PlayNorthern Ireland
Published: Thursday, 30 August 2007, 5:13PM
Eddie Irvine returns to his hometown of Newtownards, near Belfast, to explain why he thinks County Down in Northern Ireland has the best view in Britain.
We follow Eddie as he takes a drive along the Portaferry Road, the dramatic thoroughfare that clings to the foreshore of Strangford Lough - the largest sea inlet in the British Isles.
Arriving at the spectacular Mountains of Mourne, Eddie explores the gigantic reservoir at Silent Valley and finds that, following the end of Northern Ireland’s troubles, efforts to encourage visitors to this rarely-visited, yet stunning countryside is yielding results; tourism is up by 20% and steadily increasing.
Finally, Eddie reveals his favourite view – gazing across Strangford Lough to the top of Scrabo Hill. With its dominating tower, just outside Newtownards, the panorama frames Strangford Lough, the Mountains of Mourne and the entire North Down.
For a self-confessed jet-setter, it is this area of outstanding natural beauty - the landscape that inspired C.S. Lewis’s childhood fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia – that continues to inspire Eddie to return home.
“Swept constantly by Atlantic weather, every single day is different. For trees, and oceans and hills and greenery it's hard to beat. This is my home and the place I return to, to slow down."
