Ballyronan Marina

Ballyronan is one of the most accessible public windows onto Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, on its quiet north-western shore. The marina and shore park are managed by Mid Ulster District Council, with a public car park, grassy amenity ground and a small shingle beach, so this is honest public land rather than a private jetty. From the air the appeal is the sheer scale of open water reaching to a flat horizon, the marina's moored boats, the wooded shoreline and, at dusk, some of the best sunset light in Ulster reflecting off the lough. The caution flag is mostly about wildlife and airspace. The Lough Neagh shore is an internationally important SPA/Ramsar site for wintering wildfowl, so keep launches and passes well away from rafts of birds, especially in winter. On airspace, Belfast International (Aldergrove) sits on the far eastern shore roughly 28km away, comfortably clear, but log it. The marina is moderately busy with boaters and campers in season, so pick a quiet edge of the shore park for take-off and keep clear of people and vehicles. Flat, open and easy underfoot, with big skies, it's a rewarding and legal Lough Neagh spot if you fly responsibly around the wildlife.