Reviews

Thanks for a fabulous tour, it was great to meet you and appreciate your passion for the Ards Peninsula. You were also so kind to provide elevenses in such a beautiful location. (at the picnic table at Kearney Irish Sea coastline)

Simon Calder TV Travel Correspondent for the BBC

very knowledgeable tourguide, showed us stunning parts of the countryside with many botanical and geological explanations, also some history

Marion Kohl

Green Holiday Cottages

Brigid took us on a very informative walking tour around Kearney on the Ards Peninsula. We were on a combined tour and picnic arranged by Recharge Workshops.The weather was amazing and the history of Kearney and surrounding areas leading to Quintin Castle was fascinating. Brigid was well prepared and we were all provided with a small device and headphones so that we could hear what was being said at each point of interest. Brigid was happy to answer any questions we had, and also take on board any further information the walkers were able to add. It was a very pleasant 90 minute stroll to suit walkers of all levels. Would definitely recommend. Thank you Brigid, very well delivered. X

Sandra Perrett

Hi Brigid
Thanks so much for the really interesting walks over the last 5 weeks.
Having only lived in Northern Ireland for 2 years now, I thought your walks would give me some valuable insight into the history of this area. Wow – that really is the case.

From the geology of the area to the glaciers and the formation of the drumlins to coastal erosion and nature conservation.
From the ships wrecked off the coast of Cloughey to the visible wreck of the Dunkirk ship off Ballyhenry Island. From the allocation of townlands and the building up of the area since the very early days of the Vikings and Celts. The original wealth of Portaferry with one of the oldest ferries in the world. I could go on and on. Really interesting stuff. Thank you so much,I will definitely recommend these walks to everyone I know.

Kind regards,

Carol Hatfield

Hi Brigid,

Just want to let you know how much I enjoyed yesterdays’ talk and tour. It was great to go back and find out so much about our ancestors in Portaferry.

Cheers

Kaye, Australian lady who is a descendent of an emigrant who left Portaferry in 1852

Spent a fantastic day discovering the hidden gems of the Ards Peninsula by coach with Brigid. She is so pleasant and knowledgeable about everything from our Ulster Scots  heritage to Geography and geology of the area and being a local has a unique insight and stories of the locals. A thoroughly worthwhile trip.

Pauline O’Hara

Just had a great walk with Brigid. Brilliant!

Jay Gwynn

My husband and I recently took Brigid’s tour of Portaferry and even though the weather prevented us from walking around the town, Brigid arranged an ‘armchair’ tour for us with a wonderful history of the town and the historic places in it. I’m from Australia, living in Dublin and my mother happened to be visiting Ireland so she came with us. I’ve also recently found out that my ancestors emigrated from Portaferry back in the 1850’s. Brigid has been helping me trace some of the family tree and has put me in touch with some of them that remained in the area. She is an absolute delight and a font of knowledge about the Ards Peninsula. I would highly recommend any tours she organises. I’ll certainly be back in the summer to do another tour!!!

We’ll see you in the summer ????

Kind regards

Carolyn Speyer

We have just had a brilliant tour of Cloughey with Brigid. The tour of the bay fabwas in the sunshine and we loved the chance to explore Kirkistown Castle Thank you to Brigid for taking time to engage our children with lots of interesting facts and wildlife spotting.

Jemma Malloney

Just spent a really enjoyable day with Brigid learning all about the incredible monastic history of the Ards Peninsula. There is so much to learn about this area and Brigid is so knowledgeable and passionate about sharing it. Really really good day out.

Denise O’Hagan

The tour of Slanes Graveyard was a real eye opener thanks to Brigid. Her knowledge of the area and history of the ‘’residents’’ made for an entertaining and enjoyable time. It is all to easy to stroll around looking at headstones when gathering information for the family tree but if you want the history behind the words I would really recommend this tour. Brigid also provided valuable information work already done on County Down headstone recording which has helped me move a generation further back on my family tree.

Bob Moore

This was the third trip to Ireland for my husband and me, but a first for the other 15 family members who were with us–7 adults and 6 youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17. We initially chose the Ards Peninsula because my father’s ancestors lived there, but it turned out to be a great destination all on its own merits. The whole family stayed at the beautiful Cairn Bay Lodge in Bangor. On one full day we had an excellent personalized tour with local guide Brigid Watson of Ards Peninsula Tours. We would never have found all the places she took us, and we enjoyed having her tell us about the history, geography, and geology of the peninsula. When she learned of my interest in genealogy, she followed up with an email containing several websites where I might find additional information. She also checked some cemetery listings on my behalf. The five stars are well-deserved all around. The area is vibrant without crowds, people are friendly and welcoming, and the scenery is breath-taking.
Cheers!

Jean Woolley

“Just back from a fantastic day out on an Ards Peninsula tour. It was a very enjoyable day. Brigid Watson, our guide was excellent and very informative. I would recommend it to anyone. I discovered places I never knew existed and I have been for a drive around the Peninsula many times.”

Jacqui Armstrong