Island 295 - Castle Island, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

There are two Castle Islands in Strangford Lough.  The one to the north of Ringhaddy appears not to be accessible - more "private road" notices.  The one I visited is located a couple of miles north east of Downpatrick.  It is no longer a true island as where the water used to be on the south side of the island has largely silted up and turned into marshy land.  

You can drive along the road that runs along the south coast to a wildlife hide, as part of the island is a nature reserve. However there are notices along the road saying that you can't walk off the road and you can't see much from the car, due to the trees lining the road.  I followed the road right to the end to see if it was possible to access Hare Island but at the end of the beautifully surfaced road there is a roundabout and lots of "Private, Keep Out" notices at the entrance to the Quoile Yacht Club, which is protected by lots of barbed wire - not very welcoming!  From the hide you can apparently see waders, swans and ducks.  I didn't get out of the car - to be honest the island gave me the creeps.

 Entrance to Quoile Pondage Nature Reserve

North side of the causeway looking towards the mainland