

Shorts breaks in Northern Ireland start from £40 per person for two nights bed and breakfast.

For more information visit www.discovernorthernireland.com/shortbreaks.