UK Travel Guide - Parks and Gardens in Belfast

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7th August 2009 - by Naz Daud

Parks and Gardens in Belfast

There are over forty public parks in Belfast. It’s most popular is the Botanic Gardens. There are several attractions in the park which include the Palm House built by Sir Charles Lanyon in the 1830s and the Tropical Ravine. On occasion public events are also held here which range from opera acts to rock concerts. The Tennents Vital festival, another major attraction, is held every summer in the gardens.

Just south of the city centre is the Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park. Several thousands of visitors come each year to see the Rose Garden. The park contains many gardens which include a Japanese garden and the Princess Diana Memorial Garden. The park is most famous for its rose display in which there are well over twenty thousand roses in bloom.

Woodvale Park is a public park which has been open since 1888. There are a range of recreational facilities including football pitches, play areas and it has its very own bowling green. Where there used to be a pond, there is a now a reasonably sized children’s play area. The wonderful playgrounds will keep the children occupied for hours at a time. There is also a pathway which all the dog walkers seem to be exhaustively using and this is because of the huge grass areas on either side.

Cave Hill Country Park is the largest open space in Belfast, covering roughly 300 hectares. Centred in the park is the Belfast Castle which is its greatest attraction. The park has many wildlife habitats and is home to many species of animals and this is down to the conservation methods which have been in effect since the 80s.

The oldest public park in Belfast is the Ormeau Park which has been open since 1871. It is one of the largest parks in the city and contains several gardens and is home to many different animals. In addition, there are also recreational facilities spread across park which range from tennis and basket ball courts to an orienteering course.

In west Belfast bordering the Colin Glen River, there is Carnamore Park which is an open space filled with grass and surrounded by trees. Offering an excellent stroll, there is a walkway which goes alongside the river bank and stretches all the way to the playing fields in Suffolk. The walk can be continued round the playing fields and back to Carnanmore by going around the woodland on the edge of the pitches.

Belfast’s Botanic Gardens situated next to Queen’s University houses one of the oldest Victorian green houses in Europe having been built in the early 1800s. The Botanic Gardens are also a public meeting place for Belfast’s locals and has been since 1895. The Gardens are also famous for the vastness of the rose garden and given its location in the city, is also a popular meeting place for adults, students and children alike. The Botanic Gardens have some recreational facilities which include a children’s play park and a bowling green.