Coastal campsites near Hillsborough with campfires

This is a heritage town ideally located for exploring the wider area.

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Popular camping styles for Hillsborough

2 top coastal campsites near Hillsborough with campfires

Laurelbank Farm

2 units · Tents7 acres · County Down, Ulster NI

Laurelbank Farm is a 7-acre organic smallholding in Co. Down. Our vision is to reconnect people to the land, and to nourish and empower people through farming and feasting. Our mission is to create an inspiring and thriving small-scale regenerative, organic farm. We commit: To be responsible and responsive to the needs of people. To keep our farm at a human scale and accessible to people. To foster community connections through education, knowledge, and sharing experiences together. We run a Community Supported Agriculture Scheme called Farm and Feast and periodically teach growing, brewing and cooking workshops. Our home is an early 19th Century farmhouse just outside Saintfield in County Down. We grow lots of vegetables, herbs, fruit and edible flowers in our kitchen garden, lower field beds and in our new polytunnel. We have a small bantam chicken called Georgia who you will come across wandering around the gardens! On arrival feel free to pitch your tent on the pitch you have booked. (There’s no formal checking in process.) Pitch one and two are both signposted, as are the toilets. You can light a fire within the fire pit at your camp site. The closest places to buy firewood are the garage at The Temple roundabout or Vivo in Saintfield. When you are settled, wander around the garden and farm to see what is growing. Take a walk to our willow patch, or have a peek inside the polytunnel. We are a working farm so sometimes not all areas will be available, but we are happy for you to explore the areas not in use. Two mornings per week we run volunteering sessions. You are welcome to join us in harvesting vegetables, sowing seeds, weeding and whatever other activities we have planned. Just book your spot via our website – theedibleflower.com - there’s always a tasty bite to eat after the work is done! Picnic tables are available in the courtyard area, which you can use. There is also an outside hot and cold tap with a small sink. We have two newly renovated toilets just off the main courtyard, one is wheelchair accessible. We do not have a shower block, but we do a solar shower which you are welcome to use - (a bag of water that heats up in the sun, and you then hook up on a tree). This is located in the Cow Byre, in the grey locker, along with a few other supplies you may borrow - boardgames / books etc. The Cow Byre is also home to our Farm Shop. Depending on the time of year, it is stocked with seasonal vegetables, jams and preserves and our cookbook! I may not be around when you arrive, but hopefully I’ll see you at some point during your stay - I’m often knee-deep in vegetables somewhere! Please drop me a message via Hipcamp messenger should you have any queries. I hope to see you soon! Jo Where we are: We are located only twenty-five minutes drive to Belfast (10 miles) and thirty minutes to Newcastle (15 miles) and the Mourne Mountains. If you are a Game of Thrones fan it is thirty minutes drive (13 miles) to Castle Ward (the filming location for Winterfell). We are also close to a number of wedding venues, including Larchfield Estate, The Carriage Rooms at Montalto and Finnebrogue Woods.

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Runach Arainn Glamping

3 units · Glamping1 acre · Kilmory, Scotland

A three-yurt luxury glamping site on the Isle of Arran, steps away from the beach

Coastal campsites near Hillsborough with campfires guide

Overview

This Georgian town features tearooms, craft shops, a historic castle, and a forest park, but it’s also ideal for exploring the wider Counties Down and Armagh. Strangford Lough and Lough Neagh are both within 30-minute drives, while Belfast is also closeby. A short drive from town, campers will find lakeside holiday parks and campsites.

Where to go

Hillsborough

Spend time ambling around old-style craft shops or tearooms; visit the 1797 Hillsborough Castle for a tour; or stroll the forest at Hillsborough Fort. For a peaceful camping spot with countryside and lake views, look for caravan parks near Lough Aghery lake, a short drive from town.

Belfast

Hillsborough is close to Belfast, a city known for sightseeing and shopping. Visit the Titanic Quarter and Cathedral Quarter, hit St. George’s Market, then make your way out of the city for an outdoor adventure.

Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula

Travel southeast to explore the nature around Strangford Lough. If exploring the Ards Peninsula, take the ferry across the Narrows from Strangford to Portaferry, and drive around the top and back. Great camping options exist along the beaches on the east coast around Ballyferris Point.

When to go

The best time for camping is between May and September, and the busiest weekends tend to be around Easter, the 12 July holiday, and other school holidays. Weather can be unpredictable at any time, but some area holiday parks close down for winter.