Banbridge Town

The town of Banbridge, 13 miles from Belfast in the North West of County Down , has a unique feature. The town lies within the townland of Ballyvally, which means the "townland of the road", and the road is precisely the unusual feature mentioned. The hill to the south of the River Bann presented a problem to the horsedrawn Royal Mail coaches of old. Their threat to bypass the town, which would have led to a crippling loss of trade, initiated the town's decision to divide the main street into three sections. In 1834, the centre of the wide street was converted into an underpass which lowered the hill and the resulting gap was bridged. This bridge was named the Downshire Bridge, known locally as The Jinglers Bridge, while the underpass is known as "The Cut". This move avoided any possible weakening and today the town is thriving with a lively selection of attractions.

Situated at the gateway to the Mourne Mountains, it is an ideal town from which the mountains can be explored. Pleasingly, walking routes have been added but they have not interfered with any of the mountain's inherent calm. The angling favourites Corbet Lough, Loughbrickland Lake and the entire Upper River Bann are near to the town and an angling guide is available from the town tourist office .

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