Delamont Country Park

Delamont is the sensible answer to the Strangford Lough problem. The lough is ringed by National Trust holdings and wildlife reserves, but this 200-acre council-run country park just south of Killyleagh gives you legitimate parkland access right down to the shore, with one of the best elevated views anywhere on the lough. From the high ground by the Strangford Stone — a 10 m megalith raised in 1999 — the drumlin islands scatter across the water like a half-drowned landscape, with the Mournes on the southern horizon. It's a genuinely pleasant, low-stress place to fly: pay the vehicle entry fee, walk away from the play areas and miniature railway, and launch from open grass. The big caveat is wildlife. Strangford Lough is a Marine Conservation Zone and SPA holding most of the world's light-bellied brent geese from autumn through winter, so between October and March keep well away from the foreshore flocks and fly the parkland instead — or better, save this one for summer. Winds are gentler here than the coast, but the open ridge still catches a stiff south-westerly. Ask rangers on arrival; they're used to photographers.