rspb portmore lough

A delightful area for bird watching. Bring your wellies and binoculars. Great for reflection on the beauty of nature.

Very good for Birdwatching and wildlife.butterfly meet with wildlife lovers and day out kids very run wild and into to it all

Visited here a few weeks ago,had often seen the signpost,while passing ,and decided to have a wee look,its well hidden,and just a few minutes drive up a narrow Laneway,there is a small Carpark,toilets,and walk information,and I have to say, I enjoyed my walk around this small lake,it was peaceful and quiet,and relaxing,and would be a nice wee spot to walk your dog.Mind you it also has some WW2 history connected to it as well,that being the crash site, of a fighter plane,that ditched on its way to a near by airfield,after running out of fuel,the pilot escaped without injuy,but the plane lay in the lake for many years,and was only removed a few years back.

It's a fair distance from Belfast, about 40 minutes travel by car, but it's definitely worth a visit. The interesting background of Portmore Lough, which would include mentions of a castle and windmill, are displayed on a board inside the shelter. There's also up-to-date information about Portmore too, along with other leaflets. You can see a lot of work has gone into a garden area, and there is outdoor seating as a toilets. The only disappointment for me, was the short walk, I had thought there was a much longer walk available i.e. around the Lough. However, you can glimpse the Konik Ponies from a safe distance and still have a nice walk.

If you're looking for a great day out with the kids consider a visit to RSPB Portmore Lough. I visit on a regular basis with pre-school and school aged children. We bring magnifying glasses to do mini beast hunts, nets for pond dipping, binoculars to look at the birds and a picnic as no-one is ever in a hurry home! There are picnic tables and toilet facilities. There is no cafe or shop on site. The walks are short and accessible with prams or for wheelchair users. This is a free attraction - make sure you visit. Planned family day activities run by RSPB do incur a charge.

This is a bird watchers paadise. Very secluded with great bird hides. Bring a flask of tea or coffee with you and a pair of binoculars and enjoy the peace and quiet.

very interesting project but still under construction - worth a visit for birdwatchers & wildlife enthusiasts

Congratulations to all the staff and volunteers for organising a fabulous family day on Saturday 24th August 2013.My grandsons thoroughly enjoyed their time at PortmoreIt was a real pleasure meeting such dedicated people. Wishing you every success for the futureNoel McMaster

Living only about half an hour from RSPB Portmore Lough, this is a gem of a site to visit! The recently improved pathway down to hide has made the overall experience much more pleasant. As a keen amateur ornithologist, I just love this place, it is a great example of wetland and meadow environment and ideal for anyone who has an interest in nature; novice or experienced. There are large varieties of butterflies, dragonflies/damselflies, and birds. The activity centre, shelter, and hide by the lough side have lots of information about what to expect and what has been seen recently. There are nest boxes and feeders spread around the site and the staff hold regular open days to spread the word about our local ecology. The new meadow and planted garden walks with a small pond and insect/bug houses is a great addition to the site. Parking is free but it is not the easiest place to find.We love this place and we will be back again and again!

RSPB's Portmore Lough Reserve is a haven for wildlife and people alike. It's a little off the beaten track but the sights and sounds waiting for you make the journey very much worth it! I last visited Portmore in June 2013 and was very lucky to spend a sunny afternoon there. If you are coming from Belfast I would recommend taking the M1 coming off at the Moira / Antrim junction. Follow the roundabout round to the 3rd exit and head for Antrim. Drive until you see a sign for the Soldierstown Road on the left hand side. Follow this road to the end and you'll start to see signposts marked 'RSPB Portmore Lough Reserve'. Follow these and they'll take you there in about 10 minutes. I've tried to navigate my way to the reserve via a number of routes and this is by far the easiest route to remember!Once you arrive on the reserve you can park your car in the car park and I'd recommend heading to the shelter and observation platform as your first stop. It's a great way to see just how vast the reserve really is and if you are lucky you will see the Konik ponies grazing on the scrub. To the left of the observation platform you can see a number of bird feeders which attract lots of tree sparrows in particular.The shelter has lots of information about what's happening on the reserve, what animals are visiting and breeding as well as an up to date list of events and family fun days. To the left of the observation platform is a wheelchair and pram accessible pathway to the hide which offers stunning views of the Lough, particularly of the Tern rafts - great to see during the breeding season (from about May onwards). The reserve has also been known to attract buzzards and marsh harriers and is a favourite of local photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.Portmore has a Community Room available for hire for local businesses and community groups and is popular with birthday parties as well. There are toilets accessible from both inside and outside and the space is also a great place to seek a bit of shelter when the heavens open. The staff and volunteers can normally be found out working on the reserve but I'm told if you would like a tour the best thing is to ring in advance and the staff can facilitate this. They'll even get you a cuppa to warm you up after a day outside! If you fancy packing a picnic there are picnic tables beside the giant birdtable where you can enjoy your lunch when the weather's nice.I really enjoyed chatting with Amy, the Assistant Warden who gave me a tour of the place which took in the giant birdtable, hide, the wild garden and a bit of pond dipping. It was great fun and I really enjoyed getting up close to nature. The wild garden features loads of bug hotels giving visitors a great chance to see lots of bees and mini beasts making their homes there - great for children, big and small! I also got to meet the reserve's resident tame robin who ate some mealworms out of my hand. That was really exciting!There is no charge to visit the reserve although it's worth bearing in mind that the RSPB is a charity which relies on donations from the public to continue to operate. If you have children I'd recommend you look up the RSPB facebook page - facebook.com/rspbni which has up to date listings of all events happening on all the charity's reserves. I've been to a few family fun days on Portmore and they are great fun allowing children to explore nature in a safe and fun way. A good introduction to all the reserve has to offer. Bring your wellies though as pond dipping trips can walk through some mucky patches!All in all I think Portmore is a real gem in County Armagh, it's main problem is that it can be hard to find although I think a few more road signs would really help visitors out.

Went along to the family fun day at the beautiful Portmore lough reserve. The reserve has been transformed over the last couple of years and is now a fantastic place for wildlife and the public alike. And it's free entry to everyone!!! There is a small walk at the top of the reserve with brilliant homes for wildlife nest boxes for the resident tree sparrows, bug hotels of varying shapes and sizes and a pond full of frogs and newts. You can then take a walk to the lough side hide via the newly laid walkway and see all the sights of the reserve on the way. All beautifully peaceful.