oxford island tourist information centre

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Oxford Island is in fact a peninsula, located on the shores of Lough Neagh. This is a beautiful part of Northern Ireland delightful for studying grebes of many varieties and other lakeside birds. Bring a picnic and avoid the canteen. Well worth visiting.

Ruthmeister

We visited here this afternoon for some lunch. It's been many years since I was last at Oxford island and I would highly recommend it. The cafe is spacious and clean with friendly staff and lovely views. The food is delicious and very reasonably priced. There is a lovely gift shop and the toilets are very clean. We didn't have time for a walk but I can imagine it's lovely. Would recommend to anyone whether families or couples or a walk around on your own

MsRed23

I can't believe how amazingly gorgeous this attraction is and right on my doorstep. There are loads of activities going on all the time that I only found out about recently to suit everyone. The walks are adapted to individual needs and abilities.

Capt007Pugwash

Attended the Discovery Centre today as a venue for employment training. Comfortable training room with good layout. Tea, coffee and scones were provided. Blowing an absolute gale outside due to the remnants of a hurricane. Good central location when participants were attending from all over the Provence. It wasn't the weather to go on the walks as it was too gusty and wet - but it was a scenic venue.

happylemon

What a dreadful place trying to showcase lough neagh.s features n wild life. Inside the lough side building a lobby come tourist shop poorly stocked touristy free leaflets and the worst eating place in the country smelling of boiled cabbage and wet outdoor clothing displaying portioned desserts that were cut with a chain saw and lobbed on plates Over cooked meats! gravy that looked like thickened drain water. All pre war ideas .don't understand how the bosses of this complex stoop so low and how some government body has wasted so much good money on this hideous venture.

mumknowsbest2

Not really sure how to describe this place. Visited on a warm July day. Park was busy with children splashing in the play pond. Staff where friendly in the visitor centre. Expected to meet more people along the paths but was actually very lonely. Where given a map but was hard to follow, would have liked to have had a few sign posts along the way as I'm sure we could have picked a better path to follow. Wouldn't be in a rush to return.

GoalieBoy

Made a visit in order to get a better appreciation of Lough Neigh. The paths are easy to negotiate and the bird hides very well maintained. I don't know much about ducks, etc but I was fascinated by the variety I could see so close up. Can't comment on the cafe, but the staff were friendly and helpful and the picnic area was clean and very pleasant.

fhuiseog

Popped in for lunch on a Fri in June. No salads, no sandwiches which was a bit surprising in mid summer. Food presentation sloppy and unappetising so eventually opted for just coffee and a scone. Looked around for table but could only see dirty unwiped tables. Staff too busy chatting to workmen to notice our predicament. Eventually asked for a cloth and table was cleaned with bad grace and no apology. Dirty plates stacked in a rack beside us. Windows clearly unwashed for months. Floor sticky and in need of a deep clean. Just returned from a trip to the US, where we ate in all sorts of restaurants in many different places: even the most humble of these was cleaner and had staff that cared. NI has a long way to go.

jhegarty777

Oxford island is a partial nature reserve. It is also a watersports centre. It is on the shores of Lough Neagh and has a superb marina which has berths for about 60 boats. The wildlife is all around you, squirrels, rabbits and a huge variation of birds. It is very popular with birdwatchers from deverywhere. There is also a caravan/camp site with adjoining cafe and park for the children. This is a hidden jewel and is only seconds from the M1 motorway and only 20 minutes from Belfast. Great place for walks , you will not be dissapointed. Theres is a second cafe with the most spectacular views of the lough and an adjoining museum.

susiecutie2013

Its a lovely place to go for a walk or go with the family. there is a discovery centre with lots of information about the surrounding area and the wild life. a cafe situated in the grounds there is plenty to do including boat trips around the lough. We take our dog he loves it only thing i found dissapointing was the fact that there are signs asking you to clean up after your dog but there are hardly any bins provided so you find your carrying it around with you. on our last visit there was bags of poop left on the ground as people must have got sick of carrying it. other than that its a lovely place with beautiful views.

mouseHerts

I didn't realise how big the Lough was. The discovery centre on Oxford Island gives you much information about the wildlife, but it if you really want to appreciate the size of the Lough, it is better to take one of the boat trips on offer.There is a café is the Discovery Centre, but it was closing when we got there.There is another café nearby at Kinnego Marina which serves basic meals.

733terenced

Went to oxford island restaurant it was a Sunday they were queing up for food remember me of school dinners , waited 40 minutes to get to food counter food was disappointed over cooked poor staff and bad service soup was cold suppose to be vegetable soup but more like green paint thick and bad smell of it table was dirty also cold dinner pork half burned plenty of the burned stuff thought , people were still queing up 2 get in I don't know why food disguising would not give it to my little dog The only thing about it it was cheap to pay for around about 9 pound each which was plenty for it The ducks outside entertained us Will not be back in the hurry

K30NE

Had a great day out here. Picked up leaflets from the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre from very helpful staff on what wildlife to look out for on our walk around the Reserve, and what to look out for at particular Hides. The kids had a great time trying to name the different types of ducks, birds, butterflies etc. The atmosphere was great with many other families and people of all ages making the most of the good weather. And there are several walks to suit all ages or degrees of fitness. The marina was busy with boats and jet ski enthusiasts and watched on eagerly by people either walking by or relaxing having pic-nics or BBQ's. The caravan and camping site was well laid out and neat and tidy with ample facilities. We retired to the Lough shore front beside the Discovery Centre for a BBQ of our own, and the kids played in the park and paddling pool until lunch was ready. A great family day out just off junction 10 on the M1 and a gem we have driven past on many an occasion.

Carnalbanagh

Lady on reception was genuinely friendly and knowledgeable. Centre was closing for the day but they did not rush us.

Adrian112

I had been looking forward to visiting Oxford Island, Craigavon, Lough Neagh for some time now, and took the opportunity today. The weather was beautiful and it was everything I expected on arrival. The blue skies, the scenery, the Lough, the parking space and the general feel of the place was so welcoming. Maybe I expected too much. In the Discovery Centre they had everything that a tourist would expect in the way of pamphlet information, but I was disappointed that there was no history on the Lough and it's shores, no detailed map or replica of the lough or the surrounding area, no information on formation of the lough, geology, the fish species and in particular on the Dolligan trout which is unique to Lough. The info on the local and migrant birds, with sightings was great and I loved the camera on the house martins. The gardens were lovely and I had a great time, but not the scientific experience I had expected from the internet. The Lough is magnificent.