The UK has so many amazing landscapes that it is often easy to forget the lesser known areas. The Mountains of Mourne - with a name so wildly romantic it is positively Tolkienesque - is one of those places. The Glens of Antrim along the North Coast of Ulster, with the Giant's Causeway as its star attraction, tends to get most of the tourist traffic and attention. County Down, in the South of the province bordering the Republic of Ireland, is a hidden gem: the Mournes are very visible, but there are many other lovely locations such as Tollymore Forest Park, Killeyleagh and Strangford Lough and the delightful seaside town of Newcastle. It isn't a super touristy area and as a result lacks simple things like easy parking spots for taking photos over the best views. Which makes any views you do manage to photograph hard-won and all the sweeter for it!
P5L52 Mountains of Mourne, County Down, Northern Ireland
P5L53 Mountains of Mourne, County Down, Northern Ireland The moody Mountains of Mourne
V20L3 Mountains of Mourne, County Down, Northern Ireland

P5F42 Shimna River, Tollymore Forest Park, County Down, Northern Ireland Tollymore Forest Park, the location for several Game of Thrones scenes.
V20G1 Belfast Botanical Garden, Northern Ireland
The Palm House, Belfast Botanic Gardens - the original design for a curviliner cast iron glass house. It was the template for Kew Gardens!

V20L2 Killyleagh, Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland Killeyleagh, a beautiful little village on the shorts of Strangford Lough. It has a most impressive Castle and The Smuggler's Table - one of the finest small restaurants in Northern Ireland. V20L6 Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland Newcastle. No, not that one, this is a seaside town just to the North of Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mournes. V20L4 Newcastle and Slieve Donnard, County Down, Northern Ireland Newcastle and Slieve Donard P5W4 White Waterlilies, Silent Valley, County Down, Northern Ireland A stunning - and  very large - display of absolutely perfect wild waterlilies at The Silent Valley
V20AN4 Grey Heron Fishing, Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland This male grey heron wolfed down his lunch - a small fish - right in front of me. He was showing off so it would have been rude of me not to photograph him! P5F41 Scots Pines, Slieve Donnard, County Down, Northern Ireland
Young Scots pine plantation on the slopes of Slieve Donard.