Crowne Plaza Belfast

The Lock Keeper’s Cottage and Barge are located on the Lagan Towpath Belfast and date back over 100 years. The cottage once housed the man who kept watch over Belfast’s canal routes. The Lock Keeper’s Cottage has been restored and keeps many of the original features intact, with this is one of the few places where you can go along and discover a working lock alongside an 18th century cottage restored to its former glory. Visitors can also board the barge and learn about the history of this fine vessel. The Lock Keeper’s Cottage and Barge will be open from 10am to 4pm, but this may vary.

Barnett’s Demense, once a private estate, retains much of the character of the original estate and is popular with walkers. The park features an arboretum, daffodil garden, ecotrail, orienteering routes and a children’s playground near Shaw’s Bridge. Refreshments are available in the Barnet Restaurant in the nearby Malone House. The estate’s grounds comprise of marshland, meadows and woodland and with excellent landscaping and care, most of the park’s elegant character has remained unchanged from 1821. Barnett Demesne is also home to tree and plant collections with semi-natural features such as woodland and wildflower meadows, many wild animals, including rabbits, badgers and grey and red squirrels, and birds such as jays, rocks and a range of songbirds. More than 70 species of wildflower grow in the meadows during the summer months.

The Lagan Towpath takes you along the river and canal system through a variety of wetland, riverside meadows and mixed woodland from Belfast to Lisburn. Home to a variety of wildlife, the canal system dates back to the late 18th century and features still give an insight into the majestic era of the light – the name of the boats that originally travelled on the Lagan Canal. Full of history, wildlife and tranquillity, the Lagan Towpath offers the chance to explore and enjoy the countryside so near to Belfast and Lisburn and right of the doorstep of Crowne Plaza Belfast.

Crowne Plaza Belfast is nestled within an area of outstanding beauty in the Lagan Valley Regional Park. With landscaped valleys, wet meadows, ponds, woodland and parkland, the Lagan Valley Regional Park provides a network for wildlife and a passage to our past. Immerse yourself in The Lagan Valley Regional Park with the sounds of the ebb and flow of the river and step out onto the Lagan Towpath to walk through the mixed woodland and along the river and canal system that runs from Belfast to Lisburn. Breathe in the pine scents of Belvoir Forest, gasp at the Ballyskeagh High Bridge and uncover the long history at Shaw’s Bridge. Pick a trail and explore the rose garden at Terrace Hill with superb views across the valley of Belfast Hills and read ancient stores at the Giant’s Ring.